Circle of fifths text table

The circle of fifths text table shows the number of flats or sharps in each of the diatonic musical scales and keys. Both C major and A minor keys have no flats or sharps.

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Diatonic scales and keys
Circle of fifths
Circle of fifths
No. Flats Sharps
Major minor Major minor
0 C a C a
1 F d G e
2 B♭ g D b
3 E♭ c A f♯
4 A♭ f E c♯
5 D♭ b♭ B g♯
6 G♭ e♭ F♯ d♯
7 C♭ a♭ C♯ a♯
8 F♭ d♭ G♯ e♯
The table indicates the number of sharps or flats in each scale. Minor scales are written in lower case.

In the table, minor keys are written with lowercase letters, for brevity. However, in common guitar tabs notation, a minor key is designated with a lowercase "m". For example, A-minor is "Am" and D-sharp minor is "D♯m").

The small interval between equivalent notes, such as F-sharp and G-flat, is the Pythagorean comma. Minor scales start with la, major scales start with do.

See also

Notes