Circle Theory app for iPhone and iPad

4.0 ( 2960 ratings )

Reference Music
Developer: Artsiness

4.99 USD

Current version: 1.4.6, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 29 Aug 2008
App size: 5.41 Mb

Circle Theory is a Circle Of Fifths (sometimes known as a Circle Of Fourths). The Circle Of Fifths is a tool for musicians to assist them in seeing the relationship between notes, provide key signatures for both major and minor scales, assists in transposing between keys, and it also has a helpful guide to figure out note intervals per musical mode. An iPad VGA adapter can be used to view the circle on an external screen or projector.

Shortcuts:
• Tap or drag on the outer ring to change the tonic note / key signature
• Double-tap the outer ring to cycle through the inner ring displays
• Double-tap the center of the circle to cycle through the clefs
• When the inner ring is displaying a musical mode, drag the inner ring to select a new mode
• When the inner ring is displaying the transposition assistant, drag the inner ring to select a new starting key / note

Pros and cons of Circle Theory app for iPhone and iPad

Circle Theory app good for

A very useful tool for anybody interested in exploring the circle of fifths.

Thanks for addressing the bugs mentioned in previous reviews....this app now functions much better....well done!

Some bad moments

Thanks a lot, yet another app that forces you to update to the latest iOS. I dont want to do it yet, too many bugs, but now I cant use this app anymore. Can I downgrade? I dont think so. Thanks a lot!

Circle Theory looks great, but it doesnt work well. If you set the first ring to a minor then set the inner ring to triads, the outer ring flips back to Major. Even worse, the inner ring gives incorrect triad information for the key youve chosen. For instance at the moment I have the ring set to the tonic of C Major. For D it is listing the triad as DF#A. There is no F# in the key of C. It is listing Major triads for each of the notes around the circle when the tonic is set to C. So it should display Major minor minor Major Major Minor & diminished triads respectively. Circle Theory may look good, but it is pretty much useless.

i used a lot this app on my ipad (1st gen) since the latest few updates, they decided to make it ios6 only, why?? its the only one app i cant update anymore on my ipad. if its not crucial, it would be nice to have it back on ios5.x.

Considering a full-featured tuner like OmniRuner sells for $4.99, this app is definitely over-priced. It IS useful, dont get me wrong on that point. Other than the price, my main beef is that the app is silent about the keys which begin on the same enharmonic notes (C-sharp and D-flat, F-sharp and G-flat, and B and C-flat). The app only displays information for D-flat, F-sharp, and B. I would have given 4 stars but for the price and missing information.

A simple app to navigate the circle of fifths. The options are, choose your key, clef, mode & ring layout. So yes it is a rather simple app. And if you want to compare it soley on the basis of cost in respect to other apps then yes you could say its a bit high priced. However this app puts all the information of the circle of fifths at your finger tips in all the modes to look up anytime anywhere. So will I get $4.99 worth of use out of it??? Yes.

This app is helpful in learning the key signatures but its a little too expensive.

Write review