Rachel - Circle of Fifths

Explore the Circle of Fifths with interactive scales, chord charts, staff notation, and a piano keyboard. Tap any key and hear exactly what the theory sounds like.

A chance comment from a student led Rachel James, composer and music teacher, and the team to create this app which we hope will demystify modal music theory, whilst adding a bit of fun along the way.

Rachel's Circle of Fifths is a music theory app built around an interactive, spinning circle of fifths. Whether you're a beginner trying to make sense of keys and scales, or an experienced musician looking for a quick reference, it gives you everything in one place.

THE CIRCLE Rotate the wheel to any of the twelve keys. Each position shows you the colour-coded key signature, the relative minor, and the notes that belong to it, laid out clearly with no clutter.

SCALES Tap a key to open its detail screen and see the full scale laid out on a piano keyboard, with each note labelled. The scale plays automatically so you can hear the character of the key straight away.

CHORD CHARTS Every key includes its diatonic chords, the chords that naturally belong to that key. Each chord is shown in staff notation with its name and Roman numeral, so you can see both what it is and where it sits in the key. Tap any chord to hear it played.

STAFF NOTATION Scales and chords are displayed in clean staff notation throughout, including the correct key signature with sharps or flats: a good way to reinforce your sight reading with tonal accompaniment.

PIANO KEYBOARD An interactive piano keyboard lets you hear individual notes, the full scale, or any chord in the chosen key. Notes highlight as they play, so you can follow along visually.

DESIGNED FOR IPAD AND IPHONE The app works equally well on iPad and iPhone, with a layout that adapts cleanly to either screen. Designed to be picked up for thirty seconds or thirty minutes, whether you're checking a chord at the piano or working through a key from scratch.