The Circle of Fifths Tutorial [PDF]

The Circle of Fifths The Circle of Fifths Tony R.

Kuphaldt A G F E D C B A A G A G F G F E F# E D E D C D C C The Circle Bb B A A G G F F# E E D D Why Theory? C C C major F G major major Purpose A A G G F F# Eb E D D C C# Bb B A A G G Assumptions F F# Eb E D b D C B D C# Intervals major major

Scales Ab A G G# F F# Eb E D b D C C# Bb E A B Tension and Ab A G G# F major major F# Eb E D D Resolution C C#

Keys Ab E Ab A Building the G G# F major major F# Eb E Db D# C C# Circle Bb B Ab A G G# F F# Eb E Db D# C C# So What? C#/Db B/Cb major major F#/Gb Ab A# Circle of tones Gb G# F major F# Eb E Db D# C C# Bb B Ab A# Gb A# G# F G# F# Circle of Eb F# E Db E# D# C D# C# C# A# B Ab chords G# A# Gb F# G# Fb E# F# Eb D# E# Db C# D# Cb B# C# Bb A# Ab G# Ab Gb F# Gb Fb Circle of keys E# F Eb D# Eb Db C# Db Cb Bb Ab Gb F Eb Db Practice Ideas Cb Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt

The Circle Why Study Music Theory? Why Theory? Purpose Many extremely proﬁcient musicians play quite well with little Assumptions or no knowledge of music theory, so why study it? Intervals

Scales The answer is very practical and very simple: music theory Tension and saves you from having to learn by trial and error, and that Resolution makes the learning process faster! Keys

Building the Circle This tutorial begins with a review of intervals, scales, and keys.

So What? After that, it explores how the Circle of Fifths is constructed Circle of tones and what it means. Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Purpose of This Tutorial The Circle Why Theory? This tutorial will teach you to understand the meaning of the Purpose Circle of Fifths. Mastering these concepts will enable you to: Assumptions Intervals • More easily ﬁnd the right tones when playing by ear Scales • Identify the “key” of a tune or song from the number of Tension and Resolution sharps or ﬂats in the key signature

Keys Building the You will maximize your learning by experimenting with all these Circle

So What? concepts on your instrument(s) while you read the tutorial.

Circle of tones Any text set in italicized red denotes an exercise recommended

Circle of for immediate application or a question for you to answer. chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt

The Circle Why Theory? Starting Assumptions Purpose Assumptions This tutorial assumes prior knowledge of certain music theory Intervals topics, including intervals, scales, and keys. A review of these Scales topics precedes the main tutorial on the Circle of Fifths. Tension and Resolution This tutorial also assumes a context of Western music, Keys particularly the common genres of folk and classical. In other Building the Circle words, nothing too crazy . . . So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Intervals

The Circle 1 Why Theory? A musical interval is the diﬀerence in pitch between two Purpose tones. The basic unit of measurement for intervals is the step. Assumptions

Intervals One half-step is the diﬀerence in pitch between two successive Scales frets on a guitar, or between two immediately adjacent keys on Tension and a piano. When we modify a natural tone to make it either Resolution “sharp” or “ﬂat” we are applying a half-step interval. Keys

Building the Circle One whole-step is equal to two half-steps: a distance of two

So What? frets on a guitar, or two keys on a piano with one key in Circle of tones between. Circle of chords Whole- and half-steps are alternatively referred to as Circle of keys whole-tone and semi-tone intervals. Practice Ideas

Glossary 1 Copyright Mathematically, an interval is a ratio of pitch frequencies. The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Half- and whole-step examples

The Circle

Why Theory?

Whole Purpose step Piano Whole step Assumptions keyboard

Intervals Guitar fretboard

Scales

Tension and Resolution

Half Half Whole Keys step step step Half Half Whole Building the step step step Circle So What? Try playing half-step and whole-step intervals on your Circle of tones instrument to explore what they sound like! Circle of chords

Circle of keys How many steps are in one octave (i.e. the point at which the

Practice Ideas tone-letters repeat)? Prove it by playing a one-octave interval Glossary on your instrument! Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. 2 Kuphaldt Intervals through one octave

The Circle Each octave is a doubling of pitch, which is why you get an Why Theory? octave tone when you fret a string at half-length. Purpose

