The Circle of Fifths Explained for Guitar

The Circle of Fifths Explained for Guitar

We know there are plenty of guitarists who don’t care about music theory — they just want to play. But if you want to play better, and even write music, knowing a little theory helps. The greatest guitar composers and improvisers alike, from George Harrison to Slash, all had a foundation in music theory.

One of the most important music theory concepts is the Circle of Fifths. It was originally published by Russian composer Nikolay Diletsky in 1677 to explain how Baroque music was written. Since then, the Circle of Fifths has been used to compose opera, jazz, heavy metal and even hip-hop.

So what is this magical Circle of Fifths, and how does it help guitarists? The aspiring rock legends at Strings and Beyond composed this guide to amplify your playing and writing abilities. From acoustic guitar to electric guitar, upright bass to octave mandolin, the Circle of Fifths always comes in handy.

What is the Circle of Fifths?

Simple yet brilliant, the Circle of Fifths is a diagram that visualizes how musical notes and keys relate to each other. It’s based on the concept of the perfect fifth where a note is seven half-steps higher than the root note on a scale — an interval known for how well it harmonizes.

The outer ring on the Circle of Fifths starts with the C major scale — the 12-noon position if you think of the circle like a clock face. Each subsequent spot goes up a perfect fifth to G, D, A, etc. until you eventually work your way back around to the C. Incidentally, if you go around the circle counterclockwise, you get the Circle of Fourths, as a perfect fourth is also an inverted fifth.

The Circle of Fifths also tells you how many sharps or flats are in each major scale. The reason it starts with C is that it’s the only major key with no sharps or flats — it goes C-D-E-F-G-A-B. The next key, G, has one sharp note. Then D has two sharps, A has three sharps and so on up to F#/Gb, which has six sharps or six flats. From there, you count down to five flats, four flats, etc.

Finally, with the inner ring, the Circle of Fifths demonstrates the relationship between major and minor keys. Every major key has a “relative minor” which uses the same sharp and flat notes. However, the minor key starts on a different root, giving it a different tonal center — known in music as the song’s tonic.

How Do You Use the Circle of Fifths for Guitar?

A few of you are probably thinking, “All that is cool — but how do I use the Circle of Fifths for my music?” Great question! The three biggest uses for the Circle of Fifths are writing chord progressions, transposing songs and figuring out key changes. Let’s strum through each:

Writing Progressions with the Circle of Fifths

This diagram lets you figure out the most popular chord progressions in seconds. For example, a I-IV-V (1-4-5) three-chord song uses the root, the fourth and the fifth of a major scale. Let’s say you want to play blues in the key of G (the I chord). First, you find G on the outer ring of your Circle of Fifths. Look one spot counterclockwise of the G — that’s your IV, or C in this case. Then, look one spot clockwise of the G — the D will be your V chord. That’s it!

Using the circle for a 1-5-6-4 song (the second-most popular progression) only requires one additional step. You follow the same process as in the previous paragraph to get your one, four and five. Then the six will be the relative minor to your root — Em in the case of a root G. Now you can write a four-chord song!

Knowing these two rules will open the door to thousands of song possibilities. If you want to get more advanced, you can build off your 1-4-5 song by using the relative minor chords to all three major chords, giving you six chords to play with.

Transposing Songs and Adding Key Changes

Guitarists often find themselves needing to change the key of a song. It could be because their band tunes down, or because the original key uses odd fingerings that are hard to play.

Whatever the reason, transposing songs with the Circle of Fifths is easy. Let’s say a song is in the key of E, but you want to change it to D. Start by finding E on your Circle of Fifths and drawing an outline around the chords used in the progression (E, B, C#m and A for a 1-5-6-4 song.) Then, draw the same pattern around D on the circle. Just like that, you have the transposed chords you need (D, A, Bm and G).

The same concept applies to changing keys within a song. You’ve probably heard songs that jump up a half-step or two partway through (known as a majestic modulation) or switch to a different key for the guitar solo. The Circle of Fifths makes the change a breeze. Go to the key on the Circle of Fifths that you want to change to and find your corresponding notes using the same method you used for the original key. It’s that simple!

Spin the Guitar Circle

If you want to write songs or experiment with other artist’s songs, the Circle of Fifths is the ultimate cheat sheet. We’d argue it’s almost as important as a good set of guitar strings, as knowing what chords and notes sound best together will make those strings sound their best. Add the Circle of Fifths to your toolbox today and watch your play take off.