The circle of fifths is a chart of all 12 major keys in order, each one a fifth above the last, with its relative minor and its number of sharps or flats. Most people meet it as a confusing wheel of letters in a theory book. It is easier than it looks: once you know how to read it, it tells you a key’s sharps and flats, which chords belong together, and which keys you can move between smoothly.
Circle of fifths chart
Here is the circle. Major keys sit on the outer ring and their relative minors on the inner ring. The small numbers around the edge show how many sharps or flats each key has. Every key links to its chord page.
Read it like a clock. C major is at the top with no sharps or flats. Each step clockwise goes up a fifth (seven semitones) and adds one sharp: G has one, D has two, A has three. Each step anticlockwise goes up a fourth and adds one flat: F has one, B♭ has two. At the bottom, F♯ major (six sharps) and G♭ major (six flats) are the same notes with different names, which is where the two sides meet.
Circle of fifths with sharps and flats
The same information as a table, with each key’s scale and its Camelot code for DJ mixing. We generate every row from the same theory code as our chord library, so the spelling is consistent: F♯ major really does contain E♯, not F.
| Major key | Sharps or flats | Relative minor | Major scale | Camelot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | none | A minor | C D E F G A B | 8B / 8A |
| G major | 1 sharp | E minor | G A B C D E F♯ | 9B / 9A |
| D major | 2 sharps | B minor | D E F♯ G A B C♯ | 10B / 10A |
| A major | 3 sharps | F♯ minor | A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ | 11B / 11A |
| E major | 4 sharps | C♯ minor | E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯ | 12B / 12A |
| B major | 5 sharps | G♯ minor | B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ | 1B / 1A |
| F♯ major | 6 sharps | D♯ minor | F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯ | 2B / 2A |
| D♭ major | 5 flats | B♭ minor | D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C | 3B / 3A |
| A♭ major | 4 flats | F minor | A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G | 4B / 4A |
| E♭ major | 3 flats | C minor | E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D | 5B / 5A |
| B♭ major | 2 flats | G minor | B♭ C D E♭ F G A | 6B / 6A |
| F major | 1 flat | D minor | F G A B♭ C D E | 7B / 7A |
How to actually use the circle of fifths?
Use it for five everyday jobs: reading a key signature, finding the relative minor, picking the chords in a key, building progressions that resolve, and changing key without a jolt. Each one takes a few seconds once you know where to look.
1. Read a key signature
Count the steps from C. Three steps clockwise is A major, so A major has three sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯). Two steps anticlockwise is B♭ major, so it has two flats (B♭, E♭).
2. Find the relative minor
The minor key inside each major key uses exactly the same notes. A minor sits inside C major, so both have no sharps or flats. If a song has one sharp and sounds sad, it is probably in E minor, not G major.
3. Find the chords that fit a key
This is the most useful trick on the chart. Take any major key, then look at its two neighbours and the three minor keys inside them. Those six chords are six of the seven chords in the key. For C major:
The seventh chord, B diminished, is rarely used in pop songs, so those six cover almost everything. Try it with G major: C, G, D, Am, Em and Bm. That is why G is such a popular key on guitar: five of those six are easy open chords.
4. Build progressions that resolve
Moving anticlockwise sounds like coming home. The ii-V-I progression in C, Dm to G to C, takes two steps anticlockwise around the circle, which is why it sounds so settled. Add one more step and you get vi-ii-V-I: Am, Dm, G, C. Hear these and more in common chord progressions.
5. Change key smoothly
Neighbouring keys share six of their seven notes. Moving from C major to G major changes only one note (F becomes F♯), so the shift sounds natural. Jumping across the circle, from C to F♯, changes almost every note and sounds dramatic. DJs use the same idea with the Camelot wheel, which is the circle of fifths with numbers instead of letters.
How can I memorize the circle of 5ths?
Memorize the order of sharps and you have the whole circle. Sharps are always added in this order: F, C, G, D, A, E, B. A common sentence for it is “Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle”. Flats come in the reverse order, B, E, A, D, G, C, F: “Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father”. Two quick rules then name any key from its signature:
- Sharp keys: the key is a half step above the last sharp. Three sharps end on G♯, so the key is A major.
- Flat keys: the key is the second-to-last flat. Three flats are B♭, E♭, A♭, so the key is E♭ major. (One flat is the exception to learn by heart: F major.)
Our tip: learn the right-hand side first (C, G, D, A, E). Those five keys cover most guitar songs, and the rest of the circle follows the same pattern.
Is the circle of fifths hard to understand?
No. It looks dense because it packs a lot onto one picture, but you only need three ideas: clockwise adds a sharp, the inner ring is the relative minor, and neighbours share most of their notes. Start with the chords trick in step 3 on a song you already play, and the rest makes sense quickly.
Circle of fifths for guitar
On guitar, the circle tells you which keys are friendly to open chords. In G, D and A, the three main chords of the key (I, IV and V) are all open chords: G, C and D; D, G and A; A, D and E. C and E are close behind, with one harder chord each: F in the key of C and B in the key of E. That is why most beginner songs sit in the top-right of the circle. If a song is in an awkward key, move it around the circle with our Chord Transposer, or put a capo on and keep the easy shapes. Look up any shape in the chord library, and if chord boxes are new to you, start with how to read guitar chord diagrams.
Find the key of a song
To use the circle you need to know the key you are in. If you have the audio file, our Key and BPM Finder estimates the key and tempo in your browser and shows its Camelot code, so you can find it on the chart above straight away.
