---
title: "Circle of Fifths: How to Read It and Memorize It · Piakno"
description: "A ring of the twelve major keys, each a perfect fifth from the last. Clockwise, every step is a fifth up and adds a sharp; counterclockwise, every step adds a flat. Keys next to each other are the most closely related."
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---

# The circle of fifths

> A ring of the twelve major keys, each a perfect fifth from the last. Clockwise, every step is a fifth up and adds a sharp; counterclockwise, every step adds a flat. Keys next to each other are the most closely related.

Also called cycle of fifths

Count fifths up from C: C → G → D → A → E → B → F♯. Each key signature has one more sharp than the last. Count fifths down instead: C → F → B♭ → E♭ → A♭ → D♭, each adding a flat. Twelve steps brings you back to C, which is what makes it a circle.

*The twelve major keys, each with its relative minor inside it. The small number is the key signature.*

| Clockwise (sharps) | Signature | Counterclockwise (flats) | Signature |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| C | — | C | — |
| G | 1♯ F♯ | F | 1♭ B♭ |
| D | 2♯ + C♯ | B♭ | 2♭ + E♭ |
| A | 3♯ + G♯ | E♭ | 3♭ + A♭ |
| E | 4♯ + D♯ | A♭ | 4♭ + D♭ |
| B | 5♯ + A♯ | D♭ | 5♭ + G♭ |

The circle is not only a way to remember key signatures; it is a map of which keys are neighbors. The most natural places to modulate are the keys on either side and the relative minor, because they share all but one note with where you are.

It also explains why a dominant seventh wants to resolve. The dominant sits one step clockwise from the tonic, so resolving is a step back around the circle — exactly the direction the ear is expecting. Most of functional harmony can be read as movement around this ring.

> The bottom of the circle overlaps: B major (5♯) and C♭ major (7♭) are the same keys under the fingers, and so are F♯ and G♭. These are enharmonic keys — same sound, different spelling — and you pick whichever needs fewer accidentals.

## Common questions

### How do you read the circle of fifths?

Each major key on the ring has a number beside it: how many sharps or flats its signature holds. The minor key inside shares that signature. One step clockwise goes up a fifth and adds a sharp; one step counterclockwise adds a flat.

### How do you memorize the circle of fifths?

Say the keys in order first: C G D A E B for sharps, C F B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ for flats, one more sign per step. Then use the order of sharps, F C G D A E B: each sharp key is named a half step above its last sharp.

### What is the circle of fifths used for?

It tells you how many sharps or flats a key has, which keys are close enough to modulate to, and which way chords move naturally, such as the dominant going home to the tonic.

## The course works through this in:

- [Lesson 25 · Key signatures and the circle of fifths](https://piakno.com/course/piano-foundations/lesson/25)

## Related entries

- [Key signature](https://piakno.com/theory/key-signature)
- [Minor scales](https://piakno.com/theory/minor-scale)
- [The dominant seventh chord](https://piakno.com/theory/dominant-seventh)

- [Theory reference](https://piakno.com/theory)