What is the Circle of Fifths, and Why It’s Useful to Understand

The Circle of Fifths has, many times over, been told it looks like a clock. This all-important foundational clock of music has been around since the 17th century. Believe it or not, some of the most famous musicians have composed music using the Circle of Fifths as their guide, including Beethoven, Bach, Schubert, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Beyonce, and more.

All genres of music throughout the generations have relied on the Circle of Fifths. It is that important.

If you are a musician, you have likely seen the Circle of Fifths before. Whether you use it religiously or you only have a basic understanding, digging into what the Circle of Fifths is and why it is useful to understand is always some good, solid information to have. So, let’s get to it.

The Circle of Fifths: What is It, Really?

Learning and understanding key signatures is an important part of understanding the music that you play. After all, when you know a key signature, you already know which keys are natural and which may be sharp or flat. From there, you can understand various chords to play, and so on.

Well, the Circle of Fifths is a display of all diatonic major and minor keys in music – in the order that they go, based on the number of sharps and flats.

Taking a look at the Circle of Fifths, we can see that it does resemble a clock. However, instead of there being numbers, you have letters. And these letters are representative of the different key signatures. Just like a normal clock, the Circle of Fifths starts at what would be 12:00 and, moving clockwise, you encounter sharp keys (in perfect fifths). Starting at 11:00 and moving counter-clockwise, you have the flats (in perfect fourths).

Each move you make, whether clockwise or counter-clockwise, you add a sharp or a flat, respectively.

The Arrangement of Key Signatures on the Circle of Fifths

Every key signature is based on how many sharps or flats there are. We know that C Major has no sharps or flats – and this is located at 12:00 on the Circle of Fifths. Throughout all 12 spots, there are 7 sharps and 7 flats, as well as the neutral key we just discussed. Now, I know we are musicians and not mathematicians, but 7 + 7 = 14 and there are only 11 remaining spots. How does that work?

Enharmonic Keys. Enharmonic keys account for 3 of the spots on the Circle of Fifths. These keys involve key signatures that have different names with the same pitches. You know that sharps always have a flat equivalent and that is what is at play here. The following key signatures have the same place on the Circle of Fifths,  but they can be referred to in two different ways. You will also find that they are different when it comes to musical theory, too. The key signatures we are referring to are:

• B Major and Cb Major
• F# Major and Gb Major
• C# Major and Db Major

Sharp Keys. If you start at C Major and work your way clockwise, you will see that each stop adds one sharp. This continues all the way around the clock until you reach 7 sharps. The key signatures are:

• G Major
• D Major
• A Major
• E Major
• B Major
• F# Major
• C# Major

Flat Keys. Going back to C Major and reading the Circle of Fifths counter-clockwise you get one flat at each step until you have 7 flats. These key signatures are:

• F Major
• Bb Major
• Eb Major
• Ab Major
• Db Major
• Gb Major
• Cb Major

Relative Minor Keys. Every major key signature – whether it contains sharps or flats – has a corresponding minor key signature that, you guessed it, has the same sharps and flats. Once you know the major key and would like to find its relative minor, you will need to take a few steps. You may either go down 3 half steps from the tonic note or go to the 6th note in that major’s key.

Memorizing the Circle of Fifths

The Circle of Fifths is so important in learning about music theory and being able to play new music, regardless of what key it is in. You can transpose sheet music, know which chords can accompany a melody, or even perform your own jazz solo.

Key signatures are what make music sound enjoyable. So, no matter where you are in your musical journey, memorizing the Circle of Fifths is sure to benefit you.

How do you do it? With a phrase, of course! Just like we learn the note on the lines and spaces of the bass and treble clef using phrases and sentences, we can do the same with the Circle of Fifths. One of the most popular is Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. That’s the sentence for the clockwise key signatures. The best part is that saying it backward still makes sense and it matches up to the counter-clockwise key signatures. Check it out: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father.

Practice this sentence until you have it memorized. Once you do, you will have the Circle of Fifths memorized, too!

How to Determine Your Key Signature Using the Circle of Fifths

Now that you are getting the hang of the Circle of Fifths, it is time to learn how to put it all together. Take out a piece of sheet music and look at the sharps and the flats. Here’s how you tell the key:

For sharps, you remember your sentence: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. Then, if there are, say, 3 sharps, you would move to the 3rd word (Goes), or third sharp, G#. You then go up ½ step and you get your key. In this case, A Major.

For flats, re-visit your sentence, too: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father. If you have three flats, you would go to the 3rd word, And, and then go back one — to Ends. That’s your key  – Eb major.

Bringing it All Together

So often the Circle of Fifths is intimidating to new musicians. But, with practice and repetitive use, it can turn out to be an incredible tool that will follow you throughout your musical journey.