Circle of 4ths and 5ths - What Is It?
This article will briefly explain exactly what the circle of 4ths and 5ths is and just how you can use it as a guitarist. The circle of 4ths and 5ths is a way of showing the relationship between the 12 notes or keys of the chromatic scale. Depending on the diagram it might contain information about how many #'s and b's there are in each key signature and relative minor keys for every major key.
Circle of 4ths and 5ths
If you look at the circle (see the diagram below) and stick to the note names around clock-wise, you'll find each note an ideal 5th along in the last one (7 frets on the guitar). C, G, D, A, E, B, Gb/F#, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F. An ideal 5th is the most consonant interval that's not an octave (it sounds the very best) and it can be considered the fundamental DNA of Western music.
If you follow the notes round the circle in the counter-clock direction C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb/F#, B, E, A, D, G you'll reach each next note by moving a perfect 4th along (5 frets about the guitar).
So how could it be useful as a guitarist? Well it can help you with determining songs by ear, assist you with your song-writing, help you transpose songs into different songs, find relative minor keys and a lot more things. It's an incredibly elegant geometric representation of music and it is an incredibly useful tool.
Here's an example of one of the things you can do by using it. Looking at the diagram picky any of the letters. For example C, imagine you've got a song in the key or C and wish to find out what its relative minor key is so that you can spice up an audio lesson you are writing or so that you can play a solo that incorporates the C Major scale and its relative minor scale.
To find the relative minor you draw a line down in the C to the centre from the circle, then draw a line at a right-angle to the first one about the right hand side. It will point straight in the A. This means that A minor is the relative minor key of C Major. This can be done for any of the other keys, as an example the relative minor key of G Major is E minor. That's one of the many things you can find out with the circle of 4ths and 5ths.
Circle of 4ths and 5ths
Circle of 4ths and 5ths
If you look at the circle (see the diagram below) and stick to the note names around clock-wise, you'll find each note an ideal 5th along in the last one (7 frets on the guitar). C, G, D, A, E, B, Gb/F#, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F. An ideal 5th is the most consonant interval that's not an octave (it sounds the very best) and it can be considered the fundamental DNA of Western music.
If you follow the notes round the circle in the counter-clock direction C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb/F#, B, E, A, D, G you'll reach each next note by moving a perfect 4th along (5 frets about the guitar).
So how could it be useful as a guitarist? Well it can help you with determining songs by ear, assist you with your song-writing, help you transpose songs into different songs, find relative minor keys and a lot more things. It's an incredibly elegant geometric representation of music and it is an incredibly useful tool.
Here's an example of one of the things you can do by using it. Looking at the diagram picky any of the letters. For example C, imagine you've got a song in the key or C and wish to find out what its relative minor key is so that you can spice up an audio lesson you are writing or so that you can play a solo that incorporates the C Major scale and its relative minor scale.
To find the relative minor you draw a line down in the C to the centre from the circle, then draw a line at a right-angle to the first one about the right hand side. It will point straight in the A. This means that A minor is the relative minor key of C Major. This can be done for any of the other keys, as an example the relative minor key of G Major is E minor. That's one of the many things you can find out with the circle of 4ths and 5ths.
Circle of 4ths and 5ths
