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The Circle of Fifths

Your interactive guide to music theory, key signatures, and chord progressions

Perfect for beginners learning music theory or experienced musicians exploring new keys

💡 Tip: Click or hover over any key to explore its details. The outer ring shows major keys, the inner ring shows their relative minors.

MAJOR KEYSRELATIVE MINORS#Sharpsâ™­FlatsCircle ofFifths+5thCAmGEmDBmAF#mEC#mBG#mF#/GbD#m/EbmDbBbmAbFmEbCmBbGmFDm

C Major

No sharps or flats

Diatonic Chords (7 chords built from the scale)

CC-E-G
Imajor
DmD-F-A
iiminor
EmE-G-B
iiiminor
FF-A-C
IVmajor
GG-B-D
Vmajor
AmA-C-E
viminor
BdimB-D-F
vii°diminished

Chord Pattern (Same for All Major Keys)

IiiiiiIVVvivii°
MajorminorminorMajorMajorminordim

Popular Chord Progressions

I - V - vi - IV
C
G
Am
F
ii - V - I (Jazz)
Dm
G
C
I - IV - V (Blues)
C
F
G
Relative Minor:

Am

Shares same key signature

Parallel Minor:

Cm

Same starting note, different scale

Understanding the Circle

Circle Layout

C
Outer Ring: Major Keys
Am
Inner Ring: Relative Minor Keys
#
Right Side: Keys with Sharps
â™­
Left Side: Keys with Flats

How to Navigate

↻Moving clockwise: each key is a perfect fifth higher (7 semitones up)
↺Moving counter-clockwise: each key is a perfect fourth higher (5 semitones up)
👆Click or hover any key to see its chords, scale notes, and relationships

Chord Types

CMajor Chord (I, IV, V)
DmMinor Chord (ii, iii, vi)
BdimDiminished Chord (vii°)

Quick Tips

  • •Keys next to each other share many chords, making it easy to modulate (change keys) between them
  • •The key at the top (C major) has no sharps or flats - it's the simplest key
  • •Each clockwise move adds one sharp; each counter-clockwise move adds one flat
  • •Relative majors and minors share the same notes but have different tonal centers
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