50 Par t 1:Tones
The Circle of Fifths
There’s a quick way to remember how many sharps or flats to include with each
key signature. This method is called the circle of fifths;it works like this.
Starting with the key of C, for every perfect fifth you move up, you add a sharp.
So the key of G (a perfect fifth up from C) has one sharp. The key of D (a per-
fect fifth up from G) has two sharps ... and so on.
The circle of fifths works in the other direction for flats. For every perfect fifth
you move down from C, you add a flat. So the key of F (a perfect fifth down
from C) has one flat. The key of B-flat (a perfect fifth down from F) has two
flats ... and so on.
The following drawing shows how all the major keys relate in the circle of
fifths. When you move clockwise around the circle, you’re moving up through
the fifths (and the sharp keys); when you move counterclockwise, you’re mov-
ing down through the fifths (and the flat keys).All the major keys are a fifth apart in the circle of fifths.The next figure shows the circle of fifths for the 15 minorkeys. It works just the
same as the major-key circle; move clockwise for the sharp keys, and counter-
clockwise for the flat keys.The circle of fifths works for minor keys, too.