The circle of fifths is a sequence of pitches or key tonalities, represented as a circle, in which the next pitch (turning clockwise) is found seven semitones higher than the last. Musicians and composers use the circle of fifths to understand and describe the musical relationships among some selection of those pitches. In music theory, the circle of fifths is a way of organizing the 12 chromatic pitches as a sequence of perfect fifths. If C is chosen as a starting point, the sequence is: C, G, D, A, E, B (=C ♭), F ♯ (=G ♭), C ♯ (=D ♭), A ♭, E ♭, B ♭, F. Continuing the pattern from F.
If you're not familiar with music theory, the circle of fifths and key signatures might fill your brain with intense boredom or confusion.
By definition, the Circle of Fifths is a visual tool designed to illustrate the relationships between the 12 tones of the chromatic scale - the foundation on which Western music is built.
But the truth is, tackling music theory concepts will only make you better at what you do. With tools like the circle of fifths, they don't have to be complicated either…
Hearing music is one thing, but seeing music through the circle of fifths turns something complicated and messy into something condensed and easy to follow.
In this article, I'll show you how the circle of fifths diagram works and help you understand how to apply it to your songwriting.
What you'll need to understand the circle of fifths
To get the most out of this article, you'll need a solid understanding of what chords are and how they operate in music.
If you need a quick refresher, check out these guides on how to build chords and chord progressions.
Tackling music theory concepts will only make you better at what you do.
Once you're up to speed, make sure you have a pencil and sheet of paper available. The best way to memorize the circle of fifths is to draw it on your own and take notes. Ready?
First, let's look at key signatures.
What are key signatures?
Key signatures are unique sequences of sharps, flats and natural notes in music. A key signature is all the accidentals found in a key's scale.
Sharps (#) (not to be confused with hashtags) are symbols that represent notes positioned a semitone or half-step above another note. For example, a C natural can be found on a white key on a piano, a C# is located a semitone above C on the black key:
Flats (b) (not to be confused with cute little b's) function in the opposite way as sharps. For example, A natural is represented by a white key on the keyboard, so Ab would be the black note directly below it.
The key of C major is comprised of all natural notes, so no sharps or flats: C – D – E – F – G – A – B
In contrast, a key like C# major has seven sharps: C# – D# – E# – F# – G# – A# – B#
Oh, also, flats and sharps can share the same note locations. Confused yet? I am.
The best way to memorize the circle of fifths is to draw it on your own and take notes.
No sweat! understanding everything I just said is why we have a nifty little thing called the circle of fifths!
Let's study the circle, write out some key signatures, and use it to build some chords— Soon everything will start to click.
The circle of fifths [Infographic]
The circle of fifths is a visual representation of the keys you hear in music. Starting at the top with the key of C major. The circle is split between the sharps (right side) and flats (left side) we encounter as we travel around it.
Use middle C on your keyboard to follow along.
Start on the right side
Let's start with the major keys on the right side of the circle.
It's called the circle of fifths because each key signature is separated by the distance of a fifth interval (for example: C to G on the circle above represents a fifth).
Start at C major. Since there are no sharps in the key of C major, the notes in the key are: C – D – E – F – G – A – B
Now move one space to G, the next key. You'll notice in the outer ring of the circle that a new sharp (teal box) comes along with it.
So the notes in the key of G major are: G – A – B – C – D – E – F#
The key of C has no sharps, G has one sharp, D has two sharps, and so on around the circle.
Since you know D major has 2 sharps, try writing out the notes in the key of D using the circle to figure out which notes are sharps.
A sharp is added for every new fifth until we reach the bottom of the circle with the key of F#. The key of F# can also be interpreted as Gb.
Moving to the left side
Now let's tackle the left side of the circle. Instead of starting at the top, we'll start where you left off at the bottom with Gb.
Moving clockwise, the flats (yellow boxes) move in order of fifths again just like the sharps. But instead of adding a flat every time it does the opposite and removes one with every new key.
For example: The key of Gb has six flats and Db has five, Ab has 4 and so on.
The pattern continues until we get back to the top of the circle with C major, which again has no flats or sharps. Try picking a note on the left side of the diagram and write out all the flats.
Moving with the minors
Now that you have a good grasp of the major keys, the minor ones are a breeze.
Start back at the top of the circle with A minor. The pattern of fifths and the addition of a sharp works the same as major keys.
The key of A minor is what's known as C major's relative minor. This means that both major and minor keys share the same exact notes but start in different places.
