Circle Of Fifths???

See "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie prime example.

 

clicky here

 

That's a nice link. I may bookmark that.

 

I found it really tricky getting my head around it and spent hours reading but one day when I was playing it just kinda clicked and I could see the point in the whole thing.

I'm definately not the best person to help you out, especially over the internet. I'm pretty sure I'd leave you more confused but there'll definately be someone here that'll be able to help. Good luck!!

 

That is a terriffic link!

So now I know what the "circle of fifths" is, but how do I use it?

How do I implement knowledge of closely related keys practically, to improve bass playing?

 

Its more useful just to know how each major (and relative minor) key sounds. And ive found it very useful for getting to know the fretboard, ie what notes i can play in which key, and where they live on the neck.Thats a pretty good link, if you dont get it after reading that, come back and the members of talkbass will help you through it.

 

I think of it as V resolving down to I. Now the I is the V and resolving down, and continuing on unti back where you started.

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

 

Thats how I practice scales on sax, I go up in C, down in G, up in D, down in A and so on

 

Don't feel that bad if you don't get the point of the circle of fifths (sometimes called the circle of fourths). I hadn't even heard of it until I was in my last year of University music school.

It seems to be first introduced to children to help them learn how many sharps are in each major scale. C-none, G-one, D-two, etc . . . You go backwards from C to find the flats: F-one flat, Bb-two, Eb-three . . .

I find the Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle method waaaay more comfortable to use and to teach others because that was the way it was explained to me.


Glenn

 

Look at the strings on your bass.
Name them.
Look at the circle.
See anything familiar?


If you have a 5er it's even harder to miss.

As to what it all means, that becomes more clear the more you learn about how songs are constructed and how most western music progresses and resolves.

FWIW, print out a copy and paste it on your wall at work or something. After a year of picking up bits and pieces of theory and glancing at the circle, you'd be surprised how much you can take away from it.