Scale degrees · C major

The 5 of C is G

The 5 (five) of C is G: a perfect fifth above the root.

C — the root, 1G — the 5

How to find it

Count letters first, the root included: C, D, E, F, G. A 5th lands on G.

Then the sound: a perfect fifth is 7 semitones above C, which is exactly where G is — no sharp or flat needed.

Where you meet it

The 5 is the most stable note after the root; a power chord is just the two of them.

In C5:

C · G

The 5 in every key

KeyThe 5
CG
GD
DA
AE
EB
BF♯
F♯C♯
D♭A♭
A♭E♭
E♭B♭
B♭F
FC

Every degree of C

Free on iPhone and Android

Name it before
you can count it.

Improvy trains every degree in all 12 keys — the 3, the ♭7, the ♯11 — until you see the note without working it out. A few minutes a day. Free to start; Pro is one payment, never a subscription.

Or try the 60-second test in your browser