Circle of fifths

How many sharps or flats does your key have?

Pick a key on the circle of fifths to see its key signature, relative key, scale and chords, and hear them on a piano.

Key

Major or minor

Key, in order around the circle

Chords in C major

The seven chords of C major

The seven chords of C major
Degree	Chord	Notes
I	C	C · E · G
ii	Dm	D · F · A
iii	Em	E · G · B
IV	F	F · A · C
V	G	G · B · D
vi	Am	A · C · E
vii°	Bdim	B · D · F

The scale on the keyboard

About this key

Key signature: No sharps or flats
Relative minor: A minor
Major scale: C D E F G A B
A fifth up (one more sharp): G major
A fifth down (one more flat): F major

Key

C major

No sharps or flats

The circle of fifths: major keys outside, relative minor keys inside, the chosen key lit

How to use

Choose major or minor keys, then pick a key. The circle lights it and its relative key, and the middle shows how many sharps or flats it has.
Read the key signature, the notes of the scale and the seven chords of the key below the circle.
Press Play the scale, or press a chord, to hear it. The piano shows the notes of the scale.

How it works

The circle of fifths lines up the twelve keys so that each is a fifth (seven semitones) above the one before it. Go clockwise from C and every step adds one sharp to the key signature: G has one, D two, A three. Go anticlockwise and every step adds a flat: F has one, B♭ two. At the bottom, F♯ (six sharps) and G♭ (six flats) are the same keys on the keyboard.

Every major key shares its key signature with a minor key, its relative minor, which starts three semitones below the major tonic: C major and A minor have no sharps or flats, G major and E minor have one. The outer ring of the circle holds the major keys and the inner ring their relatives. A key's neighbours on the circle are the keys closest to it, the ones that share most of its notes.

The seven chords of a key are triads built on each note of its scale using only the scale's own notes. In a major key they are I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii° (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, B dim in C major); in a natural minor key i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI and VII. Minor keys here use the natural minor scale; harmonic and melodic minor change one or two notes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remember the order of the sharps and flats?

Sharps are added in the order F, C, G, D, A, E, B and flats in the reverse order, B, E, A, D, G, C, F. A key with three sharps has F♯, C♯ and G♯.

What does relative minor mean?

It is the minor key with the same sharps and flats as a major key. It starts on the sixth note of the major scale: A minor for C major, E minor for G major.

Why are there two keys at the bottom of the circle?

F♯ major and G♭ major sound the same on a piano but are written differently, with six sharps or six flats. The same goes for their relative minors, D♯ minor and E♭ minor.

Does this show harmonic or melodic minor?

No. The minor scales and their chords use natural minor. Harmonic and melodic minor change notes and need different chord choices.

Are a major key and its relative minor the same?

They share a key signature and the same notes in the natural minor scale, but have different tonic notes. The tonic is the note that feels like home.