Why is the circle of fifths so important to the musician?
The circle of fifths is an essential tool within music theory and offers various advantages. It helps to understand scales and chord progressions, as it visualizes the interrelations of tones. This makes it easier to understand and execute modulations and transpositions. The circle is also useful for harmonizing chords, because it indicates which chords go well together within a particular key. In addition, the circle of fifths is useful in composing and improvising, as it helps you find tonal paths and enrich your musical choices. In short, the circle of fifths is an indispensable tool for musicians to deepen their understanding of scales, chords and harmony.
Content
Introduction
In the app we use the colors of the rainbow. There are 7:
Now it just so happens that the natural scale, C major, consists of 7 different notes.
C, D, E, F, G, A and B. If we link the colors to the tones we get the following result.
C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
We call every tone of the scale an interval and these intervals all have a name. Successively: Root or tonic, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, octave
Intervals can be major, minor, augmented and diminished. More on this later.
There are tone distances between the notes. There are whole and half notes in Western music.
We indicate a whole tone with a 1, a half tone with a ½.
In the major scale, the distances are divided as follows.
1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½
This distribution reflects the character of a major scale. If you change the order of the pitch, the character of the scale also changes. Using the following distances below creates a minor scale.
1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1
Listen below for the difference between the C major and C minor scale.
But now first to:
The circle
The circle of fifths has been used by musicians for centuries. You can think of the circle as a clock, where, instead of hours, consecutive fifths are indicated. A fifth is the distance between two notes that spans 3 ½ tones. If you add a fifth each time clockwise, you will arrive at a B# at twelve o’clock. This note is enharmonically equal to a C, so the picture is round. On the other hand, if you go counterclockwise, you get all fourth steps. Then the circle of fifths becomes a circle of fourths.
The Modes chapter explains how to derive scales and chords from the circle of fifths. First of all, something about the key signatures. At 12 o’clock we find the key of C major. This key has the following notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. A key without sharp (#, an increase of ½ tone) or flat (♭, a decrease of ½ tone). If we go clockwise, a sharp is added for each subsequent key. This means that the key of G major has 1 sharp. This is the F#. In general you can say that in the next key the sharps of the previous one remain and that a note with a sharp is added that is made from the tone that comes immediately before the tonic. In our case: The key of C major has no sharps, the note for the root of the key of G major is F. In the key of G major with 1 sharp, F is the raised tone. So in G major we find G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G.
One hour ahead, the key of D major has the sharp of the previous key of G major. The new sharp is at C. The key of D major therefore has 2 sharps: F# and C#. D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D.
When we reach the key of C# major (at 7 o’clock) all notes have been raised. C# major has 7 sharps.
If we go counterclockwise, the key will gain a tone with a flat. This works differently than with the sharps. The tone of the next step in the circle is the added flat. This works as follows. The key of C major still has no sharp or flat. The key of F major has, as indicated above, 1 flat. An hour back from the F it is 10 o’clock. Here we find the key of B♭ major. In the key of F major, the flatted note is B. So we find: F, G, A, B♭, C, D, E, F.
The flats are also added by 1 up to the key of C♭ major with 7 flats.
In the circle above you can see that after the key of C# there are 5 more keys marked with a sharp. G# would have 7 sharps and a double sharp (the F is raised 2 times) and B# would eventually have 7 sharps and 5 double sharps. This is theoretical. In practice, these keys are rarely or not used at all. The F♭ is a key with 7 flats and a double flat (the B is lowered twice). After this there would be 3 more keys with notes lowered 2 times. A𝄫, D𝄫 and G𝄫.
An overview of the number of sharps and flats per key.
Modes
You can build a new scale on any note of the major scale. Look at the circle of fifths below. You can also see the colors of the rainbow here. For the major scale: start on red and follow the colors until you reach red again after violet.
C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
If you start and end on orange you form the Dorian scale.
D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D
1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1
Yellow: the Phrygian scale
E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E
½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1
Green: the Lydian scale
F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F
1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½
Blue: the Mixolydian scale
G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G
1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1
Indigo: the minor or Aeolian scale
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1
Violet: the Locrian scale
B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B
½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1
This works the same for every key you choose.
You can also see some things immediately in the staff:
Now it is true that, for example, the C Phrygian scale comes from a different key than the major scale or any of the other scales.
You can immediately see this in the circle. “Derived from key”
The staff immediately provides the correct accidentals.
