Circle of Fifths?

[Guz2]

Could somoene give me a simple rundown of what the circle of fifths is and does? I know it has something to do with keys and chord progressions, but I don't know exactly what...Thanks

[Schlyder]

http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid...rcle+of+fifths

[Guz2]

I've looked all over the internet and every explanation I can find is too complicated...

[Fergie Fulton]

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?f...ogId=471294234

Try this it explains where Cycle of 5ths comes from and how scale construction works. The follow up is there if you need to/want to go further in to Tetrachords.

[fearceol]

The penny dropped for me with the help of this site.

http://mugglinw.ipower.com/chordmaps/part9.htm

[oldscarrow]

The Circle of 4ths and 5ths tells you how many sharps and flats are in which key signature. I have something hidden away on the hard drive somewhere which explains it in simple English,... I will hunt it down and send it to you. !
EDIT: Just noticed you have no contact info,...if you want to PM me, I will send you the relevant information, and Music Theory lessons, I have it in PDF Format and got it from a TB'er some time ago, so happy to share it around.

[Gerlan86]

I discovered this by accident:

If you are in a key of C (A natural harmonic minor) and move up a fifth to a G (E natural harmonic minor), then you get your major scale right there, C as root, E as 3rd, G as 5th.

Pretty useful when trying to figure out triads and what not

[MalcolmAmos]

The circle of 5ths is a cheat sheet, memory peg, reference source of material -- that if you know how to read it - will tell you many wonderful things.

Long time ago I gluded one on my guitar and used it as a cheat sheet.

What does it tell you? Those sites you have already been given will help with that.

[JTE]

Circle of fifths (fourths- it's the same thing going backwards) is easy if you learn things in order. Do you know how to build a diatonic major scale (W W H W W W H)? If so, then start with the C scale. Go up to the fifth note of that scale, and you get G. Another 5 is D, then A, then E, then B, then F#, then C# (Db), Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C and you're back where you started (that's why it's a circle). Going backwards, (C to F to Bb, etc.) is the circle of fourths.

Sure it will tell you the number of sharps or flats in a key, but it doesn't tell you WHICH ones are sharps or flats so that's a pretty pointless reason to learn it. It's a lot better to know WHY A is three sharps instead of just memorizing that it IS 3 sharps. But what the circle does help you with is common chord progressions. If you play a C7 chord, it's going to want to resolve to that F. And if you make the F and F7, it's going to want to go to the Bb... that's the cycle and it's a common chord progression.

John

[Guz2]

Now I get it - my teacher showed me a couple of jazz standards that use this chord progression.

Thanks everyone

[the_hook]

Actually I just learned it recently in a way that actually stuck:

Starting with the C major scale: C D E F G A B C. No sharps or flats.

So now you locate the 5th note of that scale, and on each new scale starting from the 5th of the last one, you sharp the 7th note, while including previously sharped notes.

Example:

The 5th of C is G: G A B C D E F# G...the 7th note is F, so that's now F#.

5th of G is D: D E F# G A B C# D...7th note is C, now a sharp, so G=1#, D=2#.

5th of D is A: A B C# D E F# G# A...7th note is G, now sharp. So G=1#, D=2#, A=3#, and so on.

C D E F G A B C
G A B C D E F# G
D E F# G A B C# D
A B C# D E F# G# A
E F# G# A B C# D# E
B C# D# E F# G# A# B
F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#

Circle of 4ths:

C D E F G A B C

4th of C is F: F G A Bb C D E F
4th of F is Bb: Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
4th of Bb is Eb: Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
4th of Eb is Ab: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
4th of Ab is Db: Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
4th of Db is Gb: Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
4th of Gb is Cb: Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb

You'll notice the sharps to flats notes are reversed when we start from C major scale.

[bigthemat]

Knowing the circle of 4ths can be very beneficial in jazz. It is just a never ending cycle of ii-Vs. Start anywhere, and go two on the circle of 4ths, and it is a ii-V-I. Say you're starting on a G. Go up, C, and one more, F. BAM, ii-V-I.

[StrangerDanger]

Originally Posted by oldscarrow

The Circle of 4ths and 5ths tells you how many sharps and flats are in which key signature. I have something hidden away on the hard drive somewhere which explains it in simple English,... I will hunt it down and send it to you. !
EDIT: Just noticed you have no contact info,...if you want to PM me, I will send you the relevant information, and Music Theory lessons, I have it in PDF Format and got it from a TB'er some time ago, so happy to share it around.

I would be interested in that as well.

Thanks!

[MalcolmAmos]

Hitch hiking on what the_hook said;

C D E F G A B C
G A B C D E F# G
D E F# G A B C# D
A B C# D E F# G# A
E F# G# A B C# D# E
B C# D# E F# G# A# B
F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#

My memory peg for that - help yourself, there are several I just happen to like this one:
See God Destroy All Earth By F#irey C#haos. Order of the scales that have sharps.
Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds. Order of the sharps.

4th of C is F: F G A Bb C D E F
4th of F is Bb: Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
4th of Bb is Eb: Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
4th of Eb is Ab: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
4th of Ab is Db: Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
4th of Db is Gb: Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
4th of Gb is Cb: Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb

Memory pegs for the flat keys;
Farmer Brown Eats Apple Dumplings Greasley Cooked. Order of the keys with flats in them
The flats follow this same order F has the Bb, the Bb keeps itself and adds the Eb, etc.

Have fun.

[Raven2k360]

Originally Posted by JTE

Sure it will tell you the number of sharps or flats in a key, but it doesn't tell you WHICH ones are sharps or flats so that's a pretty pointless reason to learn it.

Uhh....I don't know about you, but my circle of 5ths chart shows how many sharps/flats are in a scale and where they are....

[oldscarrow]

Originally Posted by StrangerDanger

I would be interested in that as well.

Thanks!

Bit hard to send ya something with NO contact information...
I will need an e-mail address.!!

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Raven2k360

Uhh....I don't know about you, but my circle of 5ths chart shows how many sharps/flats are in a scale and where they are....

You mean it actually shows what notes are sharp and what notes are flat for each note on the circle ? If so, could you post a link ?

[Schlyder]

Key of G major.. one sharp... it is always F#
Key of D major.. two sharps.. they are always F#, and C#

you task is to complete the rest of the sharps. Hint* three sharps always has F#, C# and...

Key of F major.. one flat... it is always Bb
Key of Bbmajor.. two flats... they are always Bb, and Eb

your task is to complete the rest of the flats


OK that's your homework.

Once you memorize all that, when you see a piece of music and the Key Signature has say 4 flats you know it is Ab major, and Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db are the flat notes in that key, without even thinking about it. likewise if you see
6 sharps you will know automatically that it is the Key of F# major and the notes that are sharp are F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, and E#

[oldscarrow]

Originally Posted by fearceol

You mean it actually shows what notes are sharp and what notes are flat for each note on the circle ? If so, could you post a link ?

Take your pick...
http://images.google.com.au/images?h...gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

But this is one of the better ones:

http://www.kenmahood.com/circle/index.htm

[fearceol]

Thanks for that. A good way to remember the order of sharps and flats is by the mnemonic :

# :

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Reverse for flats.