The Circle of Fifths

The Circle of Fifths is used to determine what key a piece of music is in. Major keys are listed on the outside circle in upper case letters, minor keys are listed on the inside circle in lower case letters.

No sharps or flats: The top letter "C" has no flats or sharps. So if you have a piece of music that has no flats or sharps in the key signature, you know you are in the key of C Major or a minor.

Sharps: To determine the key signature for sharps, move clockwise. One step clockwise is "G", so if you have 1 sharp, you are in the key of G Major or e minor. Two steps clockwise is "D", so 2 sharps would be D Major or b minor, etc up to 7 sharps which would be C# Major (which is the same as D flat Major).

Flats: To determine the key signature for flats, go the other way on the circle of fifths - counter clockwise. Moving back one step from C, you come to "F." So if you have a piece of music that has 1 flat, you are in the key of F Major or d minor. Continue around the circle counter clockwise to determine all the flat key signatures. For example, A flat Major would have 4 flats in the key signature.

Am I in a Major or Minor Key? Most of the time I determine this by simply listening to the music and see if it sounds major or minor. This isn't the most accurate method however, just the quickest. The best method is to look at the last chord in your music. If your key signature is 2 sharps for example, you are either in D Major or b minor. In traditional music the last chord will end on a D Major chord or a b minor chord and that will tell you which key you are in. The chord will be the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the scale. For D Major, this is D, F#, G. So your final chord in your music will have these 3 notes in it, and will traditionally have the D on the bottom since D is the "root" of the chord (the first note in the scale). If you are in b minor, your chord will be the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the b minor scale, which would be b, d, f#.

This chord method works for traditional, classical music. It also works for some other genres but as with many other professions, music rules are made to be broken. So your music may not follow this pattern. The only other drawback to the chord method, is when you are playing an instrument that has just one line of music (such as violin). In this case you will not be able to see the complete chord. You will have to look at your piano accompaniment or use the listening method.

Is there any other way to determine the Key? Yes! The circle of fifths is not the only method. The other way involves memorizing a few rules. First memorize the order of flats and sharps, then memorize the "sharps rule" and the "flats rule" and the 2 exceptions. You will always know what key you are in.

Order of flats and sharps: Sharps and flats are always listed in the same order in a key signature.

The order of flats is: B E A D G C F.		The order of sharps is the opposite from flats: F C G D A E B.	Purchase the Circle of Fifths Watch Choose Treble, Alto, or Bass Clef
So if you have only 2 flats, you don't have to look close to see what line/space they are on. You just know they are B and E. If you have 4 sharps, don't get your reading glasses, you will know they are F C G D. Sharps rule: Take the last sharp and go up a half step. Use this rule for any key signature that has sharps. For example, if you have 3 sharps in your key signature, F C G, the last sharp is G#. One half step up from G# is A. You are in the key of A Major. Flats rule: Take the next to last flat. This rule works for all key signatures with flats, except when you have just one flat (because then there is no "next to last flat"). For example, if you have 4 flats, B E A D, the next to last flat is A flat. You are in the key of A flat Major. Exceptions to the flat and sharp rules: There are only 2 cases where these rules do not work, so you just get to memorize them. The first is C major with no flats and no sharps. The second is F major with just one flat. Related content: How to make a Major Scale: An online interactive scale maker. Learn the basics and practice making scales to make sure you understand the process.