Circle of fifths
The circle of fifths arranges the twelve keys in a circle, each a perfect fifth from the next. It shows how many sharps or flats each key has, what its relative minor is and which keys are closely related.
Tap a key on the wheel to see its key signature, its chords and its closest keys, and to hear it.
Outer ring: major keys. Middle ring: their relative minors. Centre: sharps or flats in the key signature.
C major
- Key signature
- no sharps or flats
- Relative key
Chords in C major
The chords of the chosen key are always the highlighted segments: three major and three minor side by side, plus the diminished chord.
Closely related keys
- A fifth above
- A fifth below
How to read it
Moving clockwise, each key is a perfect fifth above the previous one and has one more sharp (or one flat fewer). Moving counterclockwise you go up a perfect fourth and add a flat.
Neighbouring keys share six notes out of seven, which is why they are the easiest to connect in a modulation. Opposite keys are the most distant and lie a tritone apart.
Order of sharps and flats
Accidentals always enter the key signature in the same order, which is itself a chain of fifths. The flats follow the order of sharps read backwards.
- Sharps
- F♯C♯G♯D♯A♯E♯B♯
- Flats
- B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭
Intervals on the wheel
Counting segments from C you find every interval.
| 1 segment | G | Perfect fifth |
| 2 segments | D | Major second |
| 3 segments | A | Major sixth |
| 4 segments | E | Major third |
| 5 segments | B | Major seventh |
| 6 segments | F♯ | Augmented fourth (tritone) |
| 1 segment | F | Perfect fourth |
| 2 segments | B♭ | Minor seventh |
| 3 segments | E♭ | Minor third |
| 4 segments | A♭ | Minor sixth |
| 5 segments | D♭ | Minor second |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the circle of fifths used for?
- To remember key signatures, to find the relative minor of a major key, to see which chords belong to a key and to choose closely related keys for a modulation.
- What is the order of sharps and flats?
- Sharps enter the key signature in the order F, C, G, D, A, E, B. Flats follow the reverse order: B, E, A, D, G, C, F.
- How do you read the chords of a key on the circle?
- They are the chosen key and its two neighbours, with their relative minors. For C major: F, C and G major, D, A and E minor; the seventh chord is B diminished.
From theory to practice
With GEN you generate ever-new exercises on the scales you are studying.