Circle of Fifths Explained: Ultimate Guide For 2025

Great songwriting requires an understanding of music theory to create incredible-sounding melodies and chord progressions.

The circle of fifths helps musicians compose songs by visualizing the relationships between the twelve major and minor keys.

This circle of fifths guide explores how to read and apply the information to compose music you’re proud of.

What Is The Circle Of Fifths?

The circle of fifths presents a visual representation of all the major and minor keys musicians use when creating music.

Its origins began in seventeenth-century Russia, where Nikolay Diletsky is credited with its creation.

Each letter displayed on the circle of fifths represents a chord or note that musicians can reference.

The interactive circle encompasses the major keys surrounding the outer circle, moving clockwise through the circle.

Within the outer circle is an inner circle that represents the relative minor keys used for music composition.

The purpose of the circle of fifths is to visualize the relationship between notes and chords when creating compositions.

It also presents information about key signatures, which are denoted by sharps or flats and indicate whether a scale is major or minor.

These key signatures surround the outer circle, denoting the major or minor scale being played.

Based on the selected key, composers can move between chords within the root key for harmonious-sounding results.

The tool can also be used for transposing chords, which musicians use to retune specific instruments for performances.

The circle of fifths plays a pivotal role in composition today, inspiring a humorous Tolkien-influenced variation.

Learn more about becoming a Promo Hype member.

Why Is The Circle Of Fifths Important?

One of the most vital tools for musicians, the circle of fifths helps with songwriting and composition in several ways.

Whether you’re writing a song or arranging instruments, it streamlines the process and opens up creative possibilities.

Here are some reasons why you should learn and apply the circle of fifths for songwriting:

• Mastering intervals: Intervals are foundational to composition, and the circle of fifths helps songwriters visualize the 5th interval and its inverse to play major and minor chords.
• Understanding chord structures and progressions: The 5th interval is also essential for chord structure, signifying the second overtone in the harmonic series and present in every chord.
• Developing harmonics: Composing harmonies is also enhanced by the circle of fifths, allowing for modulation between closely related keys.
• Understanding relative minor keys: All major keys have relative minor keys in the same key signature, which is fundamental to learning composition.

As you master the principles of the circle of fifths, your ability to create unique and skillful compositions will improve.

Who Should Use The Circle of Fifths?

The scope of application offered by the circle of fifths makes it a valuable resource for all musicians and composers.

Whether you’re playing traditional instruments or producing music with MIDI, the core principles remain the same.

This impressive flexibility extends to all experience levels, serving as a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced professionals.

Newcomers can gain a clearer understanding of sharps and flats in key signatures, making it easier to memorize these relationships.

This makes learning basic chord progressions more intuitive and remembering scales that are handy for melodic composition.

For experienced songwriters, the circle of fifths streamlines shifts in key for band members and can inspire more complex arrangements.

If you’re a jazz musician, you can use the circle of fifths alternative, known as the Coltrane circle after its creator, John Coltrane.

How To Use The Circle Of Fifths To Write Songs In 2025

Whether composing within a popular music genre or aiming for a niche audience, the circle of fifths will improve your songwriting.

Let’s break down how you can use the circle of fifths to write songs with lush chord progressions and stirring harmonies.

Step 1: Invest In A MIDI Keyboard

Many people who use music production software for compositions on laptops input notes and chords via the software’s piano roll.

While the piano roll is a valuable feature, using it to learn about the circle of fifths presents several limitations.

The piano roll’s vertical depiction creates confusion when understanding the relationship between notes and how they’re performed.

Likewise, using a mouse or trackpad to input notes is no substitute for playing them on a dedicated keyboard.

If you don’t have a MIDI keyboard, you can purchase an entry-level model for a reasonable price, or invest in one with more keys.

It’s an essential tool for learning and mastering the circle of fifths, and vital for streamlining your compositions.

Step 2: Understand Basic Music Theory

Before you dive into the circle of fifths, you should take a little time to learn the basics of music theory.

This begins with understanding the twelve musical keys and their related octaves that form the core of all musical compositions.

Major and minor keys create different musical qualities and impact the scales and chord patterns used in compositions.

The circle of fifths displays major keys in its outer circle, running clockwise C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, Ab, Eb, Bb, and F.

Here, the # and b symbols represent the expression “sharp” and “flat,” with the former raising a note and the latter lowering a note.

If you begin at C on your keyboard, you’ll see that the next step, either clockwise or counterclockwise, is five full notes up or down the keyboard.

These adjacent notes are known as the perfect fifth and are a foundational element of diatonic chords and scales.

Recommended reading: What is Audio Compression? Ultimate Guide.

Step 3: Understand Key Signatures

Moving outward from the notes of the circle of fifths, another layer is presented, illustrating key signatures.

Key signatures are used to denote the number of sharps or flats required to form a major or minor scale as you move through the circle.

Move clockwise, and sharps are added at each note, with a single sharp for G through to six sharps for F#.