Pretty neat, right? When you're ready, try drawing your own version from memory.
Circle Of Fifths Printable
Building chords with the circle of fifths
The circle of fifths isn't just useful for finding the flats and sharps in each key either. It provides a simple way to build basic chords as well.
The circle of fifths isn't just useful for finding the flats and sharps in each key. It provides a simple way to build basic chords as well.
Let's build a couple of basic chords using the circle of fifths as our reference.
Major chords
You already know from our chord building guide that major chords are built on the root note, the major third and the perfect fifth.
Since we're looking at the circle of fifths, your perfect fifth will be one spot clockwise from your root.
For example: The perfect fifth of C is G, one spot away from C on your diagram. So you already have 2 notes nailed in your C major chord: C and G.
But how do you find that major third?
Simply move diagonally down from your perfect fifth to find your major third—an E.
So your C major chord is C – E – G. The same trick works all the way around the circle for major chords.
Minor chords
Building minor chords is just as simple, but the pattern is a bit different. For this example I'll build a C minor chord.
Minor chords start with your root and its perfect fifth, so one spot clockwise on the circle—a G. Again, you already have 2 notes nailed in your C minor chord: C and G.
The circle of fifths gives you a net to fall back on when you want to take some risks with your songwriting.
Circle Of Fifths
The third note in minor chords is a minor third. To find the minor third on the circle simply draw a line diagonal and down from your perfect fifth. So in the case of C minor, it's Eb.
There you have it, your C minor chord is: C – Eb – G
Choose a note on the circle and try building your own basic chords using this method. This is just one of many ways to use the circle of fifths for all sorts of quick theory help.
Once you're comfortable building chords, start using them to form your own chord progressions.
How the circle of fifths can help your songwriting
The circle of fifths adds a powerful new context to the way you create and interpret music.
A major issue every songwriter eventually encounters is writing the same old things over and over again because it's safe.
The circle of fifths gives you a net to fall back on when you want to take some risks with your songwriting. It's a great way to find new places to push your music.
Like so many other things in life, seemingly complicated music theory concepts aren't so intimidating once you take the time to fully understand them. The circle of fifths gives you a way to make it there quicker.
The Circle of Fifths shows the relationships among the twelve tones of the Chromatic Scale, their corresponding key signatures and the associated Major and Minor keys..
In lay terms: The Circle of Fifths is a music theory diagram for finding the key of a song, transposing songs to different keys, composing new songs and understanding key signatures, scales, and modes.
The Circle Of Fifths is used in music theory to represent the relationship between Diatonic Scales. The numbers on the Circle Of Fifths chart show how many sharps or flats the key signature for the scale has. Thus a Major Scale built on A has 3 sharps in its key signature as shown by the Circle of Fifths.
Reading Key Signatures using the Circle of Fifths
All songs have key signatures. Understanding what a key is and what it's signature looks like, is a must to being able to read music and understanding the Circle of Fifths.
The Circle of Fifths shows how any Sharps or Flats are in a given Key.
At the top of the Circle Of Fifths Diagram, the key of C has no sharps or flats in its key signature. Starting from the key of C and moving clockwise by ascending fifths, the key of G has one sharp, the key of D has 2 sharps and so on.
Going counter-clockwise from the top by descending fourths, the key of F has one flat, the key of B♭ has 2 flats, and so on.
Moving counter-clockwise around the Circle of fifths adds flats to the key signature, and moving clockwise around the Circle of Fifths adds sharps to the key signature.
Notice that there are flats after the key name starting on B♭Major going counter clockwise around the Circle of Fifths and sharps starting on F# Major going clockwise around the Circle of Fifths. Try to memorize this fact.
You can make it easy to find the next key signature moving clockwise around the Circle of Fifths, by counting up five steps on your fingers. C, D, E, F, and G. G is a 5th up from C and is the next key on the Circle of Fifths. You could start again from that key G to find the next key up. But remember the note you start on counts as one. G, A ,B ,C, D So would be D is the next key signature a fifth up from the key before it. But remember thats only when you go clockwise around the Circle of Fifths to find the next Key or fifth up!
When you go counter clockwise the whole thing turns into the Circle of Fourths
To use your hands to find the next key counter-clockwise start on C and count up 4 steps - C, D, E, F and thats the next key on the Circle of Fourths.
Piano has white keys and black keys. If I play only the white keys I am playing in the key of C.
