Lab · Theory practice

Circle of Fifths.

Two views of the most useful map in music: the Circle of Fifths for keys and their relatives, and the Chord Wheel for the seven chords of any key.

Every key Chord wheel Course: Harmony
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Circle of Fifths
The Circle of Fifths is a map of all 12 major keys arranged so that each neighbor is a perfect 5th apart. Moving clockwise adds one sharp to the key signature. Moving counter-clockwise adds one flat. Keys next to each other share 6 out of 7 notes — making them easy to modulate between. The inner ring shows each key's relative minor (same notes, different tonal center). Click any wedge to see its diatonic chords.
HOW TO USE — MAJOR KEY
  1. Click your major key on the outer ring
  2. The inner ring shows its relative minor (same notes)
  3. The chord box below shows all 7 diatonic chords
  4. Neighboring keys (left & right) are your closest relatives for chord borrowing
HOW TO USE — MINOR KEY
  1. Find your minor key in the inner ring (e.g. Am)
  2. The outer ring shows its relative major (same notes — e.g. C)
  3. Click that outer key to see all the chords available to your minor key
  4. The i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI, VII chords all come from this same set
MINOR KEY EXAMPLE: Song is in A minor? Find "Am" in the inner ring — its relative major is C. Click C on the outer ring. The chords that appear (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, B°) are the same chords available to A minor — just rearranged: Am=i, B°=ii°, C=III, Dm=iv, Em=v, F=VI, G=VII.
Clockwise = up a 5th, +1 sharp. Each neighbour shares 6 of 7 notes.
Chord Wheel
The Chord Wheel is a practical tool built on the Circle of Fifths. The outer ring shows all 12 major keys; the middle ring shows each key's relative minor. The inner colored wheel shows the 7 diatonic chord degrees (I–vii°) for your selected key. Use the ‹ › arrows or click any outer key to rotate.
USING THE WHEEL — MAJOR KEY
  1. Use ‹ › to rotate to your major key (shown at top)
  2. The inner wedges show your I–vii° chord degrees
  3. Click any wedge to see its notes and 7th chord
  4. I, IV, V are your three most important chords — the backbone of most songs
USING THE WHEEL — MINOR KEY
  1. Find your minor key in the middle ring (e.g. "Am")
  2. The outer ring key above it is your relative major — rotate to it
  3. Now re-read the inner wheel from the vi position — that's your minor i chord
  4. Your minor key chords: vi=i, vii°=ii°, I=III, ii=iv, iii=v, IV=VI, V=VII
MINOR KEY EXAMPLE: Song is in E minor? Find "Em" in the middle ring — it aligns with G major on the outer ring. Rotate to G. Your Em minor key chords are: Em(i), F#°(ii°), G(III), Am(iv), Bm(v), C(VI), D(VII). These all appear in the G major inner wheel — you just start reading from the "vi" wedge (Em) as your home chord.
C
● Major ● minor ● dim°
Chord Wheel
The Chord Wheel is a practical tool built on the Circle of Fifths. The outer ring shows all 12 major keys; the middle ring shows each key's relative minor. The inner colored wheel shows the 7 diatonic chord degrees (I–vii°) for your selected key. Use the ‹ › arrows or click any outer key to rotate.
USING THE WHEEL — MAJOR KEY
  1. Use ‹ › to rotate to your major key (shown at top)
  2. The inner wedges show your I–vii° chord degrees
  3. Click any wedge to see its notes and 7th chord
  4. I, IV, V are your three most important chords — the backbone of most songs
USING THE WHEEL — MINOR KEY
  1. Find your minor key in the middle ring (e.g. "Am")
  2. The outer ring key above it is your relative major — rotate to it
  3. Now re-read the inner wheel from the vi position — that's your minor i chord
  4. Your minor key chords: vi=i, vii°=ii°, I=III, ii=iv, iii=v, IV=VI, V=VII
MINOR KEY EXAMPLE: Song is in E minor? Find "Em" in the middle ring — it aligns with G major on the outer ring. Rotate to G. Your Em minor key chords are: Em(i), F#°(ii°), G(III), Am(iv), Bm(v), C(VI), D(VII). These all appear in the G major inner wheel — you just start reading from the "vi" wedge (Em) as your home chord.
C
● Major ● minor ● dim°