The Circle of Fifths

The Circle of Fifths is a useful tool for sorting and visualizing the Keys.

First of all, let's have a look at it. Then, we will go over some of the ways it can be used!

Okay, there's a lot of information there. Let's break it down.

On the outer ring of the wheel, we have the 12 Major Keys. On the inner ring, we have the 12 Minor Keys.

First off, notice that each Major Key is matched up with it's Relative Minor! You can use the Circle of Fifths to quickly identify Relative Keys.

Now, notice that outside the wheel, we list the number of sharps or flats present within each key. For example, C and Am have no sharps or flats within the key. But next to it we have G and Em. The notes of those keys are as follows:

G - A - B - C - D - E - F#

One sharp!

In this way, we can consider G to be a Key that's closely related to C, as they only differ by one note.

Why does this matter? Because it's a clue as to what Keys are closely related. From C, you can move to the Key of F, G, or Am, without changing more than one note of the Key.

However, I wouldn't say limiting yourself to those Key Changes is a strong songwriting tool.

Effective Key Changes is a topic for another lesson.

More interesting to note, is that moving a step clockwise around the wheel moves up a Perfect 5th each time. Moving counterclockwise, we move down a Perfect 4th.

This movement comes up a lot in chord progressions. For example, the 2-5-1 can actually be looked at as a series of jumps a perfect 4th downward! For example: D-G-C.

Many jazz songs with a non-Diatonic progression can be understood this way, as a series of steps around the Circle of 5ths.

Since making jumps of Perfect 5ths or Perfect 4ths brings us through all 12 keys, this makes it a very effective way to practice a new shape (whether thats a scale, chord, or arpeggio). 

If you want to try it out, CLICK HERE to learn about Circle of Fifths Cycling!

And that's it! Much has been made of the Circle of Fifths, but it's really just a straightforward diagram for understanding the different Keys.

It's not a magic songwriting tool (as some have claimed), but it definitely comes in handy!