Transpose E Minor to D Minor
Every chord moves 10 semitones up (the same as 2 down). D Minor sits below E Minor here, so a capo cannot make this move — you need the chart rewritten.
Distance
+10 semitones
Capo shortcut
Not possible
Difficulty change
Harder
Chord conversion chart
The chords of E Minor and what each one becomes in D Minor. This is the table to keep next to you while you mark up a chart by hand.
The chords you'll be playing in D Minor
Tap a diagram for its full fingering.
How to transpose from E Minor to D Minor
By hand, in five steps — or in one click at the bottom of this page.
- 1Work out the distance: E Minor to D Minor is 10 semitones up, or 2 semitones down — the same destination either way.
- 2Move every chord root by that distance. E Minor's home chord becomes D, 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. D Minor carries 1 flat, 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.
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 10 semitones and keep the chord's quality as written.
| Original root | Becomes |
|---|---|
| C | B♭ |
| C♯ | B |
| D | C |
| E♭ | D♭ |
| E | D |
| F | E♭ |
| F♯ | E |
| G | F |
| A♭ | G♭ |
| A | G |
| B♭ | A♭ |
| B | A |
Frequently asked questions
- How many semitones from E Minor to D Minor?
- 10 semitones up, which is the same as 2 semitones down — you land on the same chords either way, just in a different octave.
- What do the chords become?
- Em becomes Dm, G becomes F, Am becomes Gm, Bm becomes Am, C becomes B♭, D becomes C.
- Can I use a capo instead of transposing to D Minor?
- Not directly. A capo can only raise pitch, and D Minor sits below E Minor in this direction, so you would need to rewrite the chart — or capo up to reach it from an octave below, which is rarely practical.
- Is D Minor easier to play than E Minor?
- No — D Minor is the harder of the two (2.83 against 1.83), 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 Minor to D Minor in place — same layout, same spacing, print-ready.
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