Assumptions Steps Interval name Symbol Approximate pitch ratio Intervals (none) Perfect Unison P1 20/12 = 1.000 or 1:1 H Minor Second m2 21/12 = 1.059 ≈ 16:15 Scales W Major Second M2 22/12 = 1.122 ≈ 9:8 Tension and W+H Minor Third m3 23/12 = 1.189 ≈ 6:5 Resolution 2W Major Third M3 24/12 = 1.2599 ≈ 5:4 Keys 2W+H Perfect Fourth P4 25/12 = 1.335 ≈ 4:3 Augmented Fourth Building the aug4 6/12 3W (a.k.a. "tri-tone") 2 = 1.414 ≈ 17:12 Circle Diminished Fifth dim5 7/12 ≈ So What? 3W+H Perfect Fifth P5 2 = 1.498 3:2 4W Minor Sixth m6 28/12 = 1.587 ≈ 8:5 Circle of tones 4W+H Major Sixth M6 29/12 = 1.682 ≈ 5:3 Circle of 5W Minor Seventh m7 210/12 = 1.782 ≈ 9:5 chords 5W+H Major Seventh M7 211/12 = 1.888 ≈ 15:8 Circle of keys 6W Perfect Octave P8 212/12 = 2.000 or 2:1

Practice Ideas Glossary 2Pitch ratios vary slightly according to how the instrument is Copyright constructed and tuned, an advanced concept called temperament. The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Intervals deﬁne melodies

The Circle

Why Theory? The deﬁning tonal characteristic of any melody are the Purpose intervals between successive tones. The actual tones don’t Assumptions

Intervals matter so long as the intervals remain unchanged.

Scales Try playing the ﬁrst few tones of “Mary Had A Little Lamb” Tension and Resolution beginning with E: E-D-C-D-E-E-E Keys

Building the Now try playing the same sequence of intervals beginning with Circle B instead of E: B-A-G-A-B-B-B So What? Circle of tones In either case the melody is still “Mary Had A Little Lamb” Circle of chords despite using completely diﬀerent tones because the same

Circle of keys intervals (whole-steps) are used in each case!

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Scales

The Circle

Why Theory? Purpose A scale is a particular sequence of tones played in either Assumptions ascending or descending order of pitch. Any such sequence is Intervals fair to call a “scale,” but some scales are more common than Scales others. Tension and Resolution

Keys Examples of common scale types include major, natural minor,

Building the and harmonic minor. Circle So What? The pattern of intervals between scale-tones deﬁnes the quality Circle of tones (major, minor) of that scale. Every major scale, for example, Circle of chords exhibits the exact same interval pattern between its tones.

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Major scales

The Circle Major scales follow the interval3 sequence W-W-H-W-W-W-H. Why Theory? C major and F-sharp major are shown as examples: Purpose

Assumptions C major scale: Intervals Scales CDEFGABC Tension and Resolution Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Keys step step step step step step step

Building the Circle # So What? F major scale: Circle of tones F# G# A# BC# D# E# F# Circle of chords

Circle of keys Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary 3 Copyright W = Whole step ; H = Half step The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Natural minor scales 4 The Circle Natural minor scales follow the interval sequence Why Theory? W-H-W-W-H-W-W. Again, C and F-sharp are shown as scale Purpose examples: Assumptions Intervals C natural minor scale: Scales C DEb FGAb Bb C Tension and Resolution

Keys Whole Half Whole Whole Half Whole Whole step step step step step step step Building the Circle So What? F# natural minor scale: Circle of tones # # # # Circle of F G ABC DE F chords

Circle of keys Whole Half Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Practice Ideas step step step step step step step

Glossary 4 Copyright W = Whole step ; H = Half step The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Harmonic minor scales 5 The Circle Harmonic minor scales follow the interval sequence Why Theory? W-H-W-W-H-(W+H)-H. Again, C and F-sharp are shown as Purpose scale examples: Assumptions Intervals C harmonic minor scale: Scales C DEb FGAb B C Tension and Resolution

Keys Whole Half Whole Whole Half Whole+Half Half step step step step step step step Building the Circle So What? F# harmonic minor scale: Circle of tones # # # # # Circle of F G ABC D E F chords

Circle of keys Whole Half Whole Whole Half Whole+Half Half Practice Ideas step step step step step step step

Glossary 5 Copyright W = Whole step ; H = Half step The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Scale Degrees

The Circle A common way to describe tones within a scale is by their Why Theory? numerical order in the sequence. The beginning tone of any Purpose scale is called the tonic and is numbered as degree 1. Assumptions Successive ascending tones are numbered accordingly. Intervals Scales For example, the scale of C major (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C) would Tension and Resolution have its tones labeled 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 respectively. Notice that

