Circle of Fifths

Music pages [1] [2] [3]

One-Finger Guitar with links to songs

Most guitar lessons try to teach standard tuning and open chords. It's a big problem for beginners. All those chord shapes overload the brain and hide the basic musical patterns of 3-chord songs. I suggest using an Open D tuning and learning to bar the 5th, 7th, and 12th frets (low I-IV-V-high I musical pattern).

It's So Easy
Amazing Grace
Silent Night
Auld Lang Syne

Finding the Key

Music Links
Guitar	Tunings	singing ...	FngrPicking
chords	Open D	... and playing	tips
x	Open Dm	x	patterns
x	D Standard	x	x
6 chords 1 key	Standard or Flat	strumming [1] [2]	penatonic solos
Mandolin	melody	chords	tab
tuning [1] [2]	strings [1] [2] [3]	Moonshiner =>	[A] [D] [D]

If you want to play the guitar or the piano, you do NOT try to learn the mathematical rules of music. It would be too confusing. You learn patterns, even though you might not be aware of them. The most basic pattern for Western music is the major scale (Do-Re-Mi ...). The most iconic visual representation of this being the black (F# pentatonic) and white (C major) keys on piano keyboards. For chords the most basic pattern is the Circle of Fifths.

Frets and Fractions:
Chords and Major Scales

open 2nd 4th 5th 7th 9th 11th 12th
1 8/9 4/5 3/4 2/3 3/5 8/15 1/2
I
(low) ii iii IV
major V
major vi dim vii I
(high) ...
((1)) sus 2
add 9 ((3)) sus 4 ((5)) 6 maj 7 ((1)) ...

Note: Fret bar on the right edge of each box
(Fingers press to the left of the bar)

Playing a major scale
on one string

Fingering Pattern (using 1 finger)
1 3 5 6 8 10 12 13 ...
Broken Down into 3 Parts (using 4 fingers)
1 3 1 2 4 1 3 4 ...

Fingering Pattern (using 1 finger)
1	3	5	6	8	10	12	13 ...
Broken Down into 3 Parts (using 4 fingers)
1	3	1	2	4	1	3	4 ...

Guitar Chords

Which of these (open) guitar chords can you play?

The Enhanced Circle of Fifths

Index to songs
Angie ... C
Cherry ... C
Cowgirl in the Sand ... C

Crossroads ... A
City of New Orleans ... G
The Cup Song ... C

A

A
Holding Out for a Hero ... C

House of the Rising Sun ... C
Iiwake ... C
Jambalaya ... G
Love ~ 4-letter Word ... G
Me and Julio ... A

H

H
The Rose ... A, C

Scotland ... A
7 Bridges Road ... G
Stand by Me ... A
Sweet Home Alabama ... G
Take Me Home ... A

Won't Get Fooled ... A

R
The Zoo ... G

Index to songs
Angie ... C Cherry ... C Cowgirl in the Sand ... C Crossroads ... A City of New Orleans ... G The Cup Song ... C A A	Holding Out for a Hero ... C House of the Rising Sun ... C Iiwake ... C Jambalaya ... G Love ~ 4-letter Word ... G Me and Julio ... A H H	The Rose ... A, C Scotland ... A 7 Bridges Road ... G Stand by Me ... A Sweet Home Alabama ... G Take Me Home ... A Won't Get Fooled ... A R The Zoo ... G

Day of the month, chords, and song title:

Day	Chords	Title
1	I, IV, V, I	Amazing Grace [F#] [Db] [F#=>G] [Bb=>Eb=>Bb] [Eb=>F=>G] [F=>G=>Eb] [Eb=>Ab=>Bb=>Eb]
2	I, IV, V, I	Johnny B. Goode in Bb [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] in the key of A [1] [2] [3] in C [1] [2] [3]
3	I, IV, V, I	Auld Lang Syne [F#] [G#] [G=>Bb] [Bb] [Bb=>C] [C] [Eb] in the keys of D [1] [2] [3], F [1] [2] [3], and G [1] [2]
4	I, IV, V, I	In the Summertime [D] and in the keys of F [1] [2] [3] and E [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [lesson 8] [lyrics 9]
5	V, VII, IX	Gimme Shelter (lessons) [1] [2] [3] [4]
6	I, II, III, IV, V, X, I	Orinoco Flow in the keys of [A] [B] and the key of C [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
7	I, II, IV, V, VIIb, I	Me and Julio in the keys of [Bb] [B] and in A [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Lessons: [10] [11] [12]
8	I, IV, V, I	Fire and Rain [B] [C] [G#] [C]
9	I, IV, V, I	Tennessee Waltz [E] [F] and in the key of G [1] [2] [3]
10	I, V, I	Jambalaya in C [1] [2] and [D] [F#] [G#] and A: [1] [2] and in the key of G: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [G=>A]
11	I, IV, V, I	Midnight Special [E] [G] [A] and the key of D [1] [2] [3] lessons: [4] [5]
12	I, IV, V, I	Dock of the Bay [F] in G [1] [2] Lesson: [3]
13	I, IV, V, I	Obla-di, Obla-da [E] [F] [G] [G] [A] [A] [B] and in the keys of Bb [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] and C [1] [2] [3]
14	I, IV, I	For What It's Worth [D] [Eb] [Eb] and in the key of E [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
15	I, IV, V, I	Sloop John B. [F] and the key of A [1] [2] and the key of G# [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
16	I, IV, V, I	Won't Get Fooled Again [G] [G#] and in the Key of A: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [lesson 6]
17	I, II, IV, V, I	Honky Tonk Woman in the key of A: [1] [2] [3] [4] [B] and the key of G: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
18	I, IV, V, I	The Gambler [F#=>G] [G=>A] [Bb=>B] lesson: [D] and in the key of Eb=>E [1] [2] [3]
19	I, IV, V, I	Crossroads [D] and in the key of A: [1] [2] [3] [4] lessons [5] [6] [7]
20	I, IV, V, I	Sweet Home Alabama [A] [F#] and in G [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
21	I, IV, V, I	Moon Shadow [C] in B [1] [2] in the key of D [1] [2] [3] [4]
22	I, IV, V, I	Brown Eyed Girl [Bb] [F#] and in the key of G: [1] lessons: [2] [3] [4]
23	I, IV, V, I	Early Morning Rain [A] [C] [C#] and in the keys of Bb [1] [2] [3] [4] Eb [1] [2], F [1] [2], and D [1] [2] [3]
24	I, IV, V, VIIb, I	Sympathy for the Devil in the key of [Eb] and in E [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
25	I, IV, V, I	Blowing in the Wind [Eb] [E] [G] [A] and in the keys of F [1] [2] and Bb [1] [2] [3]
26	I, IV, V, I	Mr. Tambourine Man [E] in D [1] [2] [3]
27	I, II, IV, V, VI, I	Baby Driver (for Bob) [E] in D [1] [2] [3] in the key of Eb [1] [2] [3] [4]
28	I, IV, V, I	I Saw Her Standing There [F#] in the key of E [1] [2] [3] [4] lesson [5]
29	I, II, IV, V, I	That'll Be the Day [F] [A]
30	I, IV, V, I	It's So Easy to Fall in Love in E [1] [2] [Lyrics] [Eb] Lessons [A] [E] [A and E]

Last updated February 2026
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open	2nd	4th	5th	7th	9th	11th	12th
1	8/9	4/5	3/4	2/3	3/5	8/15	1/2
I (low)	ii	iii	IV major	V major	vi	dim vii	I (high) ...
((1))	sus 2 add 9	((3))	sus 4	((5))	6	maj 7	((1)) ...