Cycle Five Guitar Lesson
Cycle Five
Brendan Burns explains the circle of fifths and how to navigate it on the neck of the guitar.
Taught by Brendan Burns in Theory & Improv with Brendan Burns seriesLength: 11:22Difficulty: 0.5 of 5
Supplemental Learning Material
Theory & Improv with Brendan Burns
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsBrendan Burns talks about the circle of fifths, intervals and more to help you in your playing.
Lesson 1
Cycle Five
Brendan Burns explains the circle of fifths and how to navigate it on the neck of the guitar.
Length: 11:22 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter One
Brendan Burns demonstrates an exercise that will help you locate and play octaves on the guitar.
Length: 12:35 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Two
Brendan Burns focuses on the fifth interval in chapter two of the interval workout.
Length: 6:58 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Three
In the third interval workout chapter, Brendan discusses and demonstrates the perfect fourth interval.
Length: 6:30 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Four
In chapter four of his interval workout series, Brendan discusses and demonstrates the major third interval.
Length: 3:43 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Five
In chapter five of his interval workout, Brendan demonstrates the minor third intervals.
Length: 4:10 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Six
Brendan Burns demonstrates the tritone intervals.
Length: 3:51 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Seven
Brendan Burns demonstrates the major second intervals.
Length: 3:02 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Eight
Brendan Burns demonstrates the minor second intervals.
Length: 2:42 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Nine
Brendan Burns demonstrates the major sixth intervals.
Length: 3:15 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Ten
Brendan Burns demonstrates the minor sixth intervals.
Length: 2:54 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Eleven
Brendan Burns demonstrates the major seventh intervals.
Length: 2:26 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Interval Workout Chapter Twelve
The final interval workout from Brendan Burns features the flat seventh or minor seventh interval.
Length: 4:46 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Modal Navigation #1
Brendan returns to show us how to navigate modes on the guitar using one string up and down the neck.
Length: 29:45 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Modal Navigation #2
Brendan continues his navigation series by showing us how to play the modes on two strings.
Length: 23:33 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Modal Navigation #3
Brendan wraps up his Modal Navigation mini-series by showing us how to play the modes on three strings.
Length: 37:14 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Harmonic Pentatonic Improvisation #1
Brendan teaches us how to improve our improvisation using just the major pentatonic scale.
Length: 27:31 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
About Brendan Burns
View Full Biography
Brendan has been passionate about music since childhood. He began his studies on trumpet, in elementary school, and then moved to guitar as a teenager. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Berklee College of Music, and has studied with Norm Zocher, Joe Stump, Bret Willmott, Bob Pilkington, Jay Weik, Tim Miller, & Charlie Banacos.
While at Berklee, Brendan was a member of the Music Mentoring Program, teaching private lessons to gifted high school students. He is currently teaches, and is chair of the guitar department at Brookline Music School. Brendan also teaches guitar for Tune Foolery & privately at his home in Cambridge, MA.
Along with educating, Brendan plays out often as a Solo Guitarist, performing standards, pop, and classical repertoire. He has recorded and played with the chamber-fusion band Ra Quintent, and as well as Vessela Stoyanova's Eastern Stories Under Western Skies Project. Brendan also performs as a leader, director and sideman for various Boston art-rock projects, and is former member of MIT's Gamelan Galak Tika.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Hi Brendan, I am a little confused as to how I am using this in everyday life? It is not the Cycle of fifths... Which would be C G D A E etc on the sharp side. How does this have to be used? Sorry this sort of threw me of...
Bruunm, This is an exercise. It's too make you a stronger and more competent and comfortable musician. It does the same thing that times tables do - it works out all the possibilities. Both of those are Cycle 5. Your example goes up, mine goes down. Cycle 5 starting at C and then to F, Bb, Eb, etc. is common in jazz, pop, rock & blues music. It's a good way to go. You can also try Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 exercise. It's all just work to increase fluency.
Great way of explaining harmonic movement, I will use this for my current students, as I think that this is extremely simple, yet very effective. Wish you would have talked about circle of fifths though. Is there a reason you left that out? I watched the whole set, and thought it may be something brand new, but it's just the circle of fifths reversed, which also bothers me because, most often you switch to your dominant (secondary dominant) or V (v or V minor). Just kind of curious as to reasoning. Hope that doesn't take away from what was meant to be a positive comment, have you thought about expanding this set, to some more in depth theory on 5ths, or 4ths?
Cycle 5 is just a tool to organize the 12 keys. There is not a lot of profound wisdom in the cycle, but the exercise & work involved are the real places to explore.
Ramma, Cycle 5 is everywhere! The blues progression you mentioned moves from the root, down a 5th to IV chord. Moving from the V to the I is also 5th. You don't "have" to memorize cycle5, but when you do have it internalized, it transforms your playing and understanding. This is not a "chord progression," like a tune, but an exercise for every tune. Hope this helps, Brendan
Thank you Brendan, It's all great stuff and never thought of how to get to Octaves and major 3rd and fifth with this technique. And, I completed your lessons whilst I should keep practising. I have read all the comments posted above and honestly I am confused . Why should we learn the cycle 5 if it is simply to learn the fretboard which we can be memorised on the 6th string and the other techniques of major 3rd and Major 5th. If we master the modes or even the minor pentatonic scale with time we should be able to memorise most of the positions on the fretboard anyway overtime. Is there some other use of the cycle fifth other than memorising the fretboard. In Blues , we need to master the I IV and IV and in ryhthm in its simplistic form we need to add the relative minor to the I IV V. There are also some other types progressions too. In the cycle of fifth , if we start C then there is F Bb Eb A and so on until we come back to C. Can you elaborate whether it's a chord progression and a practical e.g of how we can use it in Jazz for an easy song starting with C and so on. Brendan please don't get me wrong as I am willing to learn the cycle fifth but would like to know more about it's use in a song or even a jazz song. Regards Rama
Hi Brendan! I'm really liking this exercise, I've been at it about 5 days now, but I've run into a bit of a problem. I can run through all the strings fairly quickly while saying the names of the notes out loud, but it seems like now it's just habit, and I can only name the notes if I start off at C and go through the whole cycle (sort of like the ABCs). I'm just worried at this point it's only muscle memory (speaking the notes out loud doesn't really help anymore). I started doing some flash cards too, but I feel like I'm still starting from scratch, do you have any advice for learning the notes individually, instead of in a group? Is there something else I can do while still going through the cycle to start burning the note names of each fret in my head?