Keys the last tone in this scale (C) is the eighth degree, which is why Building the it is called the octave. Circle So What? Since we know that intervals really deﬁne the tonal Circle of tones characteristic of any musical piece, we may describe a melody Circle of chords by its degree number rather than by tone letters. For example, Circle of keys the opening tones of “Mary Had A Little Lamb” could be Practice Ideas described as 3-2-1-2-3-3-3 regardless of the starting tone (e.g. Glossary E-D-C-D-E-E-E, B-A-G-A-B-B-B, etc.): Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Tension and Resolution

The Circle Why Theory? Two important concepts in music are tension and resolution. Purpose These are subjective terms, referring to sensations experienced Assumptions by the listener when hearing diﬀerent intervals within a scale or Intervals tune. Scales

Tension and Resolution Resolution may be easily illustrated by playing a major scale.

Keys For example, try playing the D major scale shown here:

Building the # # Circle D-E-F -G-A-B-C -D So What?

Circle of tones That sense of completion or satisfaction upon returning to the Circle of octave D tone is the musical phenomenon of the scale resolving chords to its tonic. The scale begins on D, then increases pitch in Circle of keys whole- and half-steps, and ﬁnally “returns home” to D. Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Tension and Resolution

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Tension may be illustrated just as easily by playing a partial

Assumptions scale. Try playing the D major scale again, but this time stop

Intervals short of playing the entirety. Some examples are shown here:

Scales # # Tension and D-E-F -G-A-B-C . . . Resolution # Keys D-E-F -G-A-B . . . Building the Circle That sense of incompleteness or irresolution created by the So What? partial scale is the musical phenomenon of tension. Circle of tones

Circle of chords In playing partial D major scales, which ending degrees of the

Circle of keys scale result in the greatest tension?

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Tension and Resolution

The Circle Tension and resolution make tunes interesting, much like Why Theory? storytelling: tension in a story builds to a climax, after which Purpose there is resolution. Assumptions Intervals Not all melodies end in perfect resolution, although many do. Scales A compositional technique used in many folk tunes is to end Tension and Resolution the tune on a non-resolving note (i.e. end with a feeling of

Keys tension) but begin again either on the resolving tone or on one Building the with less tension than the last. This makes everyone want to Circle repeat the tune in order to make it seem “complete”. So What? Circle of tones An example of this is the traditional Irish slip jig Drops Of Circle of chords Brandy which ends on an E note although the tune is clearly Circle of keys centered around D. Another example is the traditional Irish reel Practice Ideas The Wind That Shakes The Barley which is also centered Glossary around D but ends on a B note. Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Keys

The Circle

Why Theory? A key is a set of tones representing a musical “palette” from

Purpose which tunes may be made, centered around one particular tone

Assumptions called the tonic. When played as a scale, the tonic will be the

Intervals ﬁrst and last tone of that scale and is the resolving tone for any Scales melody constructed from that key. Tension and Resolution For example, the key of A major consists of all the tones Keys comprising an A major scale (A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A). A key, Building the Circle however, does not imply any particular order of playing as does So What? a scale; e.g. the key of A major is still the key of A major if the Circle of tones tones aren’t played in strict ascending or descending order. Circle of chords A musical piece written in a particular key need not begin on Circle of keys the tonic tone, but it often “resolves” to the tonic at the Practice Ideas closure of the piece and at certain critical points between. Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Key signatures

The Circle A cluster of sharp or ﬂat symbols drawn near the clef in

Why Theory? sheetmusic marks all the non-natural tones in that key. Some Purpose of the more common key signatures are shown here: Assumptions

Intervals Key of G major (1 sharp) Key of C major (no sharps or flats) Scales

Tension and G ABDEC F# CFDEG AB Resolution

Keys Key of D major (2 sharps) Key of F major (1 flat)

Building the # # Circle DE F G AB C F G ADEBb C So What? Key of A major (3 sharps) Key of Bb major (2 flats) Circle of tones

# # # Circle of AB C DE F G Bb C D Eb F G A chords Key of E major (4 sharps) Key of Eb major (3 flats) Circle of keys

Practice Ideas E F# G# AB C# D# Eb FDG Ab Bb C Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Key signatures

