Circle of Fifths Beta
Click a key to see its signature, scale, and chords — in any mode — and hear them played. Free, in your browser.
Brighter than major. The raised fourth gives it a floating, wide-open sound.The bright, settled default — the sound most songs are built on.Major with a flat seventh — bluesy, and it lands more softly.Minor, but hopeful. The raised sixth lifts it out of true melancholy.The standard minor: serious, romantic, often melancholy.Dark and tense. The flat second gives it a brooding, uneasy pull.The darkest and rarest — its home chord is diminished, so it never settles.
How to read it
- Click any key. The outer ring selects major keys, the inner ring their relative minors — the wheel shows the signature and plays the chord.
- Go clockwise. Each step adds one sharp; counterclockwise, each step adds one flat — until the two meet at the bottom, where F♯ and G♭ are the same key written two ways.
- Try a mode. Major and minor are two of seven modes — Dorian, Lydian and friends use the same wheel with a shifted signature.
- Neighbors are friends. Keys next to each other share most of their notes — moving between them sounds natural.
The circle of fifths chart
All twelve keys at a glance — the same data the wheel shows, as a key signature chart:
| Major key | Relative minor | Signature | Accidentals |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Am | — | none |
| G | Em | 1 ♯ | F♯ |
| D | Bm | 2 ♯ | F♯ C♯ |
| A | F♯m | 3 ♯ | F♯ C♯ G♯ |
| E | C♯m | 4 ♯ | F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ |
| B | G♯m | 5 ♯ | F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ |
| F♯ / G♭ | D♯m / E♭m | 6 ♯ / 6 ♭ | F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ (as G♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭) |
| D♭ | B♭m | 5 ♭ | B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ |
| A♭ | Fm | 4 ♭ | B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ |
| E♭ | Cm | 3 ♭ | B♭ E♭ A♭ |
| B♭ | Gm | 2 ♭ | B♭ E♭ |
| F | Dm | 1 ♭ | B♭ |
Questions
What is the circle of fifths?
The circle of fifths arranges the twelve major keys (each with its relative minor) so that every step clockwise is a perfect fifth higher. It shows how many sharps or flats each key has and which keys are closely related — the closer two keys sit on the circle, the more notes they share.
How do I read the circle of fifths?
Start at C at the top, which has no sharps or flats. Every step clockwise adds one sharp (G has one, D has two, and so on); every step counterclockwise adds one flat. At the bottom of the circle the spelling flips from sharps to flats — F♯ major and G♭ major are the same key written two ways. The inner ring shows each key’s relative minor, which shares the same key signature.
What is a relative minor?
Every major key has a minor key with exactly the same notes and key signature — its relative minor. It sits on the inner ring of the circle: A minor for C major, E minor for G major, and so on.
What are the modes — Dorian, Lydian, Mixolydian?
A mode uses the notes of a major scale but treats a different degree as home. D Dorian has the same notes as C major but starts on D; F Lydian shifts the signature one step clockwise on the circle, Mixolydian one step counterclockwise. The mode selector shows how each choice moves the key signature around the wheel.
How do I use the circle of fifths for chord progressions?
Chords built on neighboring keys of the circle sound naturally connected, which is why so many songs move by fifths and fourths. Pick a key, use the chords shown below the wheel, and try Musicpham’s chord progression generator to hear progressions learned from real songs.