Circle of Fifths
Tap a key to see its signature, scale, relative minor and the chords that belong together.
Use the arrow keys: left and right move around the circle, up selects the major key, down selects the minor key.
- Home (tonic)
- Away (subdominant)
- Tension (dominant)
- Relative minor/major
C major
- Key signature
- No sharps or flats
- Relative minor
- Parallel minor
Scale
- C1
- D2
- E3
- F4
- G5
- A6
- B7
Chords in the key
A common progression: I–IV–V–vi
On guitar, F is a barre chord in this key. For easier shapes, put a capo on fret 5 and play G major shapes: G – C – D – Em.
Transpose a songOne circle, every key
Start at C major at the top: no sharps, no flats. Each step clockwise moves up a fifth and adds a sharp — G has one, D has two, A has three. Each step counter-clockwise moves up a fourth and adds a flat — F has one, B♭ has two. At the bottom the two sides meet, which is why F♯ and G♭ share a place.
The inner ring holds the relative minor of every major key. A minor sits under C major because both use only the white keys of the piano; E minor sits under G because both have one sharp.
Finding the chords of a song
Most folk, country and pop songs live on three neighbouring segments. In G major the neighbours are C and D: theI, IV and V chords. Directly beneath them are Em, Am and Bm — the vi, ii and iiichords. When you select a key above, these six segments light up in colour: teal is home, blue moves away, orange builds tension and violet marks the relative minors.
Key signatures at a glance
| Major key | Relative minor | Key signature | Chords I–vii° |
|---|---|---|---|
| C major | A minor | — | C Dm Em F G Am B° |
| G major | E minor | 1 ♯: F♯ | G Am Bm C D Em F♯° |
| D major | B minor | 2 ♯: F♯ C♯ | D Em F♯m G A Bm C♯° |
| A major | F♯ minor | 3 ♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ | A Bm C♯m D E F♯m G♯° |
| E major | C♯ minor | 4 ♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ | E F♯m G♯m A B C♯m D♯° |
| B major | G♯ minor | 5 ♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ | B C♯m D♯m E F♯ G♯m A♯° |
| F♯ major | D♯ minor | 6 ♯: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ | F♯ G♯m A♯m B C♯ D♯m E♯° |
| D♭ major | B♭ minor | 5 ♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ | D♭ E♭m Fm G♭ A♭ B♭m C° |
| A♭ major | F minor | 4 ♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ | A♭ B♭m Cm D♭ E♭ Fm G° |
| E♭ major | C minor | 3 ♭: B♭ E♭ A♭ | E♭ Fm Gm A♭ B♭ Cm D° |
| B♭ major | G minor | 2 ♭: B♭ E♭ | B♭ Cm Dm E♭ F Gm A° |
| F major | D minor | 1 ♭: B♭ | F Gm Am B♭ C Dm E° |
Want the whole method for moving a song to a new key? Read how to transpose chordsor the guitar capo guide.
Questions
What is the circle of fifths?
It is the twelve keys arranged so that each step clockwise moves up a perfect fifth (C → G → D …) and adds one sharp to the key signature. Each step counter-clockwise moves up a fourth and adds one flat. The inner ring shows the relative minor key that shares the same key signature.
How do I find the chords of a key on the circle?
Pick a major key. The key itself and its two neighbours give the three major chords (I, IV and V). The three minor keys directly underneath give the three minor chords (vi, ii and iii). Only the diminished vii° chord is missing.
Why do some keys have two names, like F♯ and G♭?
At the bottom of the circle the sharp side meets the flat side. F♯ major (6 sharps) and G♭ major (6 flats) sound identical — they are enharmonic spellings. Use the spelling switch to see both.
What is the difference between relative and parallel keys?
Relative keys share a key signature but start on different notes (C major and A minor). Parallel keys start on the same note but have different signatures (C major and C minor).
How does the circle help with transposing and capos?
Moving a song one step around the circle changes the key signature by one sharp or flat, and the chords keep their relationships. Neighbouring keys are often easy modulations. To actually rewrite a song’s chords, use the chord transposer.
Related tools
Chord Transposer
Paste lyrics with chords, pick a new key, get capo suggestions, chord diagrams and a clean PDF.
Same key, easier shapesCapo Calculator
Find which chord shapes and capo fret give you the sounding key you need.
Every chord, every positionGuitar Chord Finder
Look up any chord on the neck — or tap frets to find out what chord you are playing.