Guitar/Scale Manual

Circle Of Fifths


The Circle of Fifths is a memory aid for learning all the keys. Here are some fundamental observations:

Clockwise direction shows all the sharp keys

Anti-clockwise shows all the flat keys

Both directions start at the key of C major which is 12 o’clock

C major is the only key that has no sharps or flats

Clockwise ends with the key of C sharp

Anti-clockwise ends with the key of C flat

C, C flat and C sharp use the same notation letters

Each successive "hour" clockwise adds a sharp

Each successive "hour" anti-clockwise adds a flat

The name "circle of fifths" refers to the interval between the root note of each successive scale in the clockwise direction.

Anti-clockwise the root note of each scale forms the interval of a fourth with the root note of the following scale.