Lesson Goal: To use the Circle of Fifths (or not) to help you play better… not just to get a few extra points on a music theory test…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading… LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
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The Circle of Fifths Defined
The Circle of Fifths is a visual representation of one way (but not the only way) that chords, scales, and key signatures are related to each other… by arranging them in a circle of twelve spaces separated by perfect fifths, as follows…
Circle of Fifths Patterns
Browse the image above and notice the following patterns…
- The diagram is circular, with twelve placeholders (just like the hours on a clock face).
- Major Keys are arranged outside the circle and Minor Keys are arranged inside the circle.
- The Major and Minor Keys come in pairs that share the same key signature.
- C Major and A Minor (no sharps or flats) are put at the top.
- As you go clockwise from the top, move up in perfect fifths for each hour of the clock (C->G->D->A->E->B->F#->C#).
- As you do so, keep the sharps already there and add a new sharp with each hour (None, F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#).
- As you go counter-clockwise, from the top, move down in perfect fifths for each hour of the clock (C->F>Bb->Eb->Ab->Db->Gb->Cb).
- As you do so, keep the flats already there and add a new flat with each hour (None, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb).
- There are fifteen key signatures (1 using no sharps or flats + 7 using sharps + 7 using flats).
- Although the keys of C# Major (7 sharps) and Cb Major (7 flats) are only rarely used.
- For “sharp” keys, the last sharp is Ti of the Major Key, always.
- For “flat” keys, the last flat is Fa of the Major key, always.
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Ways that the Circle of Fifths is Overrated
The Circle of Fifths suffers from at least seven fundamental shortcomings…
- The key signature alone is not enough information to know the key center and tonality of a piece. (Reading the score for clues provided by the harmony and melody is also necessary to know what key you are in).
- Major and Minor are not the only two possibilities for the tonality of a piece (Other tonalities… such as Mixolydian, Dorian, or something more exotic… are also possible).
- The Circle of Fifths isn’t the only way that chords, scales, and key signatures are related to each other.
- The Circle of Fifths could just as well be conceived and constructed as the circle of fourths (Instead of going up from C to G, we could just as easily go down from C to G).
- The harmonic relationship between “adjacent” keys is NOT intrinsically based on the interval of a perfect 5th. Neither is it intrinsically based on the interval of a perfect 4th. (explained below)
- Where’s the Ear Training?
- Knowing the circle of fifths doesn’t help you play better.
Can you think of some others?
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How Frank Uses the Circle of Fifths
He doesn’t. He’s a circle of fifths heretic. A music theory party pooper, guilty of blasphemy.
He never uses it. Literally never.
Never has. Never will.
Because the circle of fifths (or is that fourths?)–lauded by so many as the greatest discovery in music theory history–doesn’t help him understand how music works, doesn’t help him connect music theory to music practice, doesn’t help him train his ears, and doesn’t help him play better.
He never uses it in the practice room, never uses it to read music, never uses it to learn his keys, never uses it to write music, never uses it to improvise, and never takes it onstage.
He’s only used it twice in his whole life: 1) To get two extra points on a music theory test in 1981… and 2) To produce this lesson called “The Circle of Fifths is Overrated!”.
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Practical Knowledge & Skill
Two knowledge and skill sets are useful and important (because they help you play better)…
- Know your scales.
- Know the cycle of dominant root movements.
Know Your Scales
At the very least, “knowing your scales” means…
- Knowing the Scale Structure (Scale Degrees & Solfege) for the Major and Minor Scales.
- Knowing the letter names, scale degrees, and Solfege for each note in the scale.
- Connecting the sound-feeling (Solfege) for each note in the scale to its letter name and scale degree.
- Know the key signatures for the 12 Major Scales: C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B.
- (Tip: Don’t worry about the rarely used keys of C# or Cb Major).
- Know the key signatures for the 12 Minor Scales: A, Bb, B, C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#.
- Know the Relative Major / Minor Key Signature Pairs.
- (Hint: La of the Major Key becomes Do of the relative Minor Key… and Me of the Minor Key becomes Do of the relative Major Key).
While it’s possible to use the circle of fifths chart above as a cheat sheet or training wheels, it’s much faster and stickier to learn your key signatures directly. For example, the key signature for G major / E Minor is one sharp (F#). The key signature for Eb major / C minor is three flats (Bb, Eb, Ab). Easy peasy!
Optionally, “knowing your scales” means the same list of skills above for other scale types (Mixolydian, Dorian, other?) in all keys you expect to play in and knowing which tonalities share the same key signature. (For example, F Major, D Minor, C Mixolydian, and G Dorian all share the same key signature: one flat: Bb.)
Know the Dominant Root Movements
A valuable skill set is to know the cycle of dominant root movements… because dominant root movements are commonly used in all kinds of music.
The cycle of dominant root movements is NOT about the interval of a perfect 5th. Neither is it about the interval of a perfect 4th. It’s about a DOMINANT harmonic relationship that is simultaneously a perfect 5th AND perfect 4th… and works as follows: Given a pitch P1, pretend that this pitch is the DOMINANT scale degree “5” or “So” of pitch P2. it just so happens that P2 is simultaneously a perfect 5th below AND a perfect 4th above P1.
Using this logic, we can derive the following pairs of harmonic relationships (others are theoretically possible, but these cover 99.99% of all music):
- D# = the “5” or “So” of G#.
- G# = the “5” or “So” of C#.
- C# = the “5” or “So” of F#.
- F# = the “5” or “So” of B.
- B = the “5” or “So” of E.
- E = the “5” or “So” of A.
- A = the “5” or “So” of D.
- D = the “5” or “So” of G.
- G = the “5” or “So” of C.
- C = the “5” or “So” of F.
- F = the “5” or “So” of Bb.
- Bb = the “5” or “So” of Eb.
- Eb = the “5” or “So” of Ab.
- Ab = the “5” or “So” of Db.
- Db = the “5” or “So” of Gb.
- Gb = “the 5” or “So” of Cb.
This may feel overwhelming at the moment, but don’t freak out… because we are going to turn the theory above into practice below… by seeing what these relationships look like in written music, how they move on the piano keyboard, and especially how they sound and feel.
Dominant Root Movements: Pairs of Descending Perfect 5ths
From D#-G# to Gb-Cb, played in 4/4 meter on beats you’d commonly see and hear such root movements…
Dominant Root Movements: Pairs of Ascending Perfect 4ths
From D#-G# to Gb-Cb, played in 4/4 meter on beats you’d commonly see and hear such root movements…
Dominant Root Movements: Sequence of Alternating 4ths & 5ths
A continuous sequence from D# to Cb, first in an ascending perfect 4th from D# to G#…
Dominant Root Movements: Sequence of Alternating 5ths & 4ths
A continuous sequence from D# to Cb, first in a descending perfect 5th from D# to G#…
The Huge Takeaways
- The so-called “Circle of Fifths” is also the “Circle of Fourths”.
- It’s not about the interval of a perfect 5th or perfect 4th. It’s at once both and neither.
- It’s about the cycle of dominant root relationships.
- When it comes to theoretical constructs such as this, invest your precious time and energy learning things that help you understand how music works, how to read music, how to hear music, and how to perform better.
So, what are you waiting for? Get busy learning your Scales like a musician!
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