Circle of Fifths
Pick a key on the circle. See its key signature, its relative and parallel keys, the keys a fifth up and down, and the chords that belong to it.
The circle
Clockwise, each key is a fifth higher and has one more sharp (or one flat fewer). Outer ring: major keys. Inner ring: minor keys with the same signature.
C major
Key signature: no sharps or flats
Sharps are always written in the order F C G D A E B, flats in the order B E A D G C F.
C major scale:
Related keys
Sa, Pa and Ma (Indian terms)
Chords in C major
Built from the notes of the scale: on each note, stack every other note above it.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Kind |
|---|
How to read it
- A fifth up (clockwise) is the dominant side: the key built on the fifth note of the scale, with one more sharp or one flat fewer. A fifth down (counter-clockwise) is the subdominant side, built on the fourth note.
- Relative keys share a key signature and all their notes; only the starting note (the tonic) differs. The relative minor starts on the sixth note of the major scale.
- Parallel keys share the starting note, not the notes: C major has no flats, C minor has three.
- At the bottom of the circle three keys can be written two ways: B or C♭, F♯ or G♭, D♭ or C♯. They sound the same.
- Roman numerals: capitals for major chords, small letters for minor, ° diminished, + augmented, ø half-diminished.
Keyboard shortcuts
- ← →a fifth down or up (round the circle)
- ↑ ↓outer ring (major) or inner ring (minor)
- Rrelative key
- Pparallel key
- Eother spelling (B or C♭, F♯ or G♭, D♭ or C♯)
- 7triads or seventh chords
- Spaceplay the chord and scale, or stop
- Escstop the sound
Shortcuts pause while you use the key menu. On the circle itself the arrow keys do the same and the focus follows the key.
Letter, number and punctuation shortcuts can be turned off: use the Keyboard shortcuts switch in the footer, under Display. Space, Enter, the arrow keys and Esc keep working.