The circle of fifths is a diagram that arranges the twelve major keys in a circle, each one a perfect 5th above the last: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, and then the flat keys back to C. Moving clockwise adds one sharp, moving anticlockwise adds one flat, and the relative minor sits inside each major key.
What is the circle of fifths?
The circle of fifths is a diagram that arranges all twelve major keys in a circle, in order of perfect 5ths. Start at the top with C major, which has no sharps and no flats, and move clockwise: G major has one sharp, D major has two, A major has three, E major has four, B major has five, F# major has six, and C# major has seven. Then the flat keys take over: Gb major has six flats, Db major has five, Ab major has four, Eb major has three, Bb major has two, and F major has one flat, before the circle returns to C major at the top. The circle is the most useful diagram in music theory, because it shows the relationships between keys at a glance. Keys that sit next to each other on the circle are closely related, which means they share most of their notes and their chords fit together easily. Keys that sit opposite each other are distant, which means they share few notes and moving between them sounds dramatic. The relative minor of each major key sits inside the circle, next to its major partner, so the diagram shows the minor keys as well as the major ones. The circle of fifths tool draws the circle for any key.
How the circle of fifths works
The circle is built from a single interval, the perfect 5th, seven semitones. Each step clockwise moves up a perfect 5th from the previous key, and each perfect 5th adds one sharp to the key signature, because the 7th degree of the new key is the sharp that the old key was missing. C major has no sharps; G major, a 5th above C, adds F#, the 7th degree of G major; D major, a 5th above G, adds C#, the 7th degree of D major; and so on. The sharps appear in a fixed order, F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#, which is itself the circle of fifths, and the flats appear in the reverse order, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb. Moving anticlockwise works the same way in reverse: each step moves down a perfect 5th, which is the same as moving up a perfect 4th, and each step adds one flat. F major, a 5th below C, has one flat, Bb; Bb major, a 5th below F, has two flats, Bb and Eb; Eb major has three, and so on. The two halves of the circle meet at the bottom, where F# major, with six sharps, and Gb major, with six flats, are the same sounding key spelled two different ways. The key of C major sits at the top of the circle, the key of G major sits one step clockwise, and the key of F major sits one step anticlockwise.
Worked example — finding the key signature of A major. Start at C major, with no sharps, and move clockwise: G major has one sharp, D major has two, and A major, three steps clockwise, has three sharps. The sharps are the first three in the order of sharps: F#, C# and G#. Check it against the A major scale, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, which contains exactly those three sharps. Now find the relative minor: A major's relative minor sits inside the circle at the same position, and it is F# minor, which also has three sharps. The A major scale shows the notes, and the key of A major shows the chords.
How to practise with the circle of fifths
Practise the circle by drawing it from memory, one key at a time, until you can place all twelve major keys and their relative minors without looking.
- Draw the circle on paper, starting with C at the top and moving clockwise through G, D, A, E and B, writing the number of sharps next to each key.
- Add the relative minors inside the circle: A minor next to C major, E minor next to G major, B minor next to D major, and so on.
- Pick a random key, such as E major, and work out its key signature from the circle before you check it against the scale finder.
- Find the closely related keys of the key of C major: G major, F major, A minor, E minor and D minor, which sit next to it on the circle.
- Use the circle of fifths tool to check your drawing, and repeat the exercise until you can draw the whole circle from memory.
Common mistakes
- Reading the circle backwards — Clockwise adds sharps and anticlockwise adds flats. Reading the circle in the wrong direction gives you the wrong key signature, so always start at C and move clockwise for sharps.
- Confusing the relative minor with the parallel minor — The relative minor sits inside the circle next to its major partner and shares its key signature, while the parallel minor sits on the same root and has a different key signature. C major's relative minor is A minor, not C minor.
- Thinking the bottom of the circle is two different keys — F# major and Gb major are the same sounding key spelled two different ways, with six sharps and six flats. They are enharmonic equivalents, not two different keys, and the circle meets itself at the bottom.
Quick reference
This table lists the sharp side of the circle of fifths, from C major at the top to C# major at the bottom, with the relative minor of each key in the last column. Each step clockwise adds one sharp, and the sharps appear in the order F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#, which is the order to memorise before anything else about the circle.
| Position | Major key | Sharps or flats | Relative minor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | C major | None | A minor |
| 1 clockwise | G major | 1 sharp: F# | E minor |
| 2 clockwise | D major | 2 sharps: F#, C# | B minor |
| 3 clockwise | A major | 3 sharps: F#, C#, G# | F# minor |
| 4 clockwise | E major | 4 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D# | C# minor |
| 5 clockwise | B major | 5 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#, A# | G# minor |
| 6 clockwise | F# major | 6 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E# | D# minor |
| 7 clockwise | C# major | 7 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B# | A# minor |
Memorise the table by reciting it as a chant, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, and then work out the flat side the same way, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, which is the same circle read anticlockwise. When you can recite both sides without looking, you can find the key signature of any key in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What is the circle of fifths?
The circle of fifths is a diagram that arranges the twelve major keys in a circle, each one a perfect 5th above the last, starting with C major at the top. Moving clockwise adds one sharp, moving anticlockwise adds one flat, and the relative minor sits inside each major key.
How do I use the circle of fifths?
Use it to find key signatures, to find closely related keys, to transpose, and to find the relative minor of any key. Keys that sit next to each other on the circle are closely related, so they share most of their notes and their chords fit together easily.
Why is it called the circle of fifths?
Because each step around the circle moves up by a perfect 5th, seven semitones, from the previous key. C to G is a perfect 5th, G to D is a perfect 5th, and so on, all the way around the circle back to C.
What is the order of sharps?
F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#, which is itself the circle of fifths. The order of flats is the reverse: Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb, which is the circle of fourths.
How many keys are on the circle of fifths?
Twelve major keys and twelve minor keys, twenty-four in total. The major keys sit on the outside of the circle and their relative minors sit on the inside, at the same position as their major partner.