If you have this down, then try moving on to the intervalic workouts. If you are having trouble knowing where the notes are, ask yourself where you do NOT know them. Do you know the notes of the guitar without the instrument in your hand? If not, spend some time visualizing the fretboard. Let me know how it's goes.
hey brendan ive watch this video several times and for some reason im just not getting the point of cycle five
Donald, Cycle 5 is just a device, or permutation of the chromatic scale. It's something that we use in my intervalic workout series and I needed to primer video in case someone had not heard of it. Cycle 5 can be used in a lot of different ways. Often jazz students work through tunes in all 12 keys or licks through cycle 5. Very simply, it's just a system. Are you having trouble with the concept, or what to do with it?
im having trouble on how to remember it is there a special way to remember it or do u just have to memorize all the notes and yah how do i use it eficiently
Repetition is the best way to memorize this. Look at the sheet, draw up your own sheet, say them out loud, etc. Pretty soon you'll have them together. The intervalic workout series that I teach uses cycle 5 a lot. If you don't have a good strategy to work through these, cycle 5 might not be necessary for you. It's just a tool.
Hi, the hand drawn circle 5 in lesson one is a mirror of the Circle of 5ths diagram in Lesson two, the notes are anti clockwise! Am I missing something? Is there a reason for this that I haven't understood please?
Ray, either are fine. We are descending in 5ths or ascending in 4ths. It's all the same thing. Think of it as a device to practice this material. This is just one permutation. There are others if this gets stale. Best, Brendan
Thanks Brendan, would you say that if I learn it either way then it's permutations will gradually become obvious to me.. or should I memorise it seperatally as 4ths & 5ths? Sorry for the 'newb' question :)
These are good questions! First start by memorizing the cycle as C, F, Bb, Eb, etc. After some time, you'll be able to recite any permutations of intervals just because you've worked through them all. This cycle 5 exercise is just a stepping stone. Keep it going!
Will do, thanks for your help, now I know the way forward I can get stuck in :)
Let me know how it turns out.
This lesson was SO helpful to me! Thank you so much Brendan!
Glad to hear it. Keep it going!
I'm not sure I understand what the ultimate purpose is of doing the cycle on each string? How is this meant to be used in playing? I think an intro to the purpose, at the beginning of the lesson, would help. Or maybe I am just missing something.
You have a good point. This video is essentially an intro to the Intervalic series, but cycle 5 could use series as well. Simply put, cycle 5 is a device to help you train any melody or idea into all 12 keys. Any instrument can work through cycle 5. Jazz studies, in particular use cycle 5 when running through new licks and approaches.
Am I the only one that finds these exercises to be particularly
...relaxing - meditative even?
They really can be. It's a great way to learn new information in that state. !!!
OK I am on the same page as iw2198: you are teaching the cycle of 4ths. and if you use the clock theory you start at 12 then go to 11o'clock for the F : 10o'clock for the Bb etc..NOT the way you teach or even give in your supplemental info in lesson two. That said ,I totally understand what you are saying and enjoy the interval lessons very much. Thanks.
Cycle 5 & Cycle 4 are the same thing. Moving up a fourth or down a fifth gives you the same note name. My handout has arrows that point in which direction to move. I'm glad you are enjoying the lessons. I like them too.
I am glad I stumbled onto your lesson. I am really trying to become more comfortable with the fretboard. Do you plan on posting the other lessons for the other intervals soon?
Oh yes, this series will go over every interval within an octave. Stay tuned!
I've been going through your other lessons and I think they are awesome. There is some thing in this one that I don't understand. I always thought this(the pdf you posted here) was called the cycle of 4th's and that if you played your clock pattern backwards that was the cycle of fifths. I was taught in the cycle of 5th's you started on the C ( no sharps or flats) and then continued by playing it's 5th which is G. After G you played it's 5th which is D, etc.... In you lesson ( according to what I was taught) you seem to be playing in 4th's . F is the 4th of C, B flat is the 4th of F, etc... Could you explain the difference of what I have been taught (and most books I have ever seen it written in) and the way your teaching? I only ask because it's confusing me. I also never thought to practice it this way. It really opens up the fretboard by learning the names of all the note in the higher strings where I don't normally play. Thanks! Great lesson!
Thanks for the note! Cycle 4 & Cycle 5 are the same thing, they're just coming from different directions. From my experience, I've noticed it's common to teach Cycle 5 from the sharps side when explaining theory; playing it from the flats side seems to be a more jazz approach. Why is this so? I'm not really sure. Either way, I go in the direction of the flats because the intervals move up in 4ths (or down in 5ths) which is a very common movement in Pop, Rock, Jazz & Blues. Working on exercises this way trains your ears, fingers & mind in a very practical movement. Hope this helps, Brendan