To transpose guitar chords to piano, keep the chord names the same and play the same notes on the piano: a G major chord on guitar is G, B and D, and on piano it is the same three notes, G, B and D, played with the right hand, with the root in the left hand.
How do you transpose guitar chords to piano?
To transpose guitar chords to piano, keep the chord names the same and play the same notes on the piano: a chord is a set of notes, and the notes are the same on every instrument. A G major chord on guitar is G, B and D, and on piano it is the same three notes, G, B and D, played with the right hand, with the root, G, in the left hand. The chord does not change when it moves from guitar to piano, only the way it is played changes, because the piano has keys instead of strings, and the notes are laid out in a straight line. The translation is straightforward, because the chord is defined by its notes, not by its shape. A C major chord is C, E and G on any instrument, and a D minor chord is D, F and A on any instrument, so a guitarist who knows the notes of a chord can play it on piano, and a pianist who knows the notes can play it on guitar. The difficulty is not the chords, but the voicing: the guitar plays chords in a particular order, with the notes spread across the strings, while the piano can play the notes in any order, close together or far apart, and the pianist must choose a voicing that sounds good on piano. The chord finder shows the notes of any chord, and the piano chord finder shows the piano voicing.
How guitar chords translate to piano
The method is to find the notes of the chord, and then to play those notes on the piano. A G major chord is G, B and D, so on piano, play G, B and D with the right hand, in that order, or in any order that sounds good, and play G in the left hand as the bass note. An Am chord is A, C and E, so on piano, play A, C and E with the right hand, and A in the left hand. A D7 chord is D, F#, A and C, so on piano, play D, F#, A and C with the right hand, and D in the left hand. The notes are the same, and the piano voicing is the guitarist's choice. The guitar sounds an octave lower than written, which matters when you translate the notes. The guitar's open strings are written as E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4, but they sound an octave lower, so the written E4 on the guitar sounds as E3 on the piano. That means a guitarist who reads a chord chart and plays the notes on piano must be careful about the octave: the notes are the same, but the octave may be different, and the pianist should play the chord in the middle of the piano, around middle C, C4, where it sounds best. The G major piano chord and the C major piano chord show the piano voicings.
Worked example — a guitar progression on piano. A guitar progression in C major is C, G, Am, F, which is the I–V–vi–IV progression. On piano, play each chord with the right hand and the root in the left hand: C major is C, E, G, with C in the left hand; G major is G, B, D, with G in the left hand; Am is A, C, E, with A in the left hand; and F major is F, A, C, with F in the left hand. The notes are the same as on guitar, and the progression sounds the same, because the chords are the same, only the instrument has changed. The key of C major lists the chords, and the piano voicings are the same notes in a different layout.
How to practise translating guitar chords to piano
Practise by taking a guitar progression you already know, finding the notes of each chord, and playing those notes on piano, so the translation becomes a habit.
- Take the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major and play each chord on piano, with the notes in the right hand and the root in the left hand.
- Take a G major chord on guitar, find its notes, G, B and D, and play them on piano in three different voicings: root position, first inversion and second inversion.
- Play a D7 chord on guitar, find its notes, D, F#, A and C, and play them on piano, with D in the left hand.
- Practise with the chord finder to find the notes of any chord, and then play those notes on piano.
- Use the piano chord finder to check your piano voicings, and repeat the exercise until you can translate any guitar chord to piano.
Common mistakes
- Changing the chord when you change the instrument — A chord is a set of notes, and the notes are the same on every instrument, so a G major chord is G, B and D on guitar and on piano. If your piano chord has different notes, you have changed the chord, not translated it.
- Forgetting the octave — The guitar sounds an octave lower than written, so a note that is written as E4 on guitar sounds as E3 on piano. Play the chord in the middle of the piano, around middle C, or it will sound too low or too high.
- Playing every note in root position — The piano can play chords in any inversion, and root position every time will sound dull and predictable. Use inversions to make the chords flow smoothly, with the notes moving by small steps from one chord to the next.
Quick reference
This table shows six common guitar chords, with their notes and the piano voicing for each one, so you can see the translation working chord by chord. The notes are the same on both instruments, and the piano voicing is the notes played with the right hand, with the root in the left hand.
| Guitar chord | Notes | Piano voicing (right hand) |
|---|---|---|
| C major | C – E – G | C – E – G |
| G major | G – B – D | G – B – D |
| D major | D – F# – A | D – F# – A |
| A minor | A – C – E | A – C – E |
| E minor | E – G – B | E – G – B |
| D7 | D – F# – A – C | D – F# – A – C |
Use the table as a translation guide: find the guitar chord in the first column, read its notes in the second column, and play those notes on piano with the right hand, with the root in the left hand. When you can translate any guitar chord to piano without looking, you can play with any pianist, and the two instruments will always be in the same key.
Frequently asked questions
How do I transpose guitar chords to piano?
Keep the chord names the same and play the same notes on the piano: a G major chord on guitar is G, B and D, and on piano it is the same three notes, G, B and D, played with the right hand, with the root in the left hand.
Are guitar chords and piano chords the same?
Yes. A chord is a set of notes, and the notes are the same on every instrument. A C major chord is C, E and G on guitar and on piano, and a D minor chord is D, F and A on both instruments, so the chord does not change when it moves from one instrument to another.
Why does the guitar sound an octave lower than written?
Because the guitar is a transposing instrument: its music is written an octave higher than it sounds, so that the notes fit on the treble clef. A note written as E4 on guitar sounds as E3 on piano, and the pianist must play the chord in the middle of the piano.
Can I play guitar chord shapes on piano?
No, because the piano has keys instead of strings, and the notes are laid out in a straight line. A guitar shape is a pattern of frets and strings, and it does not translate to piano, but the notes of the chord do, and that is what matters.
How do I choose a piano voicing for a guitar chord?
Play the notes of the chord in the middle of the piano, around middle C, and use inversions to make the chords flow smoothly, with the notes moving by small steps from one chord to the next. The right hand plays the chord, and the left hand plays the root.