Circle Of Fifths Blank

This is a blank version of circle of fifths that we call the Circle of Fifths widget. This allows you to test your knowledge of music theory. You can also play around with it by hitting keys on your computer keyboard or clicking on sections to hear them played back.

There are basicly two ways to learn. One way is a sort of review where you fill in the blanks yourself. Another is a quiz style where it challenge you to pick out keys under pressure.

How to Use the Circle of Fifths Tool

There is twelve segments on the wheel that form a circle. The outer ring indicates major keys while the inner ring indicate the relative minor keys (since these have the same key signature). When you first load the page, all of the segments will display a question mark. That’s the blank state to encourage active recall.

Tap on segment and say the key name aloud before tapping it to check whether your answer was correct. The keys has been programmed so that you can click on each segment which shows the key name as well as playing a chord sound. It also show the key signature for the note. The outside buttons are bigger and easier to see but are less brightly lit with the inner buttons showing their minor relationship. The wheel change in the centre to reflect what key has been chosen.

Underneath the wheel is the diatonic chords for your chosen key. These are the seven chords that are native to this key, named and shown by their roman numeral role in a grid. Tap on any one of the chord boxes and you’ll hear what they sound like. This assists in relating theory to sound, allowing a clearer understanding of how the harmony work in a given key.

The control buttons makes it easy to run through your session. To clear all of the key names and return the wheel back to its blank state, use the Blank All button, which is perfect for when you’ve covered a few sections. If you want to get the whole picture in one go, then press the Reveal All button which will fill out each slot at once.

If you want a time trial, then the Quiz Me button fires up a timed test where you have to locate a given minor or major key around the wheel. In quiz mode, it asks you to identify a key name and then you click on the correct segment on the wheel. If you’re right, it highlights that section in green and shows you what the key is. If not, it’ll highlight that section in red and take away points from your total possible score. After every question the wheel blanks out, making this more of a continuous challenge and game.

In the top right-hand side of the control bar, there’s a volume slider that controls how much sound comes out of your computer speakers. If you want to mute the chords because they’re too loud then you can drag this down. It’s useful when practicing at night or sharing with others. I’ve left the volume at a moderate level by default so you’ll be able to clearly distinguish the texture of the triads.

Accessibility: The widget is keyboard navigable. You can use the tab key to cycle through the controls, and the wheel segments are also focusable elements. Once a segment is in focus, you can hit the spacebar or enter button to make your selection. So if you’re working on something that’s not super mouse friendly (like maybe a phone) this lets you test things out with a keyboard.

If in doubt, press the help button. This opens an expanded section that walks you through the process. It explains clearly that turning the wheel anti-clockwise adds sharps as you move around the dial, while turning the wheel clockwise add flats. It’s a reminder of the layout, which is important when considering Western harmony. Why are some keys next to each other? How does the structure give clues to the direction of travel.

The Fullscreen button expands the widget to fill your screen. Clicking the Fullscreen button makes the widget take up all of your screen space. That means no distractions and a bit more breathing room for the wheel. This is good if you’re on a small screen and find it feels a little cramped. The layout will adjust to keep everything readable in this version, and you can get out of fullscreen by clicking the Fullscreen button again.

Using the blank actively brings it into practical use. Don’t show them all the keys straight away. Let them try to guess which key is where. They might already know that ‘C’ is at the top of the blank, so ‘G’ will be to its right, followed by ‘D’. The memory of space will strengthen the theory. It’s better to test yourself actively rather than passively looking.

The audio feedback tell you if your musical understanding matches the theory. Play in the quiz mode to see how fast you can get. Challenge yourself by trying to improve on your best time. Note that this mode randomly selects which keys to test, so you can’t just remember them in order. You’re forced to remember where each one is located individually. Great exercise for cementing the mental map of the circle into memory.

Below the wheel, you have the chord grid which serves as an excellent reference. Look at where the diminished chord is shown (in the seventh position), and also look out for the Roman numerals used for the minor chords. Listen to what those chords sound like in context. It brings that abstract wheel into practical harmony. Use it to plan your chord progressions in your own pieces of music.

This is a total theory practice widget. It is kinesthetic (click), auditory (hear it) and visual (see it). It uses all three types of learning at once. That’s good because all that sticks tends to be multi-sensory.

Use it as an exercise on the blank areas. Guess first, then check. Just this little discipline will help you become more comfortable with the circle. Begin with the Blank All button. Choose one at random and guess its name. If you are right, tap it to confirm. Continue in a clockwise direction around the wheel. Add a sharp or take away a flat along the way.

The volume control is there so that the sound stays comfortaly. Once you are confident, do a quiz. How fast can you find out what key each one is? Have fun learning your way round the wheel.