Why does going clockwise add sharps?

Because each step is a perfect fifth up, and every fifth above a key's tonic introduces one more sharp. Five fifths up from C is the key of B, which carries five sharps. Going the other way is a fifth down each time, which introduces flats instead.

Where is the relative minor?

On the inner ring, three positions clockwise from its major key. It shares the key signature exactly, because the same seven notes are simply started from the sixth degree rather than the first, which is why the two are described as relative rather than parallel.

What makes a neighbouring key easy to modulate to?

Shared notes. Adjacent keys differ by a single accidental, so almost every note is common to both and a move between them changes very little. The further apart two keys are on the wheel, the more notes they disagree about and the more abrupt the change will sound.

Does the selected key change what the triads are?

The pattern of qualities stays the same in every major key, since it comes from stacking thirds within the scale, but the actual notes move. Selecting a new key therefore changes the roots and spelling of all seven chords while leaving their roman numerals and qualities in the same order.

Can I see the minor keys' own diatonic chords?

The wheel shows relative minors but lists the triads of the selected major key. For a minor key's chords, the chord progression builder switches between major and natural minor and shows the diatonic triads for whichever is chosen.

Circle of Fifths Tool

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Circle of Fifths Tool lays out the twelve major keys on a wheel with their relative minors, and shows the diatonic triads of whichever key you select. It is the map that shows how keys relate to one another.

What is Circle of Fifths Tool?

Click any key on the wheel and the centre shows its signature while the panel below lists its seven diatonic triads.

The wheel and the panel:

Twelve major keys arranged around the circle, each showing its key signature beside the name.
An inner ring of relative minors, labelled in the short form, sitting inside each major key.
A centre readout naming the selected major key and its signature.
A panel listing the seven diatonic triads of the selected key, with their roman numerals, roots and qualities.

The construction is the whole point of the tool. Moving one position clockwise raises the key by a perfect fifth, which means one more sharp in the signature, and moving one position counterclockwise lowers it by a fifth, which means one more flat. Going all the way around therefore passes through every key and arrives back where it started after twelve steps, and the number of accidentals can be read off directly from the distance travelled in either direction. That is why the wheel is useful for more than reference: the keys next to each other on it are the ones that share the most notes, so a modulation to a neighbouring key is the smoothest available, and the further round the wheel a move goes the more it changes. The relative minor of each key sits on the inner ring three positions clockwise, and it shares the exact same key signature because it is built from the same notes started from a different degree. Selecting a key therefore gives two things at once: the signature, which says which notes are altered throughout the piece, and the seven triads, which are the chords the key supports without any additional accidentals.

Where it stops:

Twelve major keys only, each with its relative minor, so the parallel minor keys are not shown.
No enharmonic spellings, so a key appears in one form rather than both of its written equivalents.
Nothing about modulations or how to move between keys.
No audio, so nothing is played back.
The triads are diatonic triads only, with no seventh chords.
Nothing is uploaded, and no state is kept between visits.

Use it when a key needs to be placed in relation to others, when a modulation is being planned, or when the signature of a key has to be confirmed rather than looked up. When only the signature matters and the question comes from the other direction, the key signature identifier takes a key and gives its accidentals or vice versa. When the chords of the selected key need to be heard in sequence, the chord progression builder picks up where this tool leaves off. Reading the wheel in relation to a piece of music is often more useful than reading it as a list of keys. A song that uses mostly one key but visits its two neighbours is doing something unremarkable; one that jumps to the far side of the circle is doing something that will be heard as a real change of scene. The distance travelled on the wheel is a fair measure of how much has actually changed, which is why the tool is worth having open when a modulation is being planned rather than only when a signature is being confirmed.

How to use Circle of Fifths Tool

Look at the wheel and find the key you are working in.
Click it to select and read its signature in the centre.
Note the relative minor on the inner ring, which shares the same signature.
Read the seven diatonic triads listed below for that key.

When to use Circle of Fifths Tool vs related tools

Circle of Fifths Tool is the reference for how keys relate, and it is what to consult when planning a modulation or checking a signature. Key Signature Identifier answers the narrower question of how many sharps or flats a key carries, working in both directions. When the triads of a key need to be turned into something audible, Chord Progression Builder does that, and Scale Generator spells out the scale the whole wheel is built from.

Privacy & Security

This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data ever leaves your device. There is no server round-trip, no upload, no logging, and no account required. Your input is processed locally using client-side JavaScript and is never stored, transmitted, or accessible to anyone else. When you close the tab, everything disappears.