Counter clockwise follows the same pattern, this time adding a flat for each note until reaching F# with six sharps.

These key signatures serve several functions, helping independent artists compose with simplified notation that improves readability.

Step 4: Identify Relative Minor Keys & Major Keys

Moving on to the final layer of the circle of fifths, the concept of relative minor keys is outlined.

Through the inner circle, the minor keys that correspond to their major counterparts are directly opposite on the circle.

You’ll notice that each relative minor key shares the identical key signatures as its major counterpart.

In composition, switching to a relative minor key enables modulation between sections and adds emotional depth.

Using the circle of fifths allows songwriters to jump between related keys for more complex harmonic results.

Step 5: Learn Chord Structures

Understanding the role of a major or minor scale is an essential foundation for learning different types of chords.

Just as each letter represents a note, it also signifies the related group of notes known as chords, concerning the perfect fifth.

Start by practicing basic triads, which incorporate the root note along with a third and a fifth and are easy to perform.

For example, if your root note is C, the third and fifth notes needed for a triad chord will be a major third (E) and a perfect fifth (G).

For a minor triad chord, the third note will be a minor third, while other chord types use different notes and intervals in their formation.

Step 6: Explore Different Chord Progressions

The circle of fifths is also an excellent tool for learning about and exploring interesting chord progressions.

Moving clockwise on the circle shows the relative chord at fifth intervals to create smooth and harmonious sounds.

For example, beginning at C, the chord progressions move to G, D, A, and on through the following notes.

This makes it easy to create harmonious chord progressions, allowing for adaptation to different keys or musical styles.

If you’re exploring jazz, you can expand on the concept of chord progressions by learning about modes in music.

Step 7: Experiment With Harmonies

The same general principles used for creating minor or major chord progressions can be applied to understanding harmonies.

This concept relates to the relationship between multiple notes played together, shifting mood based on their arrangement.

We’ve touched on triad chords as basic building blocks, but complex chords will add more color to your compositions.

This includes diminished and augmented chords, suspended chords, and seventh chords, each using different notes and intervals.

Practicing these on your keyboard will help you to master the chord types and apply harmonies in unique ways.

Step 8: Transpose With Intervals

Another common use of the circle of fifths is for transposing a song, which involves changing from one key to another.

This process is used to make songs easier for vocalists to sing and to make specific instruments easier to play.

Using the circle of fifths allows musicians to instantly transpose from one key to the next by tracing the corresponding notes on the diagram.

By observing the chord relationship in the original key, they can be mapped onto the required new key.

Step 9: Analyze Your Favorite Songs

As you start to become familiar with the circle of fifths and its application for songwriting, you can relate it to popular songs.

Many chart-topping pop songs follow a similar pattern, with familiar chord progressions that align with the circle of fifths.

As you analyze your favorite songs and understand the compositional structures, you can adopt them for your own songs.

This structure can then be applied to other elements of music production, modifying tonality and dynamics.

Step 10: Experiment With Song Structures

While most popular music follows a similar song structure, there is plenty of room for experimentation when composing.

This can range from using descending chord sequences, moving to a different key, or starting with a non-tonic chord.

Introducing breaks or transitions allows the listener to process the music, while altering section lengths also adds variety.

You can explore less common chord variations and progressions using the circle of fifths, for instance, through abrupt modulations.

Instead of moving between adjacent keys, modulation uses uncommon keys and can enhance the dramatic effect.

It’s an effective songwriting tactic for compositions in more experimental genres, creating tension and anticipation.

Distribute & Promote Your Music With Promo Hype

Creating excellent compositions with the circle of fifths demands reaching an audience that appreciates your style.

Independent artists can distribute and promote music through Promo Hype and unlock a range of powerful tools.

Sign up for a Promo Hype membership to access the following cutting-edge features:

• Global distribution across all streaming platforms: Promo Hype members can schedule and distribute new and archived music across all the major streaming platforms. Drive traffic to Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Apple Music, and elsewhere.
• Complete control of marketing with the Promotional Toolkit: With Promo Hype’s Promotional Toolkit, independent musicians have full control over their marketing budget. Assess campaign performance and refine your overall promotional strategy.
• Robust analytics to enhance your music career: Understanding where your fans get your music is essential for developing a career. You can analyze various metrics through the Promo Hype artist Dashboard.
• Support and collaborations through the Promo Hype Community: If you’re struggling with the circle of fifths or looking for a collaboration, Promo Hype’s Community can help. Network with like-minded artists and share your insights into composition.

With features accessible through a streamlined Dashboard, Promo Hype is dedicated to driving success for independent artists.

Summary

Newcomers to songwriting can find the process daunting, with music theory terminology often adding to the confusion.

By following this guide, the circle of fifths can be demystified and incorporated into your songwriting workflow.

It’s a powerful tool in Western music for all types of songwriters, inspiring creative melodies and chord progressions.