Circle of fifths: every key, chord and relative minor
Tap a key to see its seven chords, its relative minor and the keys next door. Then use the circle to find the chords of a song, change key or choose a capo.
Pick a key
Without JavaScript, tapping a key jumps to its row in the table below.
Draw a cycle to see how the circle links the keys. It starts from the key you picked.
Fifths, clockwise from C: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at C. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (C to G) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from G: G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at G. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (G to D) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from D: D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at D. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (D to A) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from A: A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at A. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (A to E) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from E: E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at E. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (E to B) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from B: B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at B. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (B to F#) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from F#/Gb: F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E, B. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at F#/Gb. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (F# to C#) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from Db: Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at Db. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (Db to Ab) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from Ab: Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at Ab. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (Ab to Eb) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from Eb: Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at Eb. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (Eb to Bb) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from Bb: Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at Bb. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (Bb to F) is one step this way.
Fifths, clockwise from F: F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb. Each key is a fifth above the one before, and after twelve steps you are back at F. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 (F to C) is one step this way.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from C: C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Dm G C in C, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Am Dm G C.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from G: G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Am D G in G, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Em Am D G.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from D: D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Em A D in D, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Bm Em A D.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from A: A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Bm E A in A, and 6m 2m 5 1 is F#m Bm E A.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from E: E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is F#m B E in E, and 6m 2m 5 1 is C#m F#m B E.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from B: B, E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is C#m F# B in B, and 6m 2m 5 1 is G#m C#m F# B.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from F#/Gb: F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is G#m C# F# in F#/Gb, and 6m 2m 5 1 is D#m G#m C# F#.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from Db: Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Ebm Ab Db in Db, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Bbm Ebm Ab Db.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from Ab: Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Bbm Eb Ab in Ab, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Fm Bbm Eb Ab.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from Eb: Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Fm Bb Eb in Eb, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Cm Fm Bb Eb.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from Bb: Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G, C, F. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Cm F Bb in Bb, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Gm Cm F Bb.
Fourths, counter-clockwise from F: F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G, C. Each key is a fourth above the one before. This is the way chords like to fall: 2m 5 1 is Gm C F in F, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Dm Gm C F.
Major thirds from C: C, E and Ab. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from G: G, B and Eb. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from D: D, F#/Gb and Bb. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from A: A, Db and F. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from E: E, Ab and C. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from B: B, Eb and G. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from F#/Gb: F#/Gb, Bb and D. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from Db: Db, F and A. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from Ab: Ab, C and E. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from Eb: Eb, G and B. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from Bb: Bb, D and F#/Gb. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Major thirds from F: F, A and Db. Three keys, four places apart, forming a triangle. Chord changes that jump by major thirds are called Coltrane changes.
Minor thirds from C: C, Eb, F#/Gb and A. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of C°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from G: G, Bb, Db and E. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of G°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from D: D, F, Ab and B. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of D°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from A: A, C, Eb and F#/Gb. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of A°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from E: E, G, Bb and Db. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of E°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from B: B, D, F and Ab. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of B°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from F#/Gb: F#/Gb, A, C and Eb. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of F#°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from Db: Db, E, G and Bb. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of Db°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from Ab: Ab, B, D and F. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of Ab°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from Eb: Eb, F#/Gb, A and C. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of Eb°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from Bb: Bb, Db, E and G. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of Bb°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Minor thirds from F: F, Ab, B and D. Four keys, three places apart, forming a square: the four notes of F°7. A diminished chord makes a good passing chord between two chords a step apart.
Key of C major
Key signature: no sharps or flats.
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | B° |
The 7° chord, B°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Am. It uses the same seven notes as C major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: F (1 flat) one step counter-clockwise and G (1 sharp) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from C, so the change is easy. Chords they share with C: C Dm F Am going counter-clockwise, C Em G Am going clockwise.
Key of G major
Key signature: 1 sharp (F#).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F#° |
The 7° chord, F#°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Em. It uses the same seven notes as G major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: C (no sharps or flats) one step counter-clockwise and D (2 sharps) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from G, so the change is easy. Chords they share with G: G Am C Em going counter-clockwise, G Bm D Em going clockwise.
Key of D major
Key signature: 2 sharps (F# C#).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Em | F#m | G | A | Bm | C#° |
The 7° chord, C#°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Bm. It uses the same seven notes as D major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: G (1 sharp) one step counter-clockwise and A (3 sharps) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from D, so the change is easy. Chords they share with D: D Em G Bm going counter-clockwise, D F#m A Bm going clockwise.
Key of A major
Key signature: 3 sharps (F# C# G#).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Bm | C#m | D | E | F#m | G#° |
The 7° chord, G#°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: F#m. It uses the same seven notes as A major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: D (2 sharps) one step counter-clockwise and E (4 sharps) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from A, so the change is easy. Chords they share with A: A Bm D F#m going counter-clockwise, A C#m E F#m going clockwise.
