Just to clarify, if you move clockwise, you're moving through all the keys that have sharps in them. F Major has one flat, B flat Major has two flats, etc. This also begins the keys that have flats in them. You're moving a fifth in the other direction but with the same interval. Proceed around the circle and each key collects a new sharp until 7 sharps are attained.īut what if you move counter-clockwise? It actually still moves the interval of a fifth but in the opposite direction. If you move to the next key clockwise, you arrive at G Major in which you have one sharp. At the very top and center is the key of C Major in which there are no sharp or flat notes in the key. Now that we understand the concept of the circle of fifths, how can we actually use it in music? The most fundamental way it's used is to represent all 12 Major keys of music. The Circle of Fifths Reveals Major Keys of Music Just think of power chords which consist of only the root and the fifth. Look at any two of these notes and they spell out a Major chord without the third in between them. An easier way to identify fifths is to be familiar with all 12 Major chords. If you break a fifth interval down in it'most basic terms, they're actually notes that are 7 half steps apart. Each Letter is separated by an interval of a fifth. You have C at the very top and as you move clockwise, G is next in the sequence, D follows, etc. You can see that the layout of the circle is very much identical to a clock with the exception of letters instead of numbers. This circle of fifths pattern is based on the first five notes of a key of music. That's also how they are sequenced within the circle. Major keys of music are differentiated by the lettered sequence of notes and the number of sharps or flats that exist within them. ![]() ![]() ![]() A key of music is a menu of seven different notes in which you draw from to play a song or piece of music. They actually follow a pattern that is based on major keys of music. After twelve, you'll arrive at the same note you started on.Īs you look at the circle of fifths, you'll notice that the letters are not in alphabetical order. Sit down at a keyboard and press any note as you count from one to twelve. The reasons that it's referred to as a circle is because it is cyclical and therefore circular. First of all, what is the circle of fifths and why is it even referred to as a circle? Let me start out by saying that the circle of fifths by definition is referred to as a geometrical representation of the 12 different pitches in music as they are referred to by the first 7 letters of the alphabet.
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