Circle of Fifths
Every major and minor key in one picture. It tells you how many sharps or flats a key has, which minor key shares them, and which keys sound closest to each other. Click a key to open its scale.
Reading the circle
- Clockwise, add a sharp. Each key is a perfect 5th above the one before: C, G, D, A… G major has one sharp, D major two.
- Anticlockwise, add a flat. Each step goes a 5th down instead: C, F, B♭, E♭… F major has one flat, B♭ major two.
- The two sides meet at the bottom. F♯ major (six sharps) and G♭ major (six flats) are the same keys on the piano, written two ways.
- The inner ring is the relative minor. It has the same key signature as the major key outside it, and starts three semitones lower: C major and A minor.
The order of sharps and flats
Sharps and flats always arrive in the same order, which is the circle itself.
- Sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯. A key with two sharps has F♯ and C♯; with three, F♯, C♯ and G♯.
- Flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭, the same letters backwards.
- Naming a sharp key: go up a semitone from the last sharp. F♯ and C♯: a semitone above C♯ is D, so it is D major.
- Naming a flat key: the second-to-last flat is the key. B♭, E♭ and A♭: it is E♭ major. (F major, with one flat, you just remember.)
Neighbouring keys
Keys next to each other on the circle share six of their seven notes. C major and G major differ only in F and F♯, which is why music moves so easily between them.
The three most important chords in a key sit side by side too. In C major, chord I is C, chord IV is F on its left, and chord V is G on its right.
It is also a good practice order: start at C and work out one step at a time in both directions, as the scale lists do.
All key signatures
| Key signature | Major key | Relative minor |
|---|---|---|
| No sharps or flats | C major | A minor |
| One sharp (F♯) | G major | E minor |
| One flat (B♭) | F major | D minor |
| Two sharps (F♯, C♯) | D major | B minor |
| Two flats (B♭, E♭) | B♭ major | G minor |
| Three sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯) | A major | F♯ minor |
| Three flats (B♭, E♭, A♭) | E♭ major | C minor |
| Four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯) | E major | C♯ minor |
| Four flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭) | A♭ major | F minor |
| Five sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯) | B major | G♯ minor |
| Five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭) | D♭ major | B♭ minor |
| Six sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯) | F♯ major | D♯ minor |
| Six flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭) | G♭ major | E♭ minor |