Word.ws English Dictionary

cycle of fifths

cycle of fifths noun: a sequence of bass notes at intervals of one perfect fifth lower than the previous note. In twelve-tone equal temperament the sequence repeats every twelve tones, forming a cycle.

Noun

cycle of fifths (plural cycles of fifths)

  1. (music theory) A sequence of bass notes at intervals of one perfect fifth lower than the previous note. In twelve-tone equal temperament the sequence repeats every twelve tones, forming a cycle.
    • The composition modulates upwards through the cycle of fifths, eventually returning to the original key.

Forms of cycle of fifths

pluralcycles of fifths
alternative formcircle of fifths

Questions about cycle of fifths

What does cycle of fifths mean?
Cycle of fifths means a sequence of bass notes at intervals of one perfect fifth lower than the previous note. In twelve-tone equal temperament the sequence repeats every twelve tones, forming a cycle.
What part of speech is cycle of fifths?
Cycle of fifths is a noun.
What is the plural of cycle of fifths?
The plural of cycle of fifths is cycles of fifths.

Words near cycle of fifths in the dictionary

  1. cycle clips
  2. cycle group
  3. cycle groups
  4. cycle lane
  5. cycle lanes
  6. cycle of fifths
  7. cycle off
  8. cycle path
  9. cycle paths
  10. cycle per second
  11. cycle polo

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: cycle of fifths (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “cycle of fifths.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cycle_of_fifths. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.