The circle of fifths is a deceptively simple diagram that lays out every musical note, key, three-note chord and scale, and charts the relationship between them. A bit like a musical version of the ...

Don't be afraid. The circle of fifths looks confusing but it's only ever here to help. And a basic understanding of what it's trying to tell you could lead you down a whole new creative superhighway.

When researching musical topics recently, such as how musicians perceive distinctions in each key, it’s been striking how often these ideas are couched in suspicion. It seems that scholars and ...