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Circle of

5ths

Major Keys

Circle of

5ths

Relative Minors

Circle of

5ths

Listen

Moving Around the Circle of 5ths: Chord Motion

Steps 1 - 3 explain why this is called a "circle." But the "5ths" part might still be confusing. That is because some music theory publications actually switch the order of the circle, starting with the C and moving clockwise to F, then Bb, then Eb, etc.:

As you can see, we are moving clockwise in a "Circle of 5ths." But this time, each new key is a perfect 5th below the previous key. We start on C but move down a 5th to F. As you continue from F down to Bb, you'll travel another 5th, and so on until you circle back up to C.

This approach reflects the strongest natural tendency of chord motion: the motion of a perfect 5th. Though any chord can move to any other chord, the strongest natural tendency of a chord is to resolve to the chord a 5th below. This is the Dominant to Tonic relationship that we discuss in our Dominant 7th chords topic.

Dominant 7th Chord

Review