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Circle of Fourths/Fifths

5/14/2014

3 Comments

 
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The circle of fourths/fifths is a good thing to study and learn.  Print it out and put it on your dashboard, pin it up in your cube or office at work. 

The 2-5-1 turnaround moves in fourths, which is counter-clockwise on this chart.  Many jazz songs either move in fourths or have a part of the song that does. This chart also includes the major triads which are essential to commit to memory. 

I've also included the signature for the key in the staff.  At the beginning of the staff, you will see a collection of sharps or flats (C major has no sharps or flats).  The sharps and flats are the "key signature" -- indicating the key the song is in.  For instance, if you see three sharps, that is the key of A major.  Three sharps is also the key symbol for F# minor; the companion minor of A major is F# minor.  The companion minor keys are on the inner circle of this chart.

What about those jazz hands? In a session, the leader might call out a tune and need to signal it's in E major, since songs can be played in different keys.  Since "E" sounds a lot like "B" and "C" and "D", confusion is avoided by holding fingers up for sharps and down for flats.  If a bandleader holds two fingers up, that means the song will be in the key of D major, or (B minor, if it's a minor tune).

You will notice that the number of sharps increase by one with each move clockwise and the flats increase with each move counter-clockwise until you reach the bottom.  There are two mnemonic devices to memorize how the flats and sharps progress, but guess what?  The progression also moves like the cirlce! 

The mnemonic phrase for sharps is: Fine Classical Guitarists Demand Accurate Execution (Buddy).  Congratulations, you just learned the clockwise progression of the circle!  The sharps are added in fifths.  The key of G has 1 sharp: C.  The key of D has two sharps, C and G.  The sharps keep adding as you advance.

The flats are added in fourths.  The mnemonic phrase for flats is: Be Ever Alert During Guitar Class (Forever).  The key of F has the one flat of B.  The key of B flat has the flats of B and E in the signature.  This signature adds a flat as you go counter-clockwise in the circle, advancing in fourths.  This progression is the reverse of the sharps, alphabetically.

It is wise to learn all the key signatures.
  If you see a lead sheet and are uncertain, there are two tricks to help you out.  For key signatures with sharps, if you look at the note above the last sharp, that is the key.  The signature for G is the sharp of F.  Move one up from F and you get the key -- G.  For flats, the key is the second-to-last flat.  The key Ab major has four flats in the signature, B, E, A, D.  Move back one from the last flat on the signature (sitting on the D). The penultimate flat sits on the A -- therefore, the tune is in A flat.

That's all I know about the circle for now, but you can see the circle's usefulness.  This is a good reference for things to learn -- key signatures, 2-5-1 progressions, companion minors, major triads, etc.

When I first tried to learn the progression, my mnemonic was BEAD, Guitars Cause Fun.  If that doesn't stick, make up your own -- the weirder the better.
  Or use "Be Ever Alert During Guitar Class Forever."  It's also good to know the alphabet starts over at F (going to flats) and F#, going to naturals.  F is for "flip" in this case.  Of course all the sharps have an identical flat and vice versa (F# is Gb), so be aware of that. 


circleoffifths.pdf
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3 Comments
Mark link
3/1/2016 06:22:09 am

Very nice graphic way of representing a lot of musical information. I add a 7th to each triad and get even more, add tab notation for each chord on an other ring and get uke or guitar learning up quickly. Or add staff notation on an outer ring to see written music in this context (nice to read, often more accessible for keyboards). I usually see it with 4ths clockwise. The circle as represented here is extremely helpful for teachers or anyone interested in seeing how music moves. Once the third and fifth are memorized, then the minor and 6th chords become easier. Nice job!

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ced
7/18/2020 09:19:53 am

Hi there! thank you for a very useful post!

Just a quick rectification, there is typo:
" The key of G has 1 sharp: C. The key of D has two sharps, C and G"

Actually G has one sharp: F, and D has 2 sharps: F and C

;)

Thank you!

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Don
10/11/2022 02:14:58 pm

I never hear anyone explain WHY jazz progressions move in fourths.What is the music theory behind it? I hear lots of folks who say jazz progressions move in 4ths but no one ever explains WHY?

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