Sometimes a scale comes from an unusual key such as F♭. A key with 8 flats.
In the circle you can immediately see which key is more convenient to use. This is called the enharmonic key. The note G♭ is enharmonically similar to the F#. For example, if you look at G♭Dorian you will see that it is better to use the key of E here. The staff has therefore been adjusted.
Jazz modes
The jazz modes are built on the Melodic Minor scale. You just have to pay attention here at the circle of fifths. To find the right notes, look in the interval ring on the outside of the circle. In the Melodic minor scale on C, the third (yellow) interval is an E♭.
For the Melodic minor scale, you can also start a new scale on any note. You can make these scales visible by pressing the relevant buttons in the app.
Chords
Music consists of melodies (tones next to each other) and chords (tones on top of each other).
You make the melodies from the scales and the chords too. You can find them all in the app. However, it is useful for yourself to know how that works.
A chord is a stack of thirds, major and minor.
A major third has two whole tone intervals. A minor third has an interval of a whole tone and a ½ tone.
There are three types of chords: major, minor and diminished (dim).
We need the scale to make a chord. Just like with the different scales, you will find different chords on the notes of the scale.
We will again take the C major scale as an example.
C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
The first chord we can make is the C major chord.
Start with C, skip the next note, then take E, skip the next and end with G.
Because the distance between C and E is 2 whole tones and the distance between E and G is 1 ½ tones, we created a C major chord.
First a major third, then a minor third gives a major chord.
A major third + a minor third = perfect fifth (3 ½ notes)
First a minor third, then a major third gives a minor chord. We see this when we start with the second note of the scale.
D, F, A
Minor third + major third = perfect fifth (3 ½ notes)
If we start on E, we get another minor chord. With F and G we get two major chords again. On A we build a minor chord.
If we start at B we encounter something else. From B to D is 1 ½ tones and from D to F is also 1 ½ tones.
When we place two minor thirds above each other, a diminished (dim) chord is created.
Minor third + minor third = diminished fifth (3 notes)
G | A | F |
E | F | D |
C | D | B |
Major | Minor | Diminished |
There are also chords that consist of more than 3 notes. The maximum number of notes in a chord is 7. This number can be found with the ∆13, the dominant 13 and the 7♭13 chord. It should be noted that a ∆13 chord contains exactly the same notes as a major scale. The dominant 13 chord is composed of the notes of the mixo-lydian scale. The 7♭13 chord has the same notes as the Mixolydian ♭6 scale. But this is just a fun fact to amaze your friends with.
You build chords with more than 3 notes by adding a major or minor third to the highest note. Here are a few examples.
B | C | A | B♭ |
G | A | F | G |
E | F | D | E |
C | D | B | C |
∆/major 7 | Minor 7 | Ø/Minor 7♭5 | Dominant 7 |
Check the app for all chords. In any case, you now know how the chords are constructed and you can put them together yourself.
More circle
The nice thing about this extensive circle of fifths is that you can actually find everything you need in it.
You can find scales for every key. The chords you make on the notes of the scale. The number of sharps and flats associated with the key. Information about the intervals.
We will go through the options one by one.
1. Derive a scale.
First of all, an explanation about the inner ring of the circle. In this ring we find the parallel minor keys. What are those?
Each major key in the outer ring shares the sharps and/or flats with the minor key in the inner ring. This means that the scales have the same notes. Let’s take A major as an example. This key has 3 sharps: F♯, C♯ and G♯. When you choose the key of A in the circle of fifths, you see that the parallel key is F♯ minor. This key has the same accidentals: F♯, C♯, G♯. The other tones are also all the same. Watch:
A major: A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, A
F# minor: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, E
This automatically means that these keys also have exactly the same chords.
The parallel minor key is always a minor third or 1 ½ tones lower than the major key.
Take a look at the circle below.
We see the key of A major. The key signature is always found at 12 o’clock and is colored red.
If we follow the colors of the rainbow, we find the scale of A major. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, red.
A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, A.
Now we also immediately know the notes of F# minor. Start at indigo/F♯ and follow the colors.
In this circle, only the notes that apply to the scales and arpeggi are colored.
The white dots on the edge of the circle tell you which sharps are in the key. Follow this clockwise, always starting at F♯. It is also easy to see which flats are in a key. Always start at the B♭ and go counterclockwise.
