Circle of fifths
Tap a key on the circle, or pick it from the list, to see how many sharps or flats it has, which notes they are, its relative minor, the keys a fifth above and below and the chords that belong to the key. The outer ring shows major keys and the inner ring the minor keys that share their key signature.
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How to use it
- Tap a segment of the circle. Each segment covers a major key on the outer ring and its relative minor on the inner ring. You can also use the list below the circle, which works well with a keyboard or screen reader.
- Read the key signature, the notes it contains and the relative minor.
- Use the dominant and subdominant lines to find the keys next to your key. A song that modulates usually moves to one of the neighbours.
How it works
The circle is ordered by perfect fifths: C, G, D, A, E, B, F♯, D♭, A♭, E♭, B♭, F and back to C. The number of sharps equals the position clockwise from C, and the number of flats equals the position anticlockwise. The chords come from the major scale of the chosen key, with a triad built on each of its seven notes.
Worked example
Select E♭ major / C minor. The key signature is three flats, B♭, E♭ and A♭. The dominant is B♭ and the subdominant is A♭. The chords are E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm and Ddim.
Tips
- The chords I, IV and V of a key are the three neighbouring segments on the outer ring (the key and the keys on each side), which is why those chords fit together.
- To change a song to a singer’s range, move around the circle and use the capo transposer for the chords.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read the circle of fifths?
Moving clockwise, each key is a fifth above the last and has one more sharp, or one flat fewer: C has none, G has one sharp, D has two and so on. Moving anticlockwise each key is a fifth below and adds a flat. The inner ring holds the relative minors, which use the same notes as the major key above them.
How do I find the relative minor of a major key?
The relative minor starts on the sixth note of the major scale, a minor third below the major root. C major and A minor share the same key signature (no sharps or flats), and so do G major and E minor, which have one sharp.
In what order do sharps and flats appear in a key signature?
Sharps are added in the order F, C, G, D, A, E, B and flats in the reverse order, B, E, A, D, G, C, F. A key with three sharps has F♯, C♯ and G♯, and a key with three flats has B♭, E♭ and A♭.
Why are some keys written two ways?
At the bottom of the circle the keys meet. B major with five sharps sounds the same as C♭ major with seven flats, F♯ major with six sharps as G♭ major with six flats, and D♭ major with five flats as C♯ major with seven sharps. Notation uses the version with fewer accidentals.
Which chords belong to a key?
A major key contains seven chords: major on the 1st, 4th and 5th degrees (I, IV and V), minor on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th (ii, iii and vi) and diminished on the 7th (vii°). In C major they are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and Bdim. Many songs use only I, IV, V and vi.