24 Harmonic Circles • Formula I - vi - ii - V7
Harmonic Circles for Piano & Keyboard
All 24 piano harmonic circles (12 major and 12 minor) are the foundation of keyboard accompaniment across ballads, pop, and jazz. They form a seamless 4-chord cycle where the left hand establishes the root bass and the right hand sustains the harmonic rhythm.
Harmonic circle in C Major
C Major (C), A Minor (Am), D Minor (Dm) and G Seventh (G7). Start each chord from its root in the left hand and keep the common notes still in the right hand so the voices move as little as possible.
02 • 24 Harmonic Circles
Essential Harmonic Circles for Accompaniment
Each measure consists of 4 beats (4/4 time signature) with fluid cyclical resolution.
| Key | Chord Formula | Harmonic Degrees | Left-Hand Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Círculo de Do Mayor | C - Am - Dm - G7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Do (C3) → La (A2) → Re (D3) → Sol (G2) |
| Círculo de Sol Mayor | G - Em - Am - D7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Sol (G2) → Mi (E2) → La (A2) → Re (D3) |
| Círculo de Re Mayor | D - Bm - Em - A7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Re (D3) → Si (B2) → Mi (E2) → La (A2) |
| Círculo de La Mayor | A - F#m - Bm - E7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | La (A2) → Fa# (F#2) → Si (B2) → Mi (E2) |
| Círculo de Mi Mayor | E - C#m - F#m - B7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Mi (E2) → Do# (C#3) → Fa# (F#2) → Si (B2) |
| Círculo de Si Mayor | B - G#m - C#m - F#7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Si (B2) → Sol# (G#2) → Do# (C#3) → Fa# (F#2) |
| Círculo de Fa# Mayor | F# - D#m - G#m - C#7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Fa# (F#2) → Re# (D#3) → Sol# (G#2) → Do# (C#3) |
| Círculo de Reb Mayor | Db - Bbm - Ebm - Ab7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Reb (Db3) → Sib (Bb2) → Mib (Eb3) → Lab (Ab2) |
| Círculo de Lab Mayor | Ab - Fm - Bbm - Eb7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Lab (Ab2) → Fa (F2) → Sib (Bb2) → Mib (Eb3) |
| Círculo de Mib Mayor | Eb - Cm - Fm - Bb7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Mib (Eb3) → Do (C3) → Fa (F2) → Sib (Bb2) |
| Círculo de Sib Mayor | Bb - Gm - Cm - F7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Sib (Bb2) → Sol (G2) → Do (C3) → Fa (F2) |
| Círculo de Fa Mayor | F - Dm - Gm - C7 | I - vi - ii - V7 | Fa (F2) → Re (D3) → Sol (G2) → Do (C3) |
| Círculo de La Menor | Am - Dm - E7 - Am | i - iv - V7 - i | La (A2) → Re (D3) → Mi (E2) → La (A2) |
| Círculo de Mi Menor | Em - Am - B7 - Em | i - iv - V7 - i | Mi (E2) → La (A2) → Si (B2) → Mi (E2) |
| Círculo de Si Menor | Bm - Em - F#7 - Bm | i - iv - V7 - i | Si (B2) → Mi (E2) → Fa# (F#2) → Si (B2) |
| Círculo de Fa# Menor | F#m - Bm - C#7 - F#m | i - iv - V7 - i | Fa# (F#2) → Si (B2) → Do# (C#3) → Fa# (F#2) |
| Círculo de Do# Menor | C#m - F#m - G#7 - C#m | i - iv - V7 - i | Do# (C#3) → Fa# (F#2) → Sol# (G#2) → Do# (C#3) |
| Círculo de Sol# Menor | G#m - C#m - D#7 - G#m | i - iv - V7 - i | Sol# (G#2) → Do# (C#3) → Re# (D#3) → Sol# (G#2) |
| Círculo de Mib Menor | Ebm - Abm - Bb7 - Ebm | i - iv - V7 - i | Mib (Eb3) → Lab (Ab2) → Sib (Bb2) → Mib (Eb3) |
| Círculo de Sib Menor | Bbm - Ebm - F7 - Bbm | i - iv - V7 - i | Sib (Bb2) → Mib (Eb3) → Fa (F2) → Sib (Bb2) |
| Círculo de Fa Menor | Fm - Bbm - C7 - Fm | i - iv - V7 - i | Fa (F2) → Sib (Bb2) → Do (C3) → Fa (F2) |
| Círculo de Do Menor | Cm - Fm - G7 - Cm | i - iv - V7 - i | Do (C3) → Fa (F2) → Sol (G2) → Do (C3) |
| Círculo de Sol Menor | Gm - Cm - D7 - Gm | i - iv - V7 - i | Sol (G2) → Do (C3) → Re (D3) → Sol (G2) |
| Círculo de Re Menor | Dm - Gm - A7 - Dm | i - iv - V7 - i | Re (D3) → Sol (G2) → La (A2) → Re (D3) |
Explore keyboard harmonic progressions and voice leading for acoustic piano.
