Interactive Circle of Fifths & Chord Wheel
How to Use the GoRhyme Chord Wheel
Visualize harmony instantly and write better chord progressions with our Interactive Circle of Fifths. Whether you’re working out what chords fit in the key of G, exploring key signatures, or mapping out music theory concepts in real-time, this tool gives you the answers with audio playback and staff notation included. It helps you find compatible chords for songwriting, understand your relative minor, and see your full scale notes at a glance. If you’d like to hear and compare the scales you’re exploring, our Scale Explorer lets you play any scale up, down, or on loop across multiple instrument sounds.
C major
Select Your Key
The large wheel on the left represents all 12 musical keys. Click any slice on the wheel to set it as your “Home” (Tonic) key.
- The Outer Ring shows the Major keys.
- The Middle Ring shows the Relative Minor keys.
- The Inner Ring shows the notes within that specific scale.
Choose Your Mode (Major vs. Minor)
At the top left, use the toggle switch to change the mood of the wheel:
- Major Mode: Use this for bright, happy, or standard pop/rock sounds.
- Minor Mode: Use this for darker, sadder, or more emotional sounds.
- Note: Switching modes will automatically update the chord options and the wheel’s orientation.
Once you select a key, the panel on the right updates immediately with critical songwriting data:
- Relative Key: The key that shares the exact same notes but has a different root (e.g., C Major and A Minor).
- Dominant (V): The chord that creates tension and leads back home.
- Subdominant (IV): The chord often used for pre-choruses or bridges.
Auditioning Chords
Below the key info is a grid of buttons representing the Diatonic Chords (chords that fit naturally in this key).
- Click to Listen: Click any button to hear a lush synth-pad version of that chord.
- Roman Numerals: Each button shows a number (like I, IV, V). These represent the chord’s position in the scale. A common chord progression to try is I – IV – V – I.
Scale & Notation
At the bottom of the dashboard is the “Composer’s View.”
- Play Scale: Click the play button (▶) to hear the notes of the scale played on a piano.
- Sheet Music: The tool automatically generates the standard musical notation for the selected scale, including the correct key signature.
To smoothly change keys in a song (modulate), try moving to a slice that is directly left or right of your current selection on the wheel. These keys share most of the same notes and will sound natural when connected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Circle of Fifths?
The Circle of Fifths is a visual map of all 12 musical keys arranged so that each key shares the most notes with its neighbors. It’s one of the most useful tools in music theory for understanding harmony, key signatures, and chord relationships. Our Interactive circle of fifths replicates this system.
What chords fit in a major key?
Every major key contains seven diatonic chords — three major, three minor, and one diminished. For example, the key of C major contains Cmaj, Dmin, Emin, Fmaj, Gmaj, Amin, and Bdim.
What is a relative minor?
Every major key has a relative minor that shares the exact same notes but starts on a different root. C major’s relative minor is A minor, for example. The Circle of Fifths makes these relationships easy to spot at a glance.
What is a chord progression?
A chord progression is a sequence of chords played in order. A common starting point is I – IV – V – I, which in C major would be Cmaj – Fmaj – Gmaj – Cmaj.
What does the dominant chord do?
The dominant (V) chord creates harmonic tension that naturally resolves back to the tonic (I) chord, making it one of the most powerful tools in songwriting.