But if I add a black key to the mix then I'm changing keys. I can look at the circle of fifths and find that the key of G for instance has one black key and the black key is a F# so to play in the key of G I can play all the white keys but not the F key I would instead play the F# key. Then I'd be playing in the key of G.
By definition, the Circle of Fifths is a visual tool designed to illustrate the relationships between the 12 tones of the chromatic scale - the foundation on which Western music is built.
But the truth is, tackling music theory concepts will only make you better at what you do. With tools like the circle of fifths, they don't have to be complicated either…
Hearing music is one thing, but seeing music through the circle of fifths turns something complicated and messy into something condensed and easy to follow.
In this article, I'll show you how the circle of fifths diagram works and help you understand how to apply it to your songwriting.
What you'll need to understand the circle of fifths
To get the most out of this article, you'll need a solid understanding of what chords are and how they operate in music.
If you need a quick refresher, check out these guides on how to build chords and chord progressions.
Tackling music theory concepts will only make you better at what you do.
Once you're up to speed, make sure you have a pencil and sheet of paper available. The best way to memorize the circle of fifths is to draw it on your own and take notes. Ready?
First, let's look at key signatures.
What are key signatures?
Key signatures are unique sequences of sharps, flats and natural notes in music. A key signature is all the accidentals found in a key's scale.
Sharps (#) (not to be confused with hashtags) are symbols that represent notes positioned a semitone or half-step above another note. For example, a C natural can be found on a white key on a piano, a C# is located a semitone above C on the black key:
Flats (b) (not to be confused with cute little b's) function in the opposite way as sharps. For example, A natural is represented by a white key on the keyboard, so Ab would be the black note directly below it.
The key of C major is comprised of all natural notes, so no sharps or flats: C – D – E – F – G – A – B
In contrast, a key like C# major has seven sharps: C# – D# – E# – F# – G# – A# – B#
Oh, also, flats and sharps can share the same note locations. Confused yet? I am.
The best way to memorize the circle of fifths is to draw it on your own and take notes.
No sweat! understanding everything I just said is why we have a nifty little thing called the circle of fifths!
Let's study the circle, write out some key signatures, and use it to build some chords— Soon everything will start to click.
The circle of fifths [Infographic]
The circle of fifths is a visual representation of the keys you hear in music. Starting at the top with the key of C major. The circle is split between the sharps (right side) and flats (left side) we encounter as we travel around it.
Use middle C on your keyboard to follow along.
Start on the right side
Let's start with the major keys on the right side of the circle.
It's called the circle of fifths because each key signature is separated by the distance of a fifth interval (for example: C to G on the circle above represents a fifth).
Start at C major. Since there are no sharps in the key of C major, the notes in the key are: C – D – E – F – G – A – B
Now move one space to G, the next key. You'll notice in the outer ring of the circle that a new sharp (teal box) comes along with it.
So the notes in the key of G major are: G – A – B – C – D – E – F#
The key of C has no sharps, G has one sharp, D has two sharps, and so on around the circle.
Since you know D major has 2 sharps, try writing out the notes in the key of D using the circle to figure out which notes are sharps.
A sharp is added for every new fifth until we reach the bottom of the circle with the key of F#. The key of F# can also be interpreted as Gb.
Moving to the left side
Now let's tackle the left side of the circle. Instead of starting at the top, we'll start where you left off at the bottom with Gb.
Moving clockwise, the flats (yellow boxes) move in order of fifths again just like the sharps. But instead of adding a flat every time it does the opposite and removes one with every new key.
For example: The key of Gb has six flats and Db has five, Ab has 4 and so on.
The pattern continues until we get back to the top of the circle with C major, which again has no flats or sharps. Try picking a note on the left side of the diagram and write out all the flats.
Moving with the minors
Now that you have a good grasp of the major keys, the minor ones are a breeze.
Start back at the top of the circle with A minor. The pattern of fifths and the addition of a sharp works the same as major keys.
The key of A minor is what's known as C major's relative minor. This means that both major and minor keys share the same exact notes but start in different places.
Pretty neat, right? When you're ready, try drawing your own version from memory.
Circle Of Fifths Printable
Building chords with the circle of fifths
The circle of fifths isn't just useful for finding the flats and sharps in each key either. It provides a simple way to build basic chords as well.
The circle of fifths isn't just useful for finding the flats and sharps in each key. It provides a simple way to build basic chords as well.
