reference
The circle of fifths
Each step clockwise is a perfect fifth up and one more sharp; each step anticlockwise is a fifth down and one more flat. At the bottom the two directions meet, and three positions have two names apiece — which is the reason the flat side of the circle exists at all.
Everything on this drawing is the same derivation the key pages use: a scale spelled with one letter per degree, and its accidentals counted. Nothing is stored, so a mistake would be visible here as a wrong number rather than hidden in a picture.
Round the ring
| Step | Major | Signature | Relative minor | Also written |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | C major | no sharps and no flats | A minor | — |
| 1 | G major | 1 sharp | E minor | — |
| 2 | D major | 2 sharps | B minor | — |
| 3 | A major | 3 sharps | F♯ minor | — |
| 4 | E major | 4 sharps | C♯ minor | — |
| 5 | B major | 5 sharps | G♯ minor | C♭ major |
| 6 | G♭ major | 6 flats | E♭ minor | F♯ major |
| 7 | D♭ major | 5 flats | B♭ minor | C♯ major |
| 8 | A♭ major | 4 flats | F minor | — |
| 9 | E♭ major | 3 flats | C minor | — |
| 10 | B♭ major | 2 flats | G minor | — |
| 11 | F major | 1 flat | D minor | — |