Circle of Fifths | Free Interactive Tool + Chart

Click any key to see its scale, relative minor, key signature, and the chord progressions that come from it.

How to use this tool

• Click any outer sector to select a major key.
• Click any inner sector for the relative minor.
• Use the right panel to play the scale or a common progression.
• Use arrow keys to move between adjacent keys.
• Share the URL to open the tool on a specific key.

What is the circle of fifths?

The circle of fifths is a map of key signatures arranged so that each step clockwise moves up a perfect fifth. C major sits at the top with no sharps and no flats. G major, a fifth above C, has one sharp (F sharp). D major, a fifth above G, has two sharps. Each clockwise step adds one sharp; each counter-clockwise step adds one flat.

Musicians use it for four things. Transposition, so you can move a song into a friendlier key. Modulation, so you can hear where the music is likely to go next. Songwriting, because the strongest common progressions live in three adjacent segments of the circle. Sight reading, because knowing the sharps or flats in a key signature at a glance is faster than counting each accidental.