Tap any key to see its sharps or flats, its relative key, the chords that belong to it and the ones beside it on the circle, then hear them or open a progression in the chord player.
Each step clockwise adds a sharp and moves up a fifth; each step anticlockwise adds a flat. For a songwriter, the useful part is the neighbourhood: the three major keys side by side and the three minor keys inside them are the six chords that sound natural together in a key.
Tap any key on the circle to see its signature, its chords and the keys beside it.
In Zoundroom, write the key and the progression in the song’s note and record the first idea over it, so the next session starts in the right key.
A diagram of the twelve keys ordered by fifths: from C, each step clockwise goes up a fifth (C, G, D, A…) and adds a sharp to the key signature; each step anticlockwise goes down a fifth (C, F, B♭…) and adds a flat. The inner ring shows the relative minor of each major key.
Find your key and look at the slices beside it. The chords of the key are the major key itself and its two neighbours (I, IV and V) plus the three minor chords inside them (vi, ii and iii). Moving to a neighbouring key is also the smoothest way to change key in a bridge.
Sharps are added in the order F, C, G, D, A, E, B; flats in the reverse order, B, E, A, D, G, C, F. A common mnemonic is “Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle”, read backwards for flats.
The minor key that uses exactly the same notes as a major key, three half steps below it: A minor for C major, E minor for G major. They share the key signature, and a song can move between them easily.
They are the same sound written two ways (enharmonic keys): F♯ major has six sharps and G♭ major has six flats. The circle shows G♭, as most charts do; the chords are the same.
Get started in 4 steps
Open Zoundroom in your browser or download the app from the App Store and Google Play.
Create the safe space where your music lives and grows.
Keep your recordings, lyrics, notes, and files in one place.
Invite other artists and collaborate in real time, each from their own device.
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