Key of E major
Key signature: 4 sharps (F# C# G# D#).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D#° |
The 7° chord, D#°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: C#m. It uses the same seven notes as E major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: A (3 sharps) one step counter-clockwise and B (5 sharps) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from E, so the change is easy. Chords they share with E: E F#m A C#m going counter-clockwise, E G#m B C#m going clockwise.
Key of B major
Key signature: 5 sharps (F# C# G# D# A#).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | C#m | D#m | E | F# | G#m | A#° |
The 7° chord, A#°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: G#m. It uses the same seven notes as B major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: E (4 sharps) one step counter-clockwise and F#/Gb (6 sharps) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from B, so the change is easy. Chords they share with B: B C#m E G#m going counter-clockwise, B D#m F# G#m going clockwise.
Key of F#/Gb major
Key signature: 6 sharps (F# C# G# D# A# E#).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | E#° |
The 7° chord, E#°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: D#m/Ebm. It uses the same seven notes as F#/Gb major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: B (5 sharps) one step counter-clockwise and Db (5 flats) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from F#/Gb, so the change is easy. Chords they share with F#/Gb: F# G#m B D#m going counter-clockwise, F# A#m C# D#m going clockwise.
Gb major is the same key written with six flats. Its chords: Gb Abm Bbm Cb Db Ebm F°.
Key of Db major
Key signature: 5 flats (Bb Eb Ab Db Gb).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab | Bbm | C° |
The 7° chord, C°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Bbm. It uses the same seven notes as Db major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: F#/Gb (6 sharps) one step counter-clockwise and Ab (4 flats) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from Db, so the change is easy. Chords they share with Db: Db Ebm Gb Bbm going counter-clockwise, Db Fm Ab Bbm going clockwise.
Key of Ab major
Key signature: 4 flats (Bb Eb Ab Db).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb | Fm | G° |
The 7° chord, G°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Fm. It uses the same seven notes as Ab major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: Db (5 flats) one step counter-clockwise and Eb (3 flats) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from Ab, so the change is easy. Chords they share with Ab: Ab Bbm Db Fm going counter-clockwise, Ab Cm Eb Fm going clockwise.
Key of Eb major
Key signature: 3 flats (Bb Eb Ab).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eb | Fm | Gm | Ab | Bb | Cm | D° |
The 7° chord, D°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Cm. It uses the same seven notes as Eb major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: Ab (4 flats) one step counter-clockwise and Bb (2 flats) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from Eb, so the change is easy. Chords they share with Eb: Eb Fm Ab Cm going counter-clockwise, Eb Gm Bb Cm going clockwise.
Key of Bb major
Key signature: 2 flats (Bb Eb).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F | Gm | A° |
The 7° chord, A°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Gm. It uses the same seven notes as Bb major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: Eb (3 flats) one step counter-clockwise and F (1 flat) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from Bb, so the change is easy. Chords they share with Bb: Bb Cm Eb Gm going counter-clockwise, Bb Dm F Gm going clockwise.
Key of F major
Key signature: 1 flat (Bb).
| 1 | 2m | 3m | 4 | 5 | 6m | 7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Gm | Am | Bb | C | Dm | E° |
The 7° chord, E°, is diminished. It has no place on the circle.
Relative minor: Dm. It uses the same seven notes as F major and starts on the 6m.
Next-door keys: Bb (2 flats) one step counter-clockwise and C (no sharps or flats) one step clockwise. Each is one sharp or flat away from F, so the change is easy. Chords they share with F: F Gm Bb Dm going counter-clockwise, F Am C Dm going clockwise.
How to read it
Start at C, at the top. Going clockwise, each key is a fifth above the one before it and has one more sharp: G has one, D two, A three. Going counter-clockwise, each key has one more flat: F has one, Bb two, Eb three. The two sides meet at the bottom, where F# (six sharps) and Gb (six flats) are the same key under two names.
The outer ring holds the major keys. The inner ring holds the relative minors: the minor key that uses the same notes, starting on the 6. Em sits inside G, Am inside C. The small figure in each key is its signature, the number of sharps (#) or flats (b).