The Circle It is important to realize that a key signature alone does not Why Theory? define the key of a tune. All it defines are the tones used within Purpose that key. For example, compare these two different keys having Assumptions

Intervals the exact same signatures:

Scales

Tension and Key of G major (1 sharp) Key of E minor (1 sharp) Resolution

Keys G ABDEC F# E F# GCABD Building the Circle

So What? The diﬀerence between these two keys is the tonic: G major Circle of tones resolves “G” while E minor resolves to “E” despite using the Circle of chords exact same tones. Try playing each of these keys as a simple Circle of keys scale to hear the diﬀerence! Practice Ideas # # Glossary G-A-B-C-D-E-F -G versus E-F -G-A-B-C-D-E Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Key resolution

The Circle Why Theory? As we saw in the previous example, simply having a particular Purpose set of tones is not enough to deﬁne a key. An additional, Assumptions essential component of any key is a resolving tone (the Intervals “tonic”) providing a “home” or “focal point”. Scales

Tension and Resolution Determining the key of any melody is therefore not as

Keys straight-forward as simply identifying the key signature. We

Building the must listen to the piece in order to determine which tone it Circle resolves to, which then gives us the letter-name of that key. So What? Circle of tones Generally speaking, the resolving tone will be the letter-name Circle of chords of the last note played. However, bear in mind that some tunes

Circle of keys don’t end in perfect resolution, but rather purposely end in

Practice Ideas tension for artistic eﬀect!

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Key resolution

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Try playing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” beginning on any tone

Assumptions you wish. After picking out all the tones making up this simple Intervals melody, see if you can determine which tone it resolves on. A Scales good test is this: would the melody sound complete if it ended Tension and on that tone? Resolution Keys Does “Mary Had A Little Lamb resolve on its ﬁrst tone? Building the Circle

So What? Does “Mary Had A Little Lamb resolve on its last tone?

Circle of tones

Circle of chords Try this same experiment playing any other tune that comes to

Circle of keys mind. Attempt it with both major and minor tunes!

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Copyright The Circle of Fifths Building the Circle of Fifths Tony R. Kuphaldt Too often the Circle of Fifths is simply presented to students The Circle with little or no explanation for why it exists. Here, we will Why Theory? build our own Circle of Fifths step-by-step so you can see how Purpose it is constructed. Assumptions Intervals This section of the tutorial is designed to be interactive: the Scales following pages contain blanks for you to write tone letters as Tension and Resolution you build one major scale after another. You may do this by

Keys following the pattern of intervals (whole-steps and half-steps)

Building the comprising a major scale, and/or you may do this by ﬁnding Circle the right tones on your instrument by ear, each time listening So What? for the distinctive quality of a major scale. Circle of tones

Circle of chords Following each ﬁll-in-the-blank page is another page showing

Circle of keys the answer, so you may check your own work. Following that

Practice Ideas page is another analyzing the new major key and its place in Glossary the Circle of Fifths. Copyright The Circle of Fifths Building the Circle of Fifths (continued) Tony R. Kuphaldt While this step-by-step exploration of the Circle of Fifths The Circle encompasses the entire Circle, this may not be strictly necessary Why Theory? for your practical use. If you are a folk musician, for example, Purpose the majority of tunes are written only using keys appearing in Assumptions the upper-right quadrant of the Circle (keys of C, G, D, and A). Intervals Scales Feel free to ignore any portion(s) of the Circle that do not Tension and Resolution apply to the music you play, if you ﬁnd the full exploration too

Keys tedious.

Building the Circle In each of these steps we will use a piano keyboard to reference So What? tone-letters. This is done not out of a bias toward keyboard Circle of tones instruments, but rather because keyboards make sense of those Circle of chords tone-letters. It is not apparent, for example, why any tone

Circle of keys should be called “sharp” or “ﬂat” on a guitar fretboard, but on

Practice Ideas a keyboard it makes perfect sense: the sharps and ﬂats are Glossary colored black while the “natural” tones are colored white. Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt An Important Pattern

The Circle While reviewing key signatures earlier, you may have noticed a

Why Theory? pattern as successive sharps or ﬂats were added to each Purpose signature: Assumptions

Intervals Key of G major (1 sharp) Key of C major (no sharps or flats) Scales

Tension and G ABDEC F# CFDEG AB Resolution

Keys Key of D major (2 sharps) Key of F major (1 flat)

Building the # # Circle DE F G AB C F G ADEBb C So What? Key of A major (3 sharps) Key of Bb major (2 flats) Circle of tones

