The circle of fifths
The circle of fifths arranges the 12 major keys in a circle so that each step clockwise moves up a perfect fifth. It shows at a glance how many sharps or flats each key has, which keys are closely related, and where the sharp keys meet the flat keys.
G♭D♭A♭E♭B♭FAmEmBmF♯mC♯mG♯mD♯m
E♭mB♭mFmCmGmDm
Outer ring: major keys. Inner ring: their relative minor keys, which share the same key signature.
How to read the circle of fifths
- Clockwise, each step adds one sharp. C major has no sharps or flats, G major has 1 sharp, D major has 2, and so on up to C♯ major with 7.
- Counterclockwise, each step adds one flat. F major has 1 flat, B♭ major has 2, and so on up to C♭ major with 7.
- At the bottom, the two sides meet. F♯ major (6 sharps) and G♭ major (6 flats) sound the same: they are enharmonic keys. B major (5 sharps) and C♭ major (7 flats), and C♯ major (7 sharps) and D♭ major (5 flats), are enharmonic too.
The order of sharps and flats
Reading the circle clockwise from F gives the order in which sharps are added to a key signature: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯. Flats are added in the reverse order: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭.
Finding related keys
Keys that sit next to each other on the circle differ by only one sharp or flat, so music moves between them easily.
- Dominant key: one step clockwise (C major → G major).
- Subdominant key: one step counterclockwise (C major → F major).
- Relative minor: the inner ring at the same position (C major → A minor). It starts a minor third below the major key and uses the same key signature.
- Parallel minor: the minor key on the same tonic (C major → C minor). Its key signature has three more flats (or three fewer sharps).
Each step also moves one place around the inner ring: the dominant of A minor is E minor, and its subdominant is D minor.
Practice questions
Tap an answer to see the explanation.
What is the dominant key of F minor?
Answer: C minor
The dominant key of F minor is C minor.
What is the subdominant key of B major?
Answer: E major
The subdominant key of B major is E major.
What is the relative key of B minor?
Answer: D major
The relative key of B minor is D major.
What is the dominant key of G minor?
Answer: D minor
The dominant key of G minor is D minor.
What is the subdominant key of F♯ minor?
Answer: B minor
The subdominant key of F♯ minor is B minor.
What is the subdominant key of G minor?
Answer: C minor
The subdominant key of G minor is C minor.
What is the subdominant key of the parallel key of B major?
Answer: E minor
The parallel key of B major is B minor; its subdominant key is E minor.
What is the dominant key of the relative key of F minor?
Answer: E♭ major
The relative key of F minor is A♭ major; its dominant key is E♭ major.
Key signatures: how to name the key →
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