The circle spells each key the way musicians write it: flats for F, Bb, Eb, Ab and Db, sharps for G, D, A, E and B. This table has all twelve, with the three major chords of each.
| Key | Minor key | Key signature | 1 4 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Am | no sharps or flats | C F G |
| G | Em | 1 sharp | G C D |
| D | Bm | 2 sharps | D G A |
| A | F#m | 3 sharps | A D E |
| E | C#m | 4 sharps | E A B |
| B | G#m | 5 sharps | B E F# |
| F#/Gb | D#m/Ebm | 6 sharps, or 6 flats as Gb | F# B C# |
| Db | Bbm | 5 flats | Db Gb Ab |
| Ab | Fm | 4 flats | Ab Db Eb |
| Eb | Cm | 3 flats | Eb Ab Bb |
| Bb | Gm | 2 flats | Bb Eb F |
| F | Dm | 1 flat | F Bb C |
Find the chords of a song's key
Pick the key of the song. The key and the two keys beside it are the three major chords of the song, the 1, the 4 and the 5. In G they are G, C and D, with C on the left and D on the right.
The three minor chords sit on the inner ring, under them: the 6m under the 1, the 2m under the 4 and the 3m under the 5. In G they are Em, Am and Bm. That makes six of the seven chords, all within a step of each other. The seventh is the diminished 7°, F#° in G. It sits off the circle and turns up rarely.
When a chord outside those seven shows up, the song is borrowing from another key. The chords of all twelve keys are on the chords in every key page, and the Nashville number system writes them as numbers.
Transposing and choosing a capo key
One step on the circle is a fifth. To move a song one step clockwise, move every chord one step the same way. From G to D, G, C, D and Em become D, G, A and Bm. Count the steps and you know the new key without writing anything down.
For a capo, look for a key whose open shapes you know: C, A, G, E and D, and Am, Em and Dm. A song in Bb has awkward barre chords, but with the capo on fret 1 you play it in A shapes. A song in Eb can be D shapes with the capo on fret 1. The capo chart does this for every key, and the chord transposer rewrites a whole chart in the new key.
Changing key in the middle of a song
Keys next to each other on the circle share six of their seven notes and four chords, so a change from one to the next is the smoothest there is. G and D share G, Bm, D and Em. Play one of them and it belongs to both keys, so the ear takes it as the old key and then hears it as the new one. That is a pivot chord.
The usual lift for the last chorus is a different move. Up a whole step, G to A, is 2 steps round the circle, and up a half step, G to Ab, is 5. Far fewer chords are shared, so the change is a jump, which is the point of it.
Four ways round the circle
A cycle is a path through the keys. Use the buttons above the key panel to draw each one over the circle.
- Fifths, clockwise. C, G, D, A and on, each a fifth above the last. It is the order of keys by sharps. In a song, the move from 1 to 5 is one step this way.
- Fourths, counter-clockwise. The same circle the other way, each key a fourth above the last. Chords like to fall like this. 2m 5 1 is Am D G in G, and 6m 2m 5 1 is Em Am D G: each chord is one step counter-clockwise from the one before. The Nashville guide has the full run.
- Major thirds, the triangles. Three keys four places apart: C, E and Ab (also called G#). There are four of these triangles. Harmony that moves by major thirds is known as Coltrane changes, after John Coltrane's Giant Steps.
- Minor thirds, the squares. Four keys three places apart: C, Eb, F# and A. There are three of these squares. They are the notes of a diminished seventh chord, which splits the octave evenly and works as a passing chord, as in C, C#°7, Dm.
In GraceNote
Transposing takes one tap. Open a song, tap the key to transpose and every chord moves, spelled for the new key: into F you get Bb, not A#. Set a Capo in the editor, or in the Transpose sheet on Stage, and the chart shows the shapes you play.
To see numbers instead of letters, open a song on Stage, tap Display & Style, and on the Chords tab choose Nashville under Notation. The chart then reads the same in every key, which is what the circle teaches. Your song is not changed: switch back to A-G whenever you like.
Questions
Why do the sharps go clockwise?
Each key a fifth higher shares six notes with the one before. The seventh note of the new scale is the one that changes, and it is a half step higher: C has F, G has F#, D adds C#. So every step clockwise adds one sharp, and every step counter-clockwise adds one flat.
What is the relative minor?
The minor key that uses the same notes as a major key. It starts on the sixth note of the major scale: A minor for C major, E minor for G major. On the circle it sits right inside its major key.
Is the circle of fifths the same as the cycle of fourths?
It is the same circle read in the other direction. Clockwise, each key is a fifth above the last. Counter-clockwise, each key is a fourth above the last. People say the cycle of fourths when they follow chords that way, as in 2m 5 1.
How do I know how many sharps or flats a key has?
Count the steps from C. Three steps clockwise is A, with three sharps. Two steps counter-clockwise is Bb, with two flats. The table on this page lists all twelve.
Why does the bottom of the circle have two names?
F# major has six sharps and Gb major has six flats, and they sound the same. The circle prints F#/Gb, and the panel for that key gives the chords of both.
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Keep learning
Nashville number system
What the numbers mean, how to write them and how a band uses them.
Chords in every key
The chords of all 12 major keys and their relative minors, in one table.
Capo chart
Which capo fret and which shapes sound in the key you need.