# # # Circle of AB C DE F G Bb C D Eb F G A chords Key of E major (4 sharps) Key of Eb major (3 flats) Circle of keys

Practice Ideas E F# G# AB C# D# Eb FDG Ab Bb C Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Adding Sharps

The Circle Start with G major. From there, how can we tell D major will

Why Theory? be the next-sharper key? From D major, how may we identify Purpose A major as next? Do you see a pattern? Assumptions

Intervals Key of G major (1 sharp) Key of C major (no sharps or flats) Scales

Tension and G ABDEC F# CFDEG AB Resolution

Keys Key of D major (2 sharps) Key of F major (1 flat)

Building the # # Circle DE F G AB C F G ADEBb C So What? Key of A major (3 sharps) Key of Bb major (2 flats) Circle of tones

# # # Circle of AB C DE F G Bb C D Eb F G A chords Key of E major (4 sharps) Key of Eb major (3 flats) Circle of keys

Practice Ideas E F# G# AB C# D# Eb FDG Ab Bb C Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Adding Flats

The Circle Start with C major. From there, how can we tell F major will

Why Theory? be the next-ﬂatter key? From F major, how may we identify Purpose B-ﬂat major as next? Do you see a pattern? Assumptions

Intervals Key of G major (1 sharp) Key of C major (no sharps or flats) Scales

Tension and G ABDEC F# CFDEG AB Resolution

Keys Key of D major (2 sharps) Key of F major (1 flat)

Building the # # Circle DE F G AB C F G ADEBb C So What? Key of A major (3 sharps) Key of Bb major (2 flats) Circle of tones

# # # Circle of AB C DE F G Bb C D Eb F G A chords Key of E major (4 sharps) Key of Eb major (3 flats) Circle of keys

Practice Ideas E F# G# AB C# D# Eb FDG Ab Bb C Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Patterns Revealed

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions Adding sharps: to identify the tonic of the next-sharper key,

Intervals just look at the ﬁfth degree of the major key you’re currently

Scales in. This is why G major leads to D major: D is the ﬁfth-degree Tension and tone in the G major key. Resolution

Keys Building the Adding ﬂats: to identify the tonic of the next-ﬂatter key, just Circle look at the fourth degree of the major key you’re currently in. So What? This is why C major leads to F major: F is the fourth-degree Circle of tones

Circle of tone in the C major key. chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt A Circle Revealed

The Circle If we keep following either of these patterns, we will end up Why Theory? covering all twelve major keys and return where we started. In Purpose other words, the sequence of major keys in order of number of Assumptions sharps or ﬂats in the key signature forms a circle. This is why Intervals we call it the Circle of Fifths: by picking the ﬁfth-degree tone Scales of each key as the tonic of the next-sharper key, we may plot a Tension and Resolution circle of all twelve keys (going clockwise). Of course, we could Keys also form the same circle by picking fourth-degree tones and Building the going counter-clockwise, which is why the same Circle is Circle

So What? alternatively called the Circle of Fourths.

Circle of tones What comes next in this tutorial is a step-by-step construction Circle of chords of the Circle of Fifths, by picking the ﬁfth-degree tone of each Circle of keys major key as the tonic of the next key. We will do this twelve Practice Ideas times in order to prove that the sequence forms a complete Glossary circle. Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of C Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? a C major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of CC chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of C Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys CDEFGACDEFGABB

Building the Circle So What? CCDEGABF Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of C Major

The Circle C major is the ﬁrst key in the Circle. It contains no sharps or Why Theory? ﬂats, only “natural” tones: Purpose C Assumptions B A G Intervals F E Scales D C C Tension and major Resolution

Keys

Building the Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of G Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? a G major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of GG chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of G Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions F# F# Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys CDEGACDEGABB

Building the Circle So What? GABDEFC # G Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of G Major (continued)

The Circle The reason why we name the one non-natural note F-sharp Why Theory? instead of G-ﬂat is to ensure we use each of the seven Purpose

Assumptions tone-letters exactly once before reaching the octave.

Intervals The right way: Scales G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G Each of the letters are here! Tension and Resolution Keys The wrong way: b Building the G-A-B-C-D-E-G -G Where is the F? Why the extra G? Circle So What? Even though the labels F# and Gb are technically Circle of tones interchangeable, one makes more sense than the other if we’re Circle of chords trying to represent all seven tone-letters.

