Circle of thirds

In music theory, the circle of thirds, also known as the cycle of thirds, is a way of organizing pitches, and is a foundational pattern in music. This cycle is expressed through a sequence of 24 keys and therefore notes, which are changed by shifting up or down by a major or minor third. This in turn will lead to a noticeable visual pattern (a circle) and an auditory pattern (interconnected pitches), which are derived from the chromatic scale. Starting from C, the cycle goes as follows: C, Em, G, Bm, D, F♯m, A, C♯m, E, G♯, B, D♯m, F♯/G♭, B♭m, D♭, Fm, A♭, Cm, E♭, Gm, B♭, Dm, F, Am, and back to C.^[1][a]

The circle of thirds is formed by placing the notes of a major or minor scale in order of thirds, instead of in their ascending order of scale degrees. In other words, this pattern is not dependent on a position within a scale, rather a sequence of thirds. When in a key other than C, the sequence will not start from C, but it will still be in the same overall order when viewed as a circle.^[2]

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).