Interactive circle of fifths: the 12 major keys, their relative minors and key signatures. Click a key to see its scale, diatonic chords and neighbours, then jump to the scales or progressions.
No sharps or flats.
| Tonic | C |
|---|---|
| Subdominant | F |
| Dominant | G |
| Relative | A |
The circle presents classical tonal theory: major and natural minor scales, three- and four-note diatonic chords. It does not show the modes (D Dorian, for instance, shares the key signature of C major but has its own centre), borrowed chords, or the rarely used theoretical keys (G sharp major, F flat major).
Enharmonic keys are shown under their most common name (F sharp or G flat, D flat rather than C sharp): on the guitar they are played the same way. The tool makes no sound; to hear the chords of a key, use the progressions.
Finally, the circle explains why chords belong together, not how to play them: for fingerings, the chord dictionary takes over.
For finding at a glance the chords that belong together. A key and its two neighbours on the circle give degrees I, IV and V, the backbone of most songs; the three minors just inside give ii, iii and vi. It also helps you read a key signature, transpose, and spot nearby keys for a modulation.
C major, at the top, has no sharps or flats. Each clockwise step adds a sharp (G: 1, D: 2, A: 3 and so on), each anticlockwise step adds a flat (F: 1, B flat: 2, E flat: 3 and so on). Sharps arrive in the order F C G D A E B, flats in the reverse order.
The minor key that shares exactly the same notes and key signature, whose root sits a minor third (three frets) below the major root. The relative of C major is A minor, that of G major is E minor. On the circle it is shown just inside its major.
F sharp major and G flat major name the same pitches on the guitar: they are enharmonic keys, written with six sharps or six flats. The choice depends on context and instrument; on guitar it changes nothing about the fingerings. C sharp and D flat, B and C flat are the same case.
Neighbouring keys on the circle share six notes out of seven: moving from one to the other is smooth and natural. A modulation to the relative minor changes no notes at all, only the centre. The further apart two keys are on the circle, the more abrupt the modulation, which can be intentional.
Last updated: 11 September 2026
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