Circle of Fifths
Every key signature, its relative minor and its neighbours, arranged the way they relate to each other.
| Major | Key signature | Relative minor | Camelot |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 0 | A | 8B / 8A |
| G | 1 ♯ | E | 9B / 9A |
| D | 2 ♯ | B | 10B / 10A |
| A | 3 ♯ | F♯ | 11B / 11A |
| E | 4 ♯ | C♯ | 12B / 12A |
| B | 5 ♯ | G♯ | 1B / 1A |
| C♭ | 7 ♭ | A♭ | 1B / 1A |
| G♭ | 6 ♭ | E♭ | 2B / 2A |
| F♯ | 6 ♯ | D♯ | 2B / 2A |
| D♭ | 5 ♭ | B♭ | 3B / 3A |
| C♯ | 7 ♯ | A♯ | 3B / 3A |
| A♭ | 4 ♭ | F | 4B / 4A |
| E♭ | 3 ♭ | C | 5B / 5A |
| B♭ | 2 ♭ | G | 6B / 6A |
| F | 1 ♭ | D | 7B / 7A |
Key signature
No sharps, no flats
- Relative minor
- A minor
- Notes of the scale
- C D E F G A B
- Neighbours on the circle
- F · G
- Camelot code (major / minor)
- 8B / 8A
- Major: mixes with
- 7B · 8A · 9B
- Minor: mixes with
- 7A · 8B · 9A
The twelve keys arranged by fifths, so that neighbours differ by a single accidental. Pick one to see its signature, the minor key that shares it, and the keys next to it.
How it works
Each step clockwise goes up a fifth and adds a sharp; each step the other way goes up a fourth and adds a flat. That is the whole construction, and it is why the circle is useful: keys that sit next to each other share all but one note, which is what makes a modulation between them sound like a step rather than a jump.
The relative minor is the sixth degree of the major scale, so the two share a signature exactly. A major and its relative minor are the same seven notes with a different note treated as home.
Nothing here is a lookup table. Every signature is counted from the scale the engine builds, and the neighbours are that scale's fourth and fifth degrees, so the circle cannot disagree with the scales the rest of the site produces.
The Camelot wheel is this circle with its positions numbered, so it is on this page rather than on one of its own. Every key in the list carries its pair of codes, which is how you get here from a code rather than from a key, and the answer gives the three moves for each letter — a track in 8A does not mix with the same codes as one in 8B.
Frequently asked questions
Why do three positions have two names?
Because they are the same pitch spelled two ways. B and C♭ sound identical, as do F♯/G♭ and C♯/D♭. Which one you write depends on where the music is going and on which signature is easier to read — six sharps or six flats — so both are shown rather than one being chosen for you.
Why stop at seven sharps and seven flats?
Because an eighth would need a double sharp or a double flat in the signature, and no notation puts one there. G♯ major is a real scale, but it is written as A♭ major, which is why it does not appear on the circle.
What is the circle actually for?
Reading a signature at a glance, and finding where a piece can go next. Keys adjacent on the circle share six of their seven notes, so moving between them is smooth; keys opposite each other share only two, which is why that move sounds like an event.
Does a minor key have its own circle?
It does not need one. Every minor key sits at the same position as the major it shares a signature with, which is the one shown inside each segment here.
What are the Camelot codes for?
Harmonic mixing. DJs number the twelve positions 1 to 12 and letter them B for major and A for minor, so that compatible keys are adjacent numbers rather than something you have to know theory to see. A track mixes cleanly with the same number in the other letter, one number up, or one down — which is the circle restated, since adjacent numbers share six of seven notes and the other letter shares all seven.
Good to know
- Signatures, relative minors and neighbours are derived from the major scale of each key rather than read from a table.
- Only the fifteen keys that can be written with at most seven accidentals are shown; there are no others in common use.
- The Camelot numbering is a convention rather than a derivation: the system fixes C major as 8B, and every other code here follows from that one anchor and the circle.