The Circle of Fifths Explained: How to Understand the Circle of Fifths in Music

Have you ever wondered if there was a tool, that every musician out there could use to make understanding music way simpler? Maybe you haven’t heard of it yet or maybe you have, and you’re too lazy or unbothered by it’s existence, just like I did when I first started. A musician might take any road in search of good musicianship, but it all leads to the one and only destination “Circle Of Fifths”. Just like how a painter uses the color chart in order to understand the theory behind colors, we can use the circle of fifths to analyze and understand chord progressions, transitions, compositions etc…

Circle of Fifths is the visual representation of all the 12 notes in music with intervals of fifths going clockwise and fourths going anti-clockwise, in minor and major modes, with key signatures for each key. It is a very fundamental tool used in western-music theory. A circle of fifths chart looks something like this:

Now that we have familiarized ourselves with the circle of fifths, we will look into some uses and practical applications:

1. Key signatures made simple:

Each key adds or removes a sharp or flat depending on whether it is a sharp or a flat. (Bonus tip for learning key signatures- “FCGDAEB” #-ascending and b-descending)

2. Easier transposition:

You can now relate the keys on your instrument better and transpose your piece or song to another key in an instant.

3. Improvisation and Composition:

You know which chords work better for your music. The closer keys sound more consonant and the further you move away, the more dissonant you get. You know what is relative, what is parallel and what is closely related or what is not.

4. Modulation:

You can use modulation to make your music more complex or explore different themes in the same piece. Making use of secondary dominants is one of the ways to modulate from one key to the other.

5. Chord progressions:

You can use clockwise or counterclockwise motion to make your music sound better. Most of the jazz standards use counterclockwise movement to add more tension and pull. Ex: ii-V-I progression.