ways to practice circle of 5ths/4ths?

[germ_77]

Anyone have any good ways to practice the circle of 5ths/4ths? I am trying to get it memorized but not coming along too well.

The only way I have been practicing it is starting on C and playing the Major scale of each one and then once done starting on C again and playing it backwards as the 4ths.

What methods do you guys have for practicing the circle?

[MalcolmAmos]

Sharp side:
See God Destroy All Earth By F#irey C#haos.

Flat side:
See Farmer Brown Eating Apple Dumplings Greasily Cooked.

Or copy and paste this where it is easily seen. There are seven flats and sharps so you need the circle that gets crowded on the bottom to get all the keys in.

[Ed Fuqua]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "practicing the cycle of fifths", it's not really an exercise.

[BassChuck]

Well, try this. Play a scale and the tonic chord, then play a tonic 7th and then move up a fourth and do the same thing.

In other words: C scale, C major chord, C7 chord, F scale, F major chord, F7 chord.. etc etc.

[Kobaia]

put a drum loop on take 4 bars for each key. play a scale or triad, or what ever exercise you want for 4 bars then switch to the next key. the move it to 2 bars. then 1 bar. try walking all the keys. play them all as major, play them all as minor, play them all as dominant, play them all as -7b5, play, them all as diminished, play them all as augmented and so on.

Also you can try walking through them all on 1 strings with no open strings

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "practicing the cycle of fifths", it's not really an exercise.

It's just a guideline to follow while doing whatever exercise you want. Let's you move to every key.

[Lovely Rital]

Some basic exercises

[Ed Fuqua]

I'm more proponent of randomness, same thing the same way is great recipe for goin on autopilot...

[phmike]

Four and five string patterns someone showed me to help remember the circle of 5ths/4ths. Look at it a bit and you will see the patterns. I eventually remembered the circle by just using it a lot.

                  3           5 
G|-|--Ab-|--A--|--Bb-|--B--|--C--| 
D|-|--Eb-|--E--|--F--|--Gb-|--G--| 
A|-|--Bb-|--B--|**C**|--Db-|--D--| 
E|-|--F--|--Gb-|--G--|--Ab-|--A--| 
B|-|--C--|--Db-|--D--|--Eb-|--E--| 

C G D A E B Gb Db Ab Eb Bb F C 
C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G C  

                  3           5           7           9                12 
G|-|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| 
D|-|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| 
A|-|-----|-----|--C--|-----|--D--|-----|--E--|-----|--Gb-|-----|--Ab-|-----|--Bb-|-----|--C--| 
E|-|-----|-----|--G--|-----|--A--|-----|--B--|-----|--Db-|-----|--Eb-|-----|--F--|-----|-----|

[GeoffT]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

I'm more proponent of randomness, same thing the same way is great recipe for goin on autopilot...

Damn it Ed. Just when I started getting comfortable working things through the cycle of 4ths to cover every key, you have to go and throw this out there. I like it.

[Randyt]

Germ

I went through the same exercise with my Teacher/prof...every lesson he would ask me to recite the cycle of fifths and fourths...then tell him how many sharps or flats..and recite them in order...from there he would ask, what is the major second, third , fourth, fifth...
diminshed, augmented...etc...then he would allow me to pick up my bass...Stuart is very intense...but a great Teacher/prof..I have learned so much from this guy...After some lessons...my head hurts!!!
I remember when i was really pushing to memorize this, I would constantly recite this in my head while driving to work, Visualization or Fret Board recognition (without Bass) is a great exercise to use...yah..if you looked in my truck ...you'd think I was bonkers...
Also...instead of doing chromatic runs (IE.C/D/E/F/G/etc)...do the cycle!....(ie.C/G/D/A/E/B/F# etc.....and C/F/Bb/Eb/Ab/Db/Gb etc/)

I really have no quick way of learning this for you..for me it just took time, and constant exercise...now...its a joke...
Good luck!!

[Already In Use]

Neat link....

Interactive Circle of Fifths

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by Lovely Rital

Some basic exercises

Nice study.

Thanks

[MrLenny1]

Play the circle of 4th's on the A string only,for C maj. It will help learn the neck
in a linear fashion.
Also on the E string only for G maj. start. Call each root note as you start it to reinforce knowing the note vs the fret. Play it in minor ,7 ths. Play the G maj ascending then C maj descending etc. Break out the metronome and use this as speed training.

[bassinplace]

Write it out 50 times. Like the picture that Malcom Amos posted. By the time you're done it'll be in the memory bank.

[germ_77]

Thanks a lot guys, a lot of really good ideas already from the responses. Thanks a lot for that pdf as well.

I do try to write it out as much as I can and that is helping a lot as well, Playing them close together I am pretty familiar with the patterns but I want to get it where I can be playing a chord and instantly know the 4th or 5th note name and be able to play it anywhere instead of just the normal patterns close to it if that makes sense.