Circle of fifths

The circle of fifths is a circular arrangement of all twelve pitch classes, ordered so that each step clockwise raises the pitch by a perfect fifth (seven semitones). Starting at the top with C, the circle moves clockwise through G, D, A, E, B, F♯/G♭, then continues with C♯/D♭, A♭, E♭, B♭, and back to F before reaching C again.

The diagram does many jobs at once. Each clockwise step adds one sharp to the key signature; each counter-clockwise step adds one flat. C major has zero sharps or flats; G major has one sharp; F major has one flat. The pattern lets a musician name a key's signature instantly without counting accidentals on the staff. Each major key on the outer ring also corresponds to its relative minor — the minor key that shares its signature — and the relative minors form their own circle on the inner ring (Am pairs with C, Em with G, and so on).

The circle is also a transposition map and a chord-progression toolkit. The three chords most often used together in Western tonal music — I, IV, V — sit next to each other on the circle (for C major: F, C, G occupy three adjacent positions). To transpose a song into a new key, rotate the chord pattern around the circle and read the new chord names; the harmonic relationships do not change. The circle similarly maps secondary-dominant chains, modulation paths to related keys, and the cycle-of-fifths root motion that drives countless Baroque progressions and jazz turnarounds.

The diagram appears in print as early as 1728 (Johann David Heinichen's Der General-Bass in der Composition) and was adopted as a teaching staple in 19th-century conservatories. It remains the single best diagram for understanding the architecture of tonal music.

English. The 'fifths' are the perfect-fifth interval (seven semitones) by which adjacent positions are separated. Earlier names included 'cycle of fifths' and the German Quintenzirkel.

Keep the circle in front of you when arranging or transposing. To transpose a song up a fifth, rotate every chord one position clockwise on the circle. To find a song's relative minor, look at the inner ring of its major key. Songtive offers an [interactive circle of fifths](/en/apps/circle-of-fifths) that lets you click any sector and see its key signature, scale, relative minor, and the seven diatonic chords with one tap.