Capo for the key of A Major

The easiest way to play in A Major is a capo on fret 2, fingering G shapes — same sound, far easier chords.

Chords in A: A · Bm · C#m · D · E · F#m

Capo2

Capo on fret 2 — play in G shapes

Put the capo on fret 2 and finger in G. You'll play easy open shapes — G, Am, C, D, Em. That removes 2 barre chords versus playing it open. The song still sounds in the same key — only the shapes get easier.

324
G
231
Am
2fr13421
Bm
321
C
132
D
23
Em

All capo positions, ranked by ease

Put the capo on fret 2 and finger in G. You'll play easy open shapes — G, Am, C, D, Em. That removes 2 barre chords versus playing it open. The song still sounds in the same key — only the shapes get easier.

324
G
231
Am
2fr13421
Bm
321
C
132
D
23
Em

Chords in the key of A Major

These are the chords you'll most often see in A Major. Tap-free diagrams below.

123
A
2fr13421
Bm
4fr13421
C#m
132
D
231
E
2fr134111
F#m

Why a capo helps in A Major

Some keys sit awkwardly on the guitar — they need barre chords that are tough for beginners and tiring on a long set. A capo lets you keep the sound of A Major while fingering shapes from an easier key. Here, a capo on fret 2 lets you play comfortable G shapes that sound in A Major.

Use the calculator above to compare every capo position, or switch it to From chords to paste the exact chords from your song.

Transpose a whole chart

Got a full chord sheet in A Major? Upload it and transpose every chord in place, then export a clean, print-ready PDF with a capo banner stamped on.

Open the chart transposer

Related guides