Circle of fifths chord progressions
A circle of fifths chord progression follows roots falling a fifth at each counterclockwise step on the 12-key circle of fifths, the same pitch-class move as rising a fourth. This strong, common root motion becomes I–IV–vii°–iii–vi–ii–V–I when you keep the chords inside one major key; IV to vii° is the diatonic tritone adjustment. The short ii–V–I ending is a familiar piece.
How the circle gives you a chord progression
On the 12-position circle, C → F moves one step counterclockwise: F is a fifth below C, or a fourth above it when octave is ignored. Repeat that root motion to connect one chord to the next. To stay in C major, use only its seven scale notes as chord roots and give each root its diatonic triad. The resulting seven-root loop has one adjustment: F down to B is a diminished fifth, because B♭ is outside C major. This is a diatonic progression circle, not a second key-signature chart.
On a narrow screen, swipe the diagram itself sideways to see the complete circle.
The full diatonic circle progression in 12 major keys
Read left to right to play one complete cycle. Capitals mark major triads, lowercase Roman numerals mark minor triads, and ° marks the single diminished triad. Chord spellings follow each major scale, including E♯° in F♯ major; an enharmonic shortcut would hide the scale degree. These are chord names, not required voicings or a song transcription.
On a narrow screen, swipe this table sideways.
| Major key | I | IV | vii° | iii | vi | ii | V | I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | F | B° | Em | Am | Dm | G | C |
| G | G | C | F♯° | Bm | Em | Am | D | G |
| D | D | G | C♯° | F♯m | Bm | Em | A | D |
| A | A | D | G♯° | C♯m | F♯m | Bm | E | A |
| E | E | A | D♯° | G♯m | C♯m | F♯m | B | E |
| B | B | E | A♯° | D♯m | G♯m | C♯m | F♯ | B |
| F♯ | F♯ | B | E♯° | A♯m | D♯m | G♯m | C♯ | F♯ |
| D♭ | D♭ | G♭ | C° | Fm | B♭m | E♭m | A♭ | D♭ |
| A♭ | A♭ | D♭ | G° | Cm | Fm | B♭m | E♭ | A♭ |
| E♭ | E♭ | A♭ | D° | Gm | Cm | Fm | B♭ | E♭ |
| B♭ | B♭ | E♭ | A° | Dm | Gm | Cm | F | B♭ |
| F | F | B♭ | E° | Am | Dm | Gm | C | F |
Four shorter circle-based patterns
You can stop before completing the whole loop. These examples use C major except for the last row, which uses C minor. Each arrow follows the listed chord roots; the V chord in C minor is major: it uses B natural from the harmonic-minor form before resolving to Cm.
| Key | Roman numerals | Chord names | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| C major | ii–V–I | Dm → G → C | Short closing motion |
| C major | vi–ii–V–I | Am → Dm → G → C | Add a lead-in before ii |
| C major | iii–vi–ii–V–I | Em → Am → Dm → G → C | Extend the lead-in again |
| C minor | ii°–V–i | D° → G → Cm | Minor-key close with a major V |
Teaching example: reshape a three-chord sketch
Invented teaching sketch; no real song or recording is being identified.
Suppose your C-major sketch is C → F → G, or I–IV–V. Keep C as the destination, then replace the first two chords with a longer run from the tail of the diatonic circle: Am → Dm → G → C, or vi–ii–V–I. The first idea reaches G after a move away from C; the variation approaches G through two consecutive descending-fifth root moves and then resolves to C. Sing or play both slowly and decide which lead-in fits your melody.
To recognize the pattern in your own chords, look for adjacent roots such as A → D → G → C, then check the chord qualities against the key. A root pattern alone does not prove the key or identify a recording; use Key from chords if the tonic is uncertain.
Theory sources and scope
The full I–IV–vii°–iii–vi–ii–V–I sequence and the distinction between its diatonic chord circle and the 12-note key-signature circle follow Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom, “The Circle of Fifths Progression”. Its shorter-progressions section supports the ii–V–I and vi–ii–V–I fragments. Open Music Theory’s diatonic-sequences chapter explains descending-fifth roots, while its triads chapter describes chord quality. The minor-key ii°–V–i pattern is also used in the textbook’s harmonic-progression exercises; the C-minor row here is our transposition. The twelve-key table, C-major diagram, compact fragments and writing sketch were made for this page. They show root-position chord names, not required rhythms, voicings or a generator.