Listen to Live Guitar CirclesThe C circle on the staff
The four chords of the circle written for piano with the ballad pattern: the left hand plays the bass on beats 1 and 3 and the right hand answers with the chord on 2 and 4. Guitarists can also use it to read the actual notes of each chord.
Loading score…
Show the notes as text, beat by beat
Bar 1 · C
| Count | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand (RH) | G4E4C4 | G4E4C4 | ||
| Left hand (LH) | C3 | G3 |
Bar 2 · Am
| Count | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand (RH) | E4C4A3 | E4C4A3 | ||
| Left hand (LH) | A2 | E3 |
Bar 3 · Dm
| Count | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand (RH) | A4F4D4 | A4F4D4 | ||
| Left hand (LH) | D3 | A3 |
Bar 4 · G7
| Count | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand (RH) | F5D5B4G4 | F5D5B4G4 | ||
| Left hand (LH) | G2 | D3 |
How to use it
How to play a chord circle on the piano
A harmonic circle is a repeating four-chord progression. Tonic, relative minor, subdominant, and dominant, for example C – Am – F – G.
Its variant is I – vi – ii – V7. It appears in hundreds of songs and is the best exercise for learning to accompany.
Listen: I-vi-IV-V in C
- C
- Am
- F
- G
Splitting the hands
- Your left hand plays the root of each chord in the bass, one note per measure.
- The right hand plays the triad around middle C.
- Look for the inversion that requires the least finger movement. From C, with C, E, and G, to Am, with C, E, and A, only your little finger changes.
How to practise it
Start with one chord per measure, as whole notes, at 60 BPM. When the changes are seamless, move to quarter notes and then to an accompaniment pattern.
Then apply the same circle to G and F. This way, your hand gets used to the black keys.
Check yourself
In the I-vi-IV-V progression in C major, which chord is the vi?
Index of All 24 Piano Harmonic Circles
All 12 major and 12 minor harmonic circles with their 4-chord sequence (I - vi - ii - V7). Click any circle to navigate directly to its study reference.
Major Harmonic Circles (12)
- C Major (C)C – Am – Dm – G7
- G Major (G)G – Em – Am – D7
- D Major (D)D – Bm – Em – A7
- A Major (A)A – F#m – Bm – E7
- E Major (E)E – C#m – F#m – B7
- B Major (B)B – G#m – C#m – F#7
- F# Major (F#)F# – D#m – G#m – C#7
- Db Major (Db)Db – Bbm – Ebm – Ab7
- Ab Major (Ab)Ab – Fm – Bbm – Eb7
- Eb Major (Eb)Eb – Cm – Fm – Bb7
- Bb Major (Bb)Bb – Gm – Cm – F7
- F Major (F)F – Dm – Gm – C7
Minor Harmonic Circles (12)
- A Minor (Am)Am – F – Dm – E7
- E Minor (Em)Em – C – Am – B7
- B Minor (Bm)Bm – G – Em – F#7
- F# Minor (F#m)F#m – D – Bm – C#7
- C# Minor (C#m)C#m – A – F#m – G#7
- G# Minor (G#m)G#m – E – C#m – D#7
- D# Minor (D#m)D#m – B – G#m – A#7
- Bb Minor (Bbm)Bbm – Gb – Ebm – F7
- F Minor (Fm)Fm – Db – Bbm – C7
- C Minor (Cm)Cm – Ab – Fm – G7
- G Minor (Gm)Gm – Eb – Cm – D7
- D Minor (Dm)Dm – Bb – Gm – A7