Keys · chords · progressions
Interactive Circle of Fifths
The circle of fifths shows how the 12 keys relate. Tap any key to hear it, see its key signature and its seven chords, and try common progressions in that key — then open them in the Looper.
How to use the circle of fifths
- Clockwise = up a fifth. C → G → D → A… each step adds one sharp to the key signature. Anticlockwise adds flats: C → F → Bb → Eb…
- Neighbours sound good together. The keys next to each other share six of their seven notes, so the chords on either side of your key (IV on the left, V on the right) are its strongest partners. That is why I–IV–V works so well.
- Inside = relative minor. Each major key shares its notes with the minor key inside it: C major and A minor, G major and E minor.
- Chord families. For any key, the three major chords are the key and its two neighbours; the three minor chords are the inner ring under those three.
Why guitarists love the "sharp side"
The keys clockwise from C — G, D, A and E — line up with the open strings of a guitar in standard tuning, so they have the most open chords. If a song is in a flat key (F, Bb, Eb), a capo lets you keep the easy shapes: see the capo calculator.
Questions
What is the circle of fifths used for?
It shows which keys are closely related, how many sharps or flats each key has, which chords belong together in a key, and the relative minor of every major key. Songwriters use it to choose chord progressions and key changes.
How do I memorise the circle of fifths?
Learn the order of sharps (F C G D A E B — "Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle") and flats (the same backwards: B E A D G C F). Each step clockwise adds the next sharp.
What are the chords in the key of G?
G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F#dim (I ii iii IV V vi vii°). Tap G on the circle to hear them.