An interactive cheat sheet for exploring the circle of fifths and building delicious guitar chord progressions. Take that music theory!
Select a Key
Diatonic Chords in C Major
Every major key contains seven chords built from its scale. These are the chords that naturally “belong” to the key.
I
Cii
Dmiii
EmIV
FV
Gvi
Amvii°
BdimCommon Progressions
Select a progression to see its chords and chord diagram.
All Chords in C
C
Dm
Em
F
G
Am
Bdim
Circle of Fifths 101
The circle of fifths arranges all twelve musical keys in a circle where each clockwise step moves up a perfect fifth. Adjacent keys share the most notes, making them naturally compatible for chord progressions and key changes.
The inner ring shows each key's relative minor, which is a minor key that shares the exact same notes. For example, C major and A minor both use only the white keys on a piano.
Each key contains seven diatonic chords built from its scale. The most important are the I, IV, and V chords, which form the basis of countless catchy songs across all genres.
I & IV & V — major chords (happy and stable)
ii & iii & vi — minor chords (sad but colourful)
vii° — diminished chord (creates tension)
Fun fact! If you know just the I, IV, and V chords in any key, you can already play most songs. Add the vi chord, and you unlock the legendary I–V–vi–IV progression which is the backbone of countless pop hits. Check out the famous 4 Chord Song by the Axis of Awesome.