Transpose E Major to F♯ Major
Every chord moves 2 semitones up (the same as 10 down). Or skip the rewrite entirely — a capo on fret 2 does it for you.
Distance
+2 semitones
Capo shortcut
Fret 2
Difficulty change
Harder
Chord conversion chart
The chords of E Major and what each one becomes in F♯ Major. This is the table to keep next to you while you mark up a chart by hand.
The chords you'll be playing in F♯ Major
Tap a diagram for its full fingering.
How to transpose from E Major to F♯ Major
By hand, in five steps — or in one click at the bottom of this page.
- 1Work out the distance: E Major to F♯ Major is 2 semitones up, or 10 semitones down — the same destination either way.
- 2Move every chord root by that distance. E Major's home chord becomes F♯, and every other chord shifts by exactly the same amount.
- 3Keep each chord's quality untouched. A minor chord stays minor, a 7th stays a 7th — only the root letter moves.
- 4Respell the accidentals to match the destination key. F♯ Major carries 6 sharps, so write the notes the way that key spells them.
- 5Check any bass note written after a slash, and any chord borrowed from outside the key — those move by the same distance as everything else.
- 6If you only need it to sound higher and want to keep fingering the shapes you already know, skip the rewrite: a capo on fret 2 turns E Major shapes into F♯ Major.
Every note, transposed
Charts wander outside the key all the time — a passing major chord, a borrowed minor, a slash bass. Use this chromatic map for anything the table above does not cover: shift 2 semitones and keep the chord's quality as written.
| Original root | Becomes |
|---|---|
| C | D |
| C♯ | D♯ |
| D | E |
| E♭ | F |
| E | F♯ |
| F | G |
| F♯ | G♯ |
| G | A |
| A♭ | A♯ |
| A | B |
| B♭ | C |
| B | C♯ |
The capo shortcut: fret 2
Transposing rewrites the chart. A capo gets you the same sound without touching a pencil.
Clamp a capo on fret 2 and keep playing the E Major shapes exactly as printed. Every string is now 2 semitones higher, so the band hears F♯ Major while your hands do something they already know. This is the fastest fix when a singer needs the song lifted at short notice.
One caveat: the voicings sit higher and brighter than they would if you genuinely played in F♯ Major. For a full band that difference matters less than getting the singer into a comfortable range.
Check it against your songFrequently asked questions
- How many semitones from E Major to F♯ Major?
- 2 semitones up, which is the same as 10 semitones down — you land on the same chords either way, just in a different octave.
- What do the chords become?
- E becomes F♯, F♯m becomes G♯m, G♯m becomes A♯m, A becomes B, B becomes C♯, C♯m becomes D♯m.
- Can I use a capo instead of transposing to F♯ Major?
- Yes. A capo on fret 2 raises everything by 2 semitones, so the E Major shapes you already know come out sounding in F♯ Major — no rewriting at all.
- Is F♯ Major easier to play than E Major?
- No — F♯ Major is the harder of the two (4 against 3.17), so expect more barre chords. A capo is worth considering.
Do it to the whole chart
Rewriting chords by hand is slow and easy to get wrong halfway down page two. Upload the PDF or a photo of your chart and every chord moves from E Major to F♯ Major in place — same layout, same spacing, print-ready.
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