The circle of fifths is a wheel of all twelve major and minor keys, arranged so that adjacent keys differ by exactly one accidental. C major sits at the top with no sharps or flats; clockwise, each step rises by a perfect fifth and adds one sharp. Counterclockwise, each step falls by a fifth and adds one flat. After twelve steps in either direction you arrive back at C.
It is the most-printed single diagram in Western music theory, and one of the few tools that working musicians eventually internalize. Print versions and circle of fifths charts have been classroom staples for centuries. For the longer pedagogical tour — origins, mechanics, and what musicians actually use it for — read The circle of fifths, explained.
The modes share the same notes but assign a different note as the tonal center, which changes which scale degree is "home" and therefore how the same key signature feels. Picking a mode in this tool re-colours the wheel so you can see at a glance which chords are diatonic to the new mode and which sit outside it.
Every position on the circle has a relative minor — a minor key that shares the same key signature as the major one above it. A minor is the relative minor of C major, E minor of G major, and so on. In this tool, switching the mode picker to Aeolian re-centres the wheel on the natural minor; the inner ring's italic minor labels (Am, Em, Bm…) shift to show which chords are diatonic to the new circle of fifths minor scale. Use the Display toggle to dim non-diatonic chords if you want only the minor-key chords lit up.
The circle of fifths chord progressions baked into this tool are the ones you actually hear in songs:
Click the play button on any progression to hear it loop. Chord chips light up as each chord plays.
The two oldest mnemonics still beat every flashcard app:
Practical drill: pick a tonic in the tool, click around the wheel, and try to predict the key signature in the centre disc before the staff updates. Two minutes a day for two weeks usually fixes it.
It's a wheel of all 12 musical keys arranged so that neighbours share most of their notes. Going one step clockwise rises by a fifth and adds one sharp; one step counterclockwise falls by a fifth and adds one flat. That's it — the rest is what you can do with that arrangement.
Three core uses: (1) figure out the key signature for any key without counting accidentals, (2) find the diatonic chords for any key (the four chords adjacent to the tonic plus the relative minor), and (3) navigate modulations — keys close on the circle share chords, so they're easy to move between.
The key signature stays the same regardless of clef — C major has zero accidentals in treble clef and bass clef. The tool currently shows the treble clef staff in the centre, but the sharps and flats it displays apply identically to bass-clef readings.
Yes. No signup, no email gate. Audio runs locally in your browser. If you find it useful and want to drill the chords until you can recognize them by ear, try the Fifths app.
iOS requires a user gesture before audio can start. Tap any wedge or any chord button — the first tap unlocks audio, every tap after that plays normally.
They are the same circle read in opposite directions. Clockwise = ascending fifths (or descending fourths). Most jazz pedagogy refers to "the circle of fourths" because the standard practice direction is counterclockwise; classical pedagogy more often calls it "the circle of fifths". Either name is correct.
Turn on Dim non-diatonic in the Display panel. Faded wedges are chords that lie outside the current mode — useful for spotting which chords are "borrowed" or chromatic.
Want to train your ear to hear these chords? Fifths is the ear-training app built around the same colour-coded model as this tool — but it tells you exactly which chords, intervals, and scale degrees you keep getting wrong, then drills those.
Try Fifths free →