Shawn Leonhardt is a musician for guitar tricks and 30 day singer.
Even for beginners, the Circle of Fifths is easy to understand. The circle of fifths doesn’t convey a lot of information. Music theory is summed up in a nice circle by taking data and organizing it. It will be easier to write music if you understand the circle.
What is the Circle of Fifths?
The order in which we play the notes affects their feel and vibe. The main ring of the Circle of Fifths contains all 12 diatonic scales. There are 12 corresponding minor keys.
Each key adds one sharp and counterclockwise one flat is added. Every interval will equal a strong major scale if you test each one with the outer ring. Most songs are made up of movement both ways because each key is a fifth away from one another.
You don’t need to memorize the circle. You need to sketch one out if you forget. If you start with C and add one sharp until you reach the bottom, then move in reverse and add one flat at a time. Give it a try and see if you can draw one without looking.
Finding our Scales
Scales can be very important if you are writing a song. It is easy to find all the major and minor keys by looking at your circle of fifths. It will always tell you if you are in a key or not.
The circle is limited to major and minor scales but you can derive other scales with it. The scale formula can be applied to the major scale. The melodic minor scale has a flat 3rd degree.
1 2 b3
We plug the major in and make the change on the 3rd for C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B. We made some changes and dropped some notes to get C-Eb-G-A-Bb in this example. Take the scale formula you need and apply it to the Circle of Fifths.
Scales and intervals evoke different moods and emotions, learn as many as you can, and it will allow you to find the right sound to fit the idea of the song in your head.
Finding Our Chords
The circle can be used to find the major and minor guitars. Use the notes on the circle to draw a triangle from C-E-G for C major. Wherever that triangle moves, it will be a big deal. If you move it one way, the same triangle will point to G-B-D.
If we draw a triangle on C-Eb-G and start on the right root, we can use the minor 3rd degree to find any minor chord. Rock and jazz have a lot of dominant 7ths, and we can also find those with a triangular shape.
For 7th, the formula is 1, 3, 5, b7, so connect the notes C-E-G-Bb. This shape can be moved to find any notes of a 7th. You can either use formulas or shapes. You can use the most common chords in progressions now that you know how to write them. It’s possible to use a guitar chart to help you.
Chord Progressions
The Circle of Fifths allows us to find what we need when it comes to writing music. You might have seen this table if you used the Nashville Numbers.
| Tonic | Super Tonic | Mediant | Sub-Dominant | Dominant | Sub-Mediant | Leading Tone Sub-Tonic |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii(dim) |
| C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | B |
| G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F# |
| D | Em | F#m | G | A | Bm | C# |
| A | Bm | C#m | D | E | F#m | G# |
| E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D# |
| B | C#m | D#m | E | F# | G#m | A# |
| F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | E# |
| F | Gm | Am | Bb | C | Dm | E |
| Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F | Gm | A |
| Eb | Fm | Gm | Ab | Bb | Cm | D |
| Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb | Fm | G |
| Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab | Bbm | C |
| Gb | Abm | Bbm | Cb | Db | Ebm | F |
| Cb | Dbm | Ebm | Fb | Gb | Abm | Bb |
The Circle of Fifths can be used to find all of these scales. If you know that moving clockwise is a fifth and counterclockwise is a fourth, you can quickly find all the I-IV-V progressions.
C (I) will have Dm as itsii if we move into the inner circlecounterclockwise and the minor vi is easy to find. If you move clockwise, you will get the iii. We can find the VII degree by going straight across from the IV to the B.
I-IV is the last one.
I-v.
I-IV- V.
I-IV-V.
I-V-vi.
I-ii-V.
I-IV-V.
I-V-I.
I-IV-I.
I-b VII-IV.
Minor and major may be reversed in some instances. You can get the information from the Circle of Fifths if you use the symbol. There are more than one way to get to the same answer. If we move back to the II and make it a major, we can find the I-II-IV-I.
Music rules are not always clear at times, this is a big problem for music theory students. Good news, that is it. You don’t have a lot to learn. Music theory is often easy.
Modulating Keys
One of the best ways to change a song is with a new key, and the Circle of Fifths has a lot of ways to help. Picking a key that is close by is one of the best sounding changes. The relative minor will always sound good when we change it.
The fifth of a fifth is known as a dominant fifth. We would jump G and get D if we moved from C. There are many ways to get the same progression.
The musicians will work their way around the circle as they play each key. The song E7-A7-D7-G7 is moving backwards with a 7th.
Changing Modes
A mode is simply a major scale but starts on a different scale degree. The distances between the notes are what give us the feeling. Start at a new position if you find the scale on the circle.
The Ionian CDEFGBA is a Greek word.
There is a person named Dorian DEFG ABC.
The EFGABCD is from the Greek word phrygian.
Lydian FGABC DE.
A mixolydian.
AeolianABCDEFG.
LocrianBCDEFGA
If you are using a key with a lot of flats, you need to find the note order first. You can find the mode from the Circle of Fifths if you practice it enough. It’s amazing how much knowledge can be gained from this graph.
Print off a copy of the Circle of Fifths and keep it in your practice space. You will see how valuable a song is if you write more of it. You will find surprising ways to use the circle even after you’ve practiced it. One of the most important graphs is the Circle of Fifths.