Let's build a couple of basic chords using the circle of fifths as our reference.
Major chords
You already know from our chord building guide that major chords are built on the root note, the major third and the perfect fifth.
Since we're looking at the circle of fifths, your perfect fifth will be one spot clockwise from your root.
For example: The perfect fifth of C is G, one spot away from C on your diagram. So you already have 2 notes nailed in your C major chord: C and G.
But how do you find that major third?
Simply move diagonally down from your perfect fifth to find your major third—an E.
So your C major chord is C – E – G. The same trick works all the way around the circle for major chords.
Minor chords
Building minor chords is just as simple, but the pattern is a bit different. For this example I'll build a C minor chord.
Minor chords start with your root and its perfect fifth, so one spot clockwise on the circle—a G. Again, you already have 2 notes nailed in your C minor chord: C and G.
The circle of fifths gives you a net to fall back on when you want to take some risks with your songwriting.
Circle Of Fifths
The third note in minor chords is a minor third. To find the minor third on the circle simply draw a line diagonal and down from your perfect fifth. So in the case of C minor, it's Eb.
There you have it, your C minor chord is: C – Eb – G
Choose a note on the circle and try building your own basic chords using this method. This is just one of many ways to use the circle of fifths for all sorts of quick theory help.
Once you're comfortable building chords, start using them to form your own chord progressions.
How the circle of fifths can help your songwriting
The circle of fifths adds a powerful new context to the way you create and interpret music.
A major issue every songwriter eventually encounters is writing the same old things over and over again because it's safe.
The circle of fifths gives you a net to fall back on when you want to take some risks with your songwriting. It's a great way to find new places to push your music.
Like so many other things in life, seemingly complicated music theory concepts aren't so intimidating once you take the time to fully understand them. The circle of fifths gives you a way to make it there quicker.
The Circle of Fifths shows the relationships among the twelve tones of the Chromatic Scale, their corresponding key signatures and the associated Major and Minor keys..
In lay terms: The Circle of Fifths is a music theory diagram for finding the key of a song, transposing songs to different keys, composing new songs and understanding key signatures, scales, and modes.
The Circle Of Fifths is used in music theory to represent the relationship between Diatonic Scales. The numbers on the Circle Of Fifths chart show how many sharps or flats the key signature for the scale has. Thus a Major Scale built on A has 3 sharps in its key signature as shown by the Circle of Fifths.
Reading Key Signatures using the Circle of Fifths
All songs have key signatures. Understanding what a key is and what it's signature looks like, is a must to being able to read music and understanding the Circle of Fifths.
The Circle of Fifths shows how any Sharps or Flats are in a given Key.
At the top of the Circle Of Fifths Diagram, the key of C has no sharps or flats in its key signature. Starting from the key of C and moving clockwise by ascending fifths, the key of G has one sharp, the key of D has 2 sharps and so on.
Going counter-clockwise from the top by descending fourths, the key of F has one flat, the key of B♭ has 2 flats, and so on.
Moving counter-clockwise around the Circle of fifths adds flats to the key signature, and moving clockwise around the Circle of Fifths adds sharps to the key signature.
Notice that there are flats after the key name starting on B♭Major going counter clockwise around the Circle of Fifths and sharps starting on F# Major going clockwise around the Circle of Fifths. Try to memorize this fact.
You can make it easy to find the next key signature moving clockwise around the Circle of Fifths, by counting up five steps on your fingers. C, D, E, F, and G. G is a 5th up from C and is the next key on the Circle of Fifths. You could start again from that key G to find the next key up. But remember the note you start on counts as one. G, A ,B ,C, D So would be D is the next key signature a fifth up from the key before it. But remember thats only when you go clockwise around the Circle of Fifths to find the next Key or fifth up!
When you go counter clockwise the whole thing turns into the Circle of Fourths
To use your hands to find the next key counter-clockwise start on C and count up 4 steps - C, D, E, F and thats the next key on the Circle of Fourths.
Piano has white keys and black keys. If I play only the white keys I am playing in the key of C.
But if I add a black key to the mix then I'm changing keys. I can look at the circle of fifths and find that the key of G for instance has one black key and the black key is a F# so to play in the key of G I can play all the white keys but not the F key I would instead play the F# key. Then I'd be playing in the key of G.
