Around The Neck

Alright, there is the circle of fifths/fourths out there. What does it mean and how can we make use of it? Well, it really isn’t that hard and can help with your basic knowledge of theary. Below is the diagram of the circle of fifths/fourths. I will give the information about it in bullets below the pic.

• Rings: Outside = Major Keys, Middle = Number of sharps or flats, & Inside = Minor keys
• Most obvious use is to tell how many sharps or flats are in a particular key (major or minor)
• Keys on right are considered sharp keys (contain at least one sharp)
• Keys on left are considered flat keys (contain at least on flat)
• The order that you write a sharp or flat on the staff is indicated by how they appear around the circle (notice the illustrations on the outside of the diagram)
• The relative major and minor are easily located (a relative major has the same notes as the natural relative minor; i.e. G major & e minor)
• Helps you understand harmonic movement: move clockwise and the keys move from the I of a key to the V of a the same key. This then becomes the I and on and on. This allows you to easily see the most common chord progression in music: I-V. Going counterclockwise moves the keys from I to IV respectively. Tunes to see this type of movement: I Got Rhythm by George Gershwin & In A Mellow Mood by Duke Ellington.
• To get the most out of this circle, commit it to memory.