The Circle of Fifths is one of the most important ideas to grasp onto as a musician. After you memorize it you will be able to know what notes belong to what scale. It also makes reading music a lot easier and writing music less messy.
It is intimidating at first but there really is no reason to be scared. It is like learning your times tables only smaller and simpler. You also have a way of hearing the Circle of Fifths on your instrument and if you know your scales already the Circle of Fifths will make a lot of sense.
Each Key has what is called a Key signature. This "signature" is what tells you what notes are always sharp or flat in the scale and on a piece of music.
An example of this would be the key of C. In the key of C there are no (0) sharps or flats. On the piano keyboard below us, all the white keys (and only the white keys) would be the key of C.
To take this one step further the Key of G has one sharp and that sharp is always F#. So to play the key of G you would always play the note F as F#. Take a look at the chart below… It is called the Circle of Fifths and also the Circle of Fourths. First lets travel around the circle to the right…
Notice all of the sharps as we go around to the right. Here is the order, notice that if you count from C to G (C-D-E-F-G) the notes are 5 intervals apart.
C Major
You can see that the key of C has no sharps and no flats.
G Major
The Key of G is a Perfect 5th above C (this is where the circle of fifths gets its name). The key of G has one sharp and that sharp is F#. Notice that F# is the leading tone in a G major scale.
D Major
As we continue around the circle the next stop is the key of D major, which is a perfect 5th above G major. D major has two sharps and they are always F# and C#. Notice that C# is the leading tone in the D major scale.
Tip: The number of sharps in a key always builds on each other.
E Major
The next stop around the circle is the Key of A major. A major has 3 sharps and they are F#, C# and __. Can you guess what the answer would be?
A hint is what is the leading tone in the key of A major….
The answer is G#.
A major has 3 sharps and they are F#, C# and G#.
Next stop is E major and E major has 4 sharps and they are F#, C#, G# and __#.
What the leading tone of E major? D#
B Major
A perfect 5th above E major is B major and it has 5 sharps they are __#, __#, __#, __# and A#. Fill in the blanks; it should be easy (you can look above to the previous major scale if you are not sure or the image above).
Now I am going to through you for a loop, so be ready…
The next perfect 5th above B major is F, but F has already been made sharp and if you are counting we are getting up to 6 sharps, that’s a lot of sharps. This could begin to get confusing if we don’t do something about it.
Also, There is a natural half step between E and F and B and C. This means that technically there is no such note as B# or E# because those notes sound like C and F.
What should we do?
You could use the note Cb for B# and the note Fb would be the substitute for E# but it is against the rules to mix sharps and flats in a key signature.
What will we do?
We could call F# Gb and here is how…
Circle of Fourths
Take another look at the Circle of Fifths and you will notice that we have been going clockwise around the circle. So lets think about traveling around the circle in a counter clockwise motion and call it the Circle of Fourths.
It is essentially the same principle but instead of using the interval of a Perfect 5th we will use the interval of a perfect 4th. Lets start from the top again.
Tip: Bb is the distance of a perfect 4th above the note F. Just like the Circle of Fifths had the rule that the leading tone would be the next sharp, the circle of fourths has a rule that the next flat will be a fourth above the key you are in.
C Major
You can see that the key of C has no sharps and no flats.
F Major
F major has one flat and that flat is Bb.
Bb Major
Bb major has two flats and they are always Bb and Eb.
Eb Major
Eb major has three flats and they are Bb, Eb and __b. What would be a perfect fourth above Eb? You guessed it Ab.
Ab Major
Ab major has 4 flats and they are __b, __b, __b, and Db. Take a gander at the above examples if you cant remember…
Db Major
Db major is starting to get loaded down and has 5 flats, they are __b, __b, __b, Db, and __b.
Gb Major a.k.a. F# Major
Finally we are back to where we ended with on the Circle of Fifths. Gb major corresponds with F# major. Gb major has 6 flats and they are __b, __b, __b, __b, __b and Cb.
The reason that it is easier to deal with the 6 flats is because there is a natural half step between E and F and B and C. This means that technically there is no such note as B# or E# because those notes sound like C and F.
We call these notes Cb (for B#) and Fb (would be the substitute for E#)
It is against the rules to mix sharps and flats in a key signature so choose one or the other.
When I was learning the Circle of Fifths/Fourths I had a difficult time figuring out the importance. It was not until I began learning my scales that it came together. So if you are having troubles than start to look at your scales, it might help.
Memorize the number of Sharps and Flats as well as their order.
If you take the time to memorize the information it will all fall in place eventually.
I suggest that you go over this page many times many times. Do what ever it takes to memorize this stuff and you will be rewarded greatly on your musical journey.
Homework Assignments
- Draw each Key Signature 10 times.
- Draw the Circle of Fifths only.
- Draw the Circle of Fourths only.
- Draw the Circle of Fourths and Fifths together.
Don’t forget to sign up for our Tip’s and musicians quote of the day e-mail service at the top left corner of the page.
For more information about how to build your confidence, improve your creativity and make better music visit http://www.bebop2pop.com and get your copy of 9 secrets to better music.
Posts
