Circle of Fifths

I–IV–vii°–iii–vi–ii–V–I · Diatonic circle · C major · I–IV–vii°–iii–vi–ii–V–I

Circle of Fifths is a chord pattern you can play in any key. The degrees are I–IV–vii°–iii–vi–ii–V–I.

Steps down in fifths through nearly every chord in the key. A good exercise for learning by hand which chords a key contains.

Patterns are common chord moves. They are not the chart of a recorded hit.

Patterns are named by theory. Play them in any key that fits your voice.

Each song page has a chord chart, fingerings, and the same song in every key.

The pattern

I – IV – vii° – iii – vi – ii – V – I

C · F · Bdim · Em · Am · Dm · G · C

Chord chart

Chord chart
1	C	F	Bdim	Em
2	Am	Dm	G	C

How to sing it

Eight chords keep moving by fifths, so a melody that stays put does not fit. Good practice for touching one short note per chord and walking down the staircase with it.

In every key

In every key
Keys	Chord chart
C major · Written in this key	C · F · Bdim · Em · Am · Dm · G · C
Db major	Db · Gb · Cdim · Fm · Bbm · Ebm · Ab · Db
D major	D · G · C#dim · F#m · Bm · Em · A · D
Eb major	Eb · Ab · Ddim · Gm · Cm · Fm · Bb · Eb
E major	E · A · D#dim · G#m · C#m · F#m · B · E
F major	F · Bb · Edim · Am · Dm · Gm · C · F
F# major	F# · B · Fdim · A#m · D#m · G#m · C# · F#
G major	G · C · F#dim · Bm · Em · Am · D · G
Ab major	Ab · Db · Gdim · Cm · Fm · Bbm · Eb · Ab
A major	A · D · G#dim · C#m · F#m · Bm · E · A
Bb major	Bb · Eb · Adim · Dm · Gm · Cm · F · Bb
B major	B · E · A#dim · D#m · G#m · C#m · F# · B

Heard in

Fly Me to the Moon · Bart Howard (best known from Frank Sinatra). The song starts the circle from vi and plays every chord as a seventh; this pattern rides the same circle from I with triads. Known in Korea as an Evangelion ending theme too.
I Will Survive · Gloria Gaynor. Follows the same principle down from A minor (Am–Dm–G–C–F) and ends on E7. It starts from the minor side and uses sevenths.

These songs use this pattern. This is not their chord chart: real recordings differ in key, rhythm and the chords they add.

Public-domain songs with this pattern

No Songbook entry uses this pattern as a run of chords.