Circle of Fifths Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (19:10) Circle of Fifths Welcome back for another jazz lesson. Matt starts things off with Joe Pass’s arrangement of the tune “Misty.”

Lately, many Jamplay members have asked similar questions regarding the circle of fifths. Due to the importance of the circle and the overwhelming amount of questions submitted, Matt has deviated from his lesson plan to clear up any confusion relating to this topic. If you still have questions about this topic after watching this lesson, keep the emails and questions coming! The circle of fifths is one of the most important and basic music theory concepts. Knowledge of the circle is absolutely essential in order to understand most of the music theory concepts presented in this lesson series.

Member Sam Paul writes: “Hey folks! I was wondering if one of you guys could give more detail about the circle of fifths and how it is associated with major and minor scales.”

The circle of fifths can be quite overwhelming when you first look at it. For this reason, Matt has broken down the circle of fifths into its individual components.

Note: Open the “Supplemental Content” tab for a diagram of the circle of fifths, the order of sharps, the order of flats, and a list of musical intervals.

A. Features of the Circle

1. The Title

The circle of fifths is frequently referred to as the circle of fourths or cycle of fourths. These various titles all refer to the same diagram. The reasoning behind the two different titles is explained later in the lesson.

2. Order of Flats

At the beginning of any guitar sheet music, you will notice three features. The first symbol written on the staff is the treble clef sign. The treble clef is frequently referred to as the “G clef.” This is because the circular bottom portion of the symbol indicates where the note G occurs on the staff. Guitar music is always written in treble clef. The only exception occurs when a walking bass line is arranged for 7-string guitar. There are other clef symbols. For example, bass instruments are written in bass clef. Alto clef is another common clef. The key signature follows the appropriate clef symbol. This indicates the key that the piece is in. A key signature is comprised of either sharps or flats. The key of C is the only exception. It contains no sharps or flats.

When a key signature containing one or more flats is written out, the flats always appear in the same order. This is known as the “order of flats.” A flat is written on the staff to indicate that a certain note is to be flatted throughout the course of the piece. The flats follow this order: Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb. It is very important that you memorize the order of flats. Develop some sort of pneumonic device to help you.

Now, take a look at the actual circle. The circle of fifths is laid out in a manner similar to that of a clock. The key of C major is always written at the top in the 12 o’clock position. This is because the key signature for C major contains no sharps or flats. If you move one section to the left of the circle (11 o’clock position), one flat is added to the key signature. This particular key signature denotes the key of F.

The note F is a perfect fourth above C. If you move around the circle in a counterclockwise motion, each subsequent key is a perfect fourth above the last. This is why this diagram is often referred to as the “circle of fourths.” If you start at C and move around the circle in a clockwise motion, each subsequent key is a perfect fifth above the previous key. When moving around the diagram in this direction, you are moving in a circle of fifths.

From the order of flats, we know that the first flat is Bb. So, in the key of F, the note B is flatted. As a result, here is how an F major scale is spelled: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F.

If we move one space counterclockwise from F, we reach the key of Bb Major. Notice how one additional flat is added to the key signature. The second flat in the order of flats is Eb. Thus, the key of Bb Major contains two flats-Bb and Eb. Here is the spelling of a Bb Major scale: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb. As we continue to move around the circle in this direction, one flat is added to the key signature each time.

3. Order of Sharps

Return to the key of C at the top of the circle. This time we will move around the circle in a clockwise direction. Each time we move one space, one sharp is added to the key signature. For example, the first key after C is the key of G. The key of G contains one sharp. The sharps are always written in the following order: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#. “Fat cats get drunk at every bar” is an excellent pneumonic device that will help you remember the order of sharps.

Since G contains only one sharp, this sharp is F#. As a result, the key of G is spelled as follows: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G. If we move counterclockwise one space (up another perfect fifth interval) we reach the key of D. The key of D contains two sharps-F# and C#.

B. Learning New Repertoire

Every time you learn a new song or piece, first determine what key it is in. Use the circle of fifths as a reference guide to determine the key center. There are a few tricks to learn that will enable you to recognize the key without looking at the circle of fifths.

1. Trick for Flat Keys

Loot at the second to last flat written in the key signature. This flat names the key. For example, look at a key signature containing three flats (Bb, Eb, and Ab). The second to last flat written is Eb. Thus, the name of this key is Eb major.

2. Trick for Sharp Keys

Look at the very last sharp written. The note a half step above the last sharp names the key. For example, look at a key signature that contains five sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#, A#). A half step above A# is B. Thus, this key is named B major.

Look at a key signature containing three sharps (F#, C#, G#). A half step above G# is the note A. As a result, this key is labeled A major.

Chapter 2: (9:35) Minor Keys For every major key, there is a corresponding “relative” minor key that shares the same key signature. The word “relative” indicates two keys that have different names, but share the same key signature. The relative minor scale of the major scale is referred to as the “Natural Minor” scale. This scale is built off of the sixth scale degree of the relative major scale. It is a very common compositional technique to switch from a major key to its relative minor in the course of a piece.

To start, let’s examine the C major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. As you can see, the sixth note in the scale is A. If we start and end the C major scale on this note, the A natural minor scale is formed. This scale is spelled as follows: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.

Look at the key of Bb. The Bb major scale is spelled as follows: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb. The sixth note in this scale is G. Thus, G is the relative minor to Bb. This scale is spelled as follows: G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G.

Enharmonic Keys

Some keys on the circle can be written two different ways. Keys that sound the same but are written differently are referred to as “enharmonic keys.” For example, the key of B can also be written as the key of Cb major. Cb contains 7 flats. It is much easier to sight read a piece that contains 5 sharps in the key signature rather than 7 flats. For this reason, this key is typically written as B major with 5 sharps.

The pitches B and Cb sound exactly the same. They are simply written differently in a musical score. Other examples of enharmonic keys are Db/C# and Gb/F#. Since the key of Gb contains the same number of accidentals as F#, these two keys are equally common. In a jazz context however, this key is typically written as Gb.

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