Interactive · Simulation
The circle of fifths for guitar.
Twelve keys arranged so that every neighbour shares six of its seven notes. Turn the dial, hear the chords, and see them on the neck.
- Tap a chord to hear it
- Drag or swipe the dial to change key
- Tab to the dial: ← → turn, M major/minor
- In the chords: Enter plays, ⇧Enter makes it the key
- 1–7 play the key's chords
- Esc stops
Click a chord to hear it · drag the dial to change keyTap a chord to hear it · swipe across the dial to change key
Use the Key slider to turn the dial. In the chord grid, arrow keys move, Enter plays a chord, Shift and Enter makes it the key, digits 1 to 7 play the chords of the key, and Escape stops playback.
Selected chord · i
BmminorTonic
- B1
- D♭3
- F♯5
Home — progressions come to rest here.
Outer: major · Middle: relative minor · Inner: diminished (vii°)
Position 2 o'clock · 2 sharps
B minor
2 sharps: F♯ C♯
Natural minor scale
Diatonic chords
Selected chord · i
Bm minor
| Formula | 1 | ♭3 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | B | D | F♯ |
Progressions in B minor · 96 BPM
Minor pop
The pop axis rotated to start on the relative minor — same four chords, darker centre.
- Bmi
- GVI
- DIII
- AVII
Heard in: Zombie, Numb, Despacito
Andalusian cadence
A stepwise walk down to a major V borrowed from harmonic minor. Flamenco's signature move.
- Bmi
- AVII
- GVI
- F♯V
Heard in: Hit the Road Jack, Runaway, Stray Cat Strut
Minor ii–V–i
Half-diminished ii, dominant V7 and back to the minor tonic.
- C♯m7♭5iiø7
- F♯7V7
- Bm7i7
Heard in: Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves
Major-key progressions live on the .
Fretboard · standard tuning
Bm inside B minor
- Chord root
- Chord tone
- Key tonic
- Scale tone
Tap any fret to hear it.
Harmonisation
Harmonising B minor
Build a chord on every note of the scale by stacking thirds: take a note, skip one, take the next. The scale alone decides whether each third is major or minor, and so the quality of every chord.
Pick a degree
Stacking thirds on B
- BR
- C♯·
- D3
- E·
- F♯5
- G·
- A·
Bm i
minor: minor 3rd + major 3rd
B · D · F♯ = 1 ♭3 5
Every minor key repeats the same pattern: minor, diminished, major, minor, minor, major, major.
Harmonic minor
Borrowing a leading tone
In natural minor, v (F♯m) carries A, a whole step under B, so it barely pulls home. Raise the 7th to A♯ and v becomes F♯: a true dominant whose A♯ leans a half step into B.
- Natural minor
- Harmonic minor
Modulation
Modulating from B minor
Changing key mid-song. The closer two keys sit on the circle, the more notes and chords they share, and the smoother the move. A shared pivot chord belongs to both keys, so the ear only notices the change once the new key's V7 arrives.
Dominant · 1 step clockwise
B minor → F♯ minor
- Shared notes
- 6 of 7
- What changes
- G → G♯
- Pivot chords
- 4
- Bmi → iv
- DIII → VI
- F♯mv → i
- AVII → III
Hear it
- Bmi in BmHome
- DVI in F♯mPivot
- C♯7V7 in F♯mNew V7
- F♯mi in F♯mArrived
For teachers and bloggers
Embed this wheel
Put the playable All twelve keys arranged in a circle, each a 5th above the last. Neighbouring keys differ by one sharp or flat. on your own site or lesson page. Paste this code where you want it to appear; it is free to use.
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<p><a href="https://guitstart.com/circle-of-fifths">Circle of fifths by GuitStart</a></p>