Circle Of The Fifths Chart

Hearing what each key sounds like and visualizing key relationships is made possible through the Circle of Fifths chart. To select a key, simply tap the wheel with your mouse or trackpad, or use your computer keyboard to select keys faster. The tool instanty plays what you have chosen. This makes it very practical for exploring musical ideas based off music theory.

All of twelve major keys appear in the outer ring and their respective relative minor keys in the inner ring. The segments represent each key and is placed based on how they musically relate to other keys. Moving clockwise around circle adds one sharp to the key signature, while moving counter-clockwise add one flat. It’s clear at a glance what keys are closely related and easy to modulate between when practicing or composing.

How to Use the Tool

Simply tap a segment of the wheel and you’ll be playing tonic chord for that key back through your speakers. You’ll also see name of the selected key and whether it’s major or minor in the centre of the wheel. Below this, there is a quick text summary that explains the key signature exactly (what notes are being flatted or sharpened). This instant feedback link the idea of circle of fifths to the sound of harmony.

Underneath this graphic are seven diatonic chords that exist in the key you have chosen. Each button shows the name of the chord (chord quality) as well as its Roman numeral relationship in the scale. If you click on one of them it will play sound of the chord in context. So if you want to learn about the chords of a key without having to work out intervals, then this becomes very useful.

The control bar above the wheel include a slider to dial up and down the overall volume so no matter what device or environment you’re playing it through, the sound will be comfortabley. There’s also a help toggle button near the top that shows a brief list of control instructions in case you ever forget how they work. Keeping this panel open can be helpful while you are still familiarizing yourself with the layout.

Fullscreen (available in all browsers): When clicked, the widget expand to occupy the entire browser window, providing a larger view of the chart and more space for chord buttons. This is ideal if you’re using a small screen or simply wish to avoid distractions from other content around it. Clicking the same button again (or pressing the escape key on your keyboard) will return you to normal mode.

You can also navigate around the keys via keyboard instead of mouse, should you like that style of work flow. Simply use the Tab key to jump from one segment of the wheel to another and hit the Space bar or Enter to play the sound. This comes in handy when you’re quickly experimenting and want your fingers close to where you type. The interface is fully accessible and plays nice with screen readers as well as other assistive technologies.

To begin with something you are comfortable with, choose a key such as C major. This has a pleasing, uncluttered feel to it as there are no sharps or flats. With a single turn of the dial, we move into G major which adds an F sharp and changes the tone. Listen below for each of the diatonic chords in this key and you will soon discover how each colors the key different than others.

Listening to these variations can help tune your ear to pick up on small differences in the tonality. Tapping parts of the inner ring will allow you to play in minor keys too. These has the same key signature as their corresponding major keys yet have a very different home key and mood. Listen, for instance, to E minor alongside G major. You will hear how they are both written with exactly the same collection of notes, but they sound more emotive depending on which note is felt to be ‘home’.

This is one for planning your progressions before you sit at the instrument or to rapidly double-check your key signatures on the go. It’s a visual aid that supports memory more effectively then words do and the audio element brings it closer into practical use.

You should of make sure the sound isn’t too loud, so you can hear the details in tone and chord quality. Click on whichever key interests you, or if there’s a song you’re currently working on, click on one of those keys. You’ll probably have a good idea about how to use the interface in just a few seconds as it is meant to be intuitive.

Experiment and explore; don’t worry about doing anything “right”, simply experiment and become curious! Find out for yourself how all twelve keys interconnect into an unending chain of harmony.