If you want to memorize how many sharps or flats a key has, you don’t need to know all the keys. From C clockwise, a sharp is added for every fifth. So A has 3 sharps. Starting from C counterclockwise, one mole is added each time. So E♭ has 3 flats. And now it gets fun. If A has 3 sharps, A♭ has 4 flats. If B♭ has 2 flats, B has 5 sharps. The total of sharps and flats is always 7. Handy, right?
Above we saw that the Dorian scale starts on the second note of the major scale. If we want to know from which key A Dorian comes, we take the note that comes before A. So that is the G.
You see that the circle has changed. We no longer find the A at 12 o’clock, but at 9 o’clock and in the inner ring. This indicates that Dorian is a minor key. Also, A Dorian no longer has 3 sharps, but only 1. The sharp of the key G, the F♯. But we can again just follow the colors of the rainbow. A Dorian: A, B, C, D, E, F♯, G, A.
And it’s the same for the other scales.
2. Derive a chord.
Chords are also easy to find in the circle.
We have seen above how to put together a chord. Look again at the circle below.
You want to know which notes make up the A major chord. A is the root note, red. After the root note we must have a major third (yellow), which is C♯. Then another minor third above the major third. That’s the E. So the A major chord is A C♯ E.
This does raise a few questions.
How can I be sure that C♯ is the major third and E is the fifth?
Well, it’s not without reason that we’re talking about the circle of fifths here. This means that the clockwise note after a note is a fifth. You also know that the notes in the inner ring are a minor third lower than the notes in the outer ring. So if we reverse the order: From E to C♯ is a minor third. From E to A is a fifth. A fifth is a major third + a minor third. If from E to C♯ is a minor third, then from C# to A or vice versa must be a major third.
However, you don’t have to reason this out every time you look for an agreement. The rule in the circle of fifths is that if you go diagonally down from the outer ring to the inner ring, you will always find a major third. And if you go from the inner ring to the adjacent tone in the outer ring, the interval is always a minor third.
We also find a minor chord easy. To do this, we start in the inner ring, take the adjacent note and then move clockwise a fifth. The B minor chord is then: B, D, F♯.
Major chord
Minor chord
When you press the ‘arpeggi’ button you will encounter many more chords. To build those chords, look at the intervals just outside the circle. The A Ø chord consists of the notes A, C, E♭, G. Root, minor third, diminished fifth, minor seventh.
3. Chord progressions
When you tap the progressions button you will enter a new screen. Here you can choose a key. Then you have a wide choice of chord progressions. Major, minor, Doric etc.
Here you see some possible chord progressions in Major. The colors can be found in the scale at the top left and in the circle below.
You also see that the tones have a Roman numeral next to them. The capital letters in the outer ring represent the major chords. The lowercase letters in the inner ring for the minor chords. In the key of C: I, IV, V for the C major, F major and G major chord. ii, iii, vi for D minor, E minor and A minor. At vii you will find the diminished (dim) chord. B, D, F.
The Roman numerals correspond to the progressions. This way you immediately know that the progression I iii vi V stands for C major, E minor, A minor, G major.
When you tap the numbers in the progression, you hear the chord. That will give you an idea of what the progression sounds like and whether that is what you are looking for.
This all works the same for the different keys and you will notice that the sound of the progressions is adapted to the key.
4. The staff and more
You can see the C major scale above. Distance is the distance between the intervals. Whole and semitones. The colored numbers indicate the names of the intervals of the scale.
1 = root or tonic
2 = second
3 = third
4 = fourth
5 = fifth
6 = sixth
7 = seventh
8 = octave
Intervals 1, 4 and 5 are perfect intervals. For example, a perfect fifth. These may be diminished or augmented. Diminished is indicated with a ♭ (flat), increased with a ♯ (sharp). 4♯ or 5♭.
The other intervals are minor or major. A minor third, a major sixth. However, these can also be diminished or augmented. A diminished seventh is a seventh that has been diminished twice. For example, in the key of C, B is a major seventh, B♭ a minor seventh, and B𝄫 a diminished seventh. In the key of E, F is a minor second, F♯ is a major second, and F𝄪 (double sharp, ##. Is enharmonic equal to a G) is an augmented second.
When you tap the interval numbers in the circle, you get information about that interval.
Below the intervals you can see which chords are built on the different degrees of the scale. For your convenience, the chords with four notes are listed here. But of course you can always leave out the addition. On the 1st degree you get a major chord, etc.