Chords
The Circle of Fifths: Your musical map
How all 12 musical keys connect, share accidentals, and build chord families.
4 min read
The Circle of Fifths is the ultimate cheat code for understanding Western music. It lays out all 12 major keys and their relative minors in a circular clock shape, showing how closely related they are.
How to read the circle
- Clockwise (by 5ths): Each step to the right adds one sharp (#) — C (0#) → G (1#) → D (2#) → A (3#).
- Counter-clockwise (by 4ths): Each step to the left adds one flat (♭) — C (0♭) → F (1♭) → Bb (2♭) → Eb (3♭).
- Inner circle: Shows the relative minor key for each major key (they share the exact same key signature).
🧭 Interactive Circle of Fifths
Explore all 12 major and minor keys, key signatures, and related chord families
C Dur / Am
Key Signature: 0 ♯/♭
Primary Chord Family: C (I) – F (IV) – G (V)
Building chord families (I - IV - V)
Any key on the circle sits right between its subdominant (IV, to the left) and dominant (V, to the right). Together with its relative minor (vi), these four chords make up thousands of songs!
Tip: Click any key on the wheel above to explore its chord family, number of accidentals, and listen to its triad in real time.