The order of sharps and flats is always the same.
meaning if you see one sharp in the key signature then that will be a F# and only a F# if there are two sharps they will be F# and C# and if there are 3 sharps they would be F# C# and G# . In order to remember which order that the sharps and flats of a key signature are written, there are several mnemonics that can help: The order of the sharps is Fat Cats Go Dancing At Eds Broiler. From this you can say that if you know the key of E major has four sharps, the mnemonic shows which sharps they are (F#,C#,G#,D#). The mnemonic for flats is 'Boogie Ends And Down Go Cats Fast'.
Keys are not considered closely related to each other if they are near each other in the Chromatic Scale (or on a keyboard). What makes two keys 'closely related' is having similar key signatures. So the most closely related key to C Major, for example, is A minor, since they have the same key signature (no sharps and no flats). This is where Modes comes into play. The next most closely related keys to C Major would be G Major (or E minor), with one sharp, and F Major (or D minor), with only one flat. The keys that are most distant from C Major, with six sharps or six flats, are on the opposite side of the circle.
Tonal music often modulates by moving between adjacent Keys on the Circle Of Fifths. This is because keys wich discribe Diatonic Scales contain seven pitch classes that are contiguous on the Circle Of Fifths. It follows that Keys a perfect fifth apart share six of their seven notes. and, the notes not held in common differ by only a semitone. Thus modulation by a perfect fifth can be accomplished in a very musical fashion.
Another use for the Circle of Fifths is to determine chord patterns. The symbol used for this are I (major), ii (minor), iii (minor), IV (major), V (major), vi (minor) and viio (diminished). On the Circle of Fifths, the numerals are arranged as follows starting from F then moving clockwise: IV, I, V, ii, vi, iii and viio. So for example a piece asks that you play a I-IV-V chord pattern, looking at the circle you can see that it corresponds to C - F - G. Now if you want to play it in another key, say for example on G, you then align the numeral I to G and you'll see that the I-IV-V chord pattern now corresponds to G - C - D. and now is the perfect time to introduce Diatonic Harmony.
Circle Of Fifths C#
Diatonic Harmony: If we look at The Major Scale in the key of C (white keys on a piano) and we start on the C key and move up a note at a time C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C or we can think of those notes as numbers C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7, C=8 once we think in numbers we can use this Diatonic Harmony chart. If you hold down key 3 then chances are that the next note you want to press is 6 and then from 6 chances are you would want to move to 2 and so on. Click here to see more info and a video.
Transposition with the Circle of Fifths
The Circle of Fifths can also be used when transposing from a major key to a minor key or vice versa. To do this play the inner or outer circle on the circle of fifths that shares the same key signature.
The term interval is used in music theory alot and is the distance between two notes. All music really gets it's feeling by how the intervals are used. There are only seven notes in a scale so all intervals can be made with just seven notes. Think of a piano, if I press two keys at one time anywhere on the keyboard then there is a certan amount of keys between them.
Example:
Circle Of Fifths Pdf
Circle Of Fifths Chart
Another way to find a perfect fifth on a piano is to start on any key and count seven keys to the right (both black and white) to find a perfect fifth. Seven half step is a 'perfect fifth', called 'perfect' because it is neither major nor minor, but applies to both major and minor scales and chords, and a 'fifth' because though it is a distance of seven semitones on a keyboard, it is a distance of five steps within a major or minor scale.
A simple way to hear the relationship between these notes is by playing them on a piano keyboard. If you traverse the circle of fifths backwards, the notes will feel as though they fall into each other. This aural relationship is what the mathematics describe. Perfect fifths may be justly tuned or tempered. Two notes whose frequencies differ by a ratio of 3:2 make the interval known as a justly tuned perfect fifth. Cascading twelve such fifths does not return to the original pitch class after going round the circle, so the 3:2 ratio may be slightly detuned, or tempered. Temperament allows perfect fifths to cycle, and allows pieces to be transposed, or played in any key on a piano or other fixed-pitch instrument without distorting their harmony. The primary tuning system used for Western (especially keyboard and fretted) instruments today is called twelve-tone equal temperament.
The term 'fifth' defines an interval or mathematical ratio which is the closest and most consonant non-octave interval. The circle of fifths is a sequence of pitches or key tonalities, represented as a circle, in which the next pitch is found seven semitones higher than the last. Musicians and composers use the circle of fifths to understand and describe the musical relationships among some selection of those pitches. The circle's design is helpful in composing and harmonizing melodies, building chords, and moving to different keys within a composition.
Circle Of Fifths Worksheet
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