![]() You can set a timer and spend a minute finding each note.īe sure to choose different starting points and move both clockwise and counterclockwise around the circle. With this exercise, you simply go around the circle and find all instances of each note on the guitar fretboard. One exercise that I’ve used to help memorize the circle is using it to learn the notes on the guitar fretboard. While it’s not necessary to memorize the circle, it can be useful to know in case a reference isn’t always available. It’s a handy reference tool based on the circle of fifths. To the left of C we have F, which is the 4th degree of the major scale and gives us the IV chord in the key of C.Īgain, this is a pattern that holds true all the way around the circle, so it can be used for any key to quickly get the chords of that key.Ī third option for getting the chords of a key is The Chord Wheel. This gives us the V chord in the key of C. If we take the note to the right of C (G), we know that’s the 5th degree of the C major scale. Let’s start at the top with the key of C. The circle of fifths lays this out nicely and allows us to quickly see all of the chords in a given key. Perhaps the most useful piece of the circle of fifths is easily finding all of the chords that belong to a given key. This gives us an easy way to determine the key signature for the given key. We touched on one use for the circle of fifths above when we discussed the pattern of sharps/flats as you work your way around the circle clockwise (sharps) and counterclockwise (flats). ![]() ![]() Starting with F, we get the following:Īs you’ll see next, this arrangement of relative majors and minors provides a very practical use case for the circle of fifths. Taking the same approach as above, if we move counterclockwise around the circle we move down a 5th with each note (or up a 4th if you prefer). Building the outer circle – counterclockwise Now let’s take a look at moving counterclockwise around the circle of fifths and see if any similar sequences emerge. Going clockwise around the circle we know exactly how many sharps a key contains as well as the sharp notes.Īt this point, with the C# major scale we’ve added all the sharps a major scale contain (7). This sequence of sharps makes it really easy to determine the key signature using the circle of fifths as a reference. After that, D major contains F# and adds its 7th degree, C#, and so on. For instance, G major contains F#, which is the 7th degree of its own scale. Notice that each subsequent scale contains all of the same sharps as the previous scale, then adds the 7th degree of its own scale. If we write out the C major scale we get the following: Starting with C at the top of the circle and moving clockwise, each subsequent note is a 5th higher than the starting note. Let’s start building the circle of fifths by moving clockwise around the circle. There’s something counterintuitive about moving counterclockwise around a circle and counting forward in the scale, but it can be a bit easier since you’re moving forward through the alphabet, which obviously is more natural. Starting from C and counting forward a 4th we get F. Technically, moving counter-clockwise is considered the circle of 4ths since if you move forward through the scale from the starting note, the next note is a 4th apart when moving counterclockwise around the circle. ![]() If you move counter-clockwise around the circle, each note is a 5th lower. If you move clockwise around the circle, you’re moving up a 5th with each note. The outer ring of the circle of fifths contains each of the 12 notes used in music and represent each of the major keys.
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