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas This naming convention will become more important as we

Glossary progress around the Circle of Fifths!

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of G Major

The Circle G major is one step clockwise from C major in the Circle. It # Why Theory? contains one sharp tone (F ): Purpose G A G F Assumptions E F# D C B A G E F E D Intervals C D C C B major Scales G A major G Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of D Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? a D major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of DD chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of D Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions C# F# C# F# Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys DEGADEGABB

Building the Circle So What? DDEF# GABC# Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of D Major

The Circle D major is one step clockwise from G major in the Circle. It # # Why Theory? contains two sharp tones (F and C ): Purpose

A G F E D C B Assumptions A G A F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# Intervals E D C C D major Scales G C# major B A Tension and G D Resolution major F# E Keys D

Building the Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of A Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? an A major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of AA chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of A Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions C# F# G# C# F# G# Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys DEADEABB

Building the Circle So What? AABC# DEF# G# Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of A Major

The Circle A major is one step clockwise from D major in the Circle. It # # # Why Theory? contains three sharp tones (F , C , and G ): Purpose

A G F E D C B Assumptions A G A F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# Intervals E D C C major G Scales major A G F# E D C# B A Tension and G F# E D D C# Resolution major A Keys G# F# Building the A E major D Circle C# B So What? A Circle of tones

Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of E Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? an E major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of EE chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of E Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions C# D# F# G# C# D# F# G# Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys EAEABB

Building the Circle So What? EEF# G# ABC# D# Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of E Major

The Circle E major is one step clockwise from A major in the Circle. It # # # # Why Theory? contains four sharp tones (F , C , G , and D ): Purpose

A G F E D C B Assumptions A G A F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# Intervals E D C C major G Scales major A G F# E D C# B A Tension and G F# E D D C# Resolution major Keys

A G# F# E D C# A B Building the A G# major F# E D Circle C# E So What? D# E C# Circle of tones major B A Circle of G# F# chords E Circle of keys

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#-E Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of B Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? a B major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of BB chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of B Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions C# D# F# G# A# C# D# F# G# A# Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys EEBB

Building the Circle So What? BBC# D# EF# G# A# Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of C Major (answer)

The Circle A second set of tone-letters is also possible for this key, making Why Theory? B major synonymous with C-ﬂat major: Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals

Scales b b b b b b b b b b Tension and D E G A B D E G A B Resolution Keys (E) (B) (E) (B) b b b b Building the F C F C Circle

So What? Circle of tones b b b b b b b b Circle of C D E F G A B C chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of B/C Major

The Circle (continued) Why Theory? It may seem very strange to refer to the B tone as C-flat, but Purpose remember that all a “flat” represents is a half-step interval Assumptions downward in pitch. Following our convention of using each of Intervals the seven tone letters just once within an octave, either way is Scales valid to represent the B major / C-flat major key: Tension and Resolution Keys Represented as B major: # # # # # Building the B-C -D -E-F -G -A -B Circle So What? Represented as C-flat major: Circle of tones Cb-Db-Eb-Fb-Gb-Ab-Bb-Cb Circle of chords

Circle of keys This is one of three so-called enharmonic keys in the Circle of

Practice Ideas Fifths with dual possible namings. In case you’re wondering if

Glossary this dual-naming might be possible in any of the previous keys,

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of B/C Major

The Circle B major is one step clockwise from E major in the Circle. It # # # # # Why Theory? contains ﬁve sharp tones (F , C , G , D , and A ): Purpose

A G F E D C B A Assumptions G A F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# E D Intervals C C major G major A Scales G F# E D C# B A G F# E D D C# Tension and major Resolution

A G# F# E Keys D C# A B A G# major F# E D C# Building the Circle E A G# major F# E D# C# B So What? A G# F# E D# C# B/Cb Circle of tones major

A# G# F# E D# C# B A# G# Circle of F# E D# C# Ab Gb chords Fb Eb Db Cb Bb Ab Gb Fb Eb Circle of keys Db

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary # # # # # Copyright key: B-C -D -E-F -G -A -B The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. # Kuphaldt The Key of F Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? an F-sharp major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What? Circle of tones # # Circle of F F chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. # Kuphaldt The Key of F Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions C# D# F# G# A# C# D# F# G# A# Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution (F) (F) # # Keys E BBE

Building the Circle So What? F# G# A# BC# D# E# F# Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of G Major (answer)

The Circle A second set of tone-letters is also possible for this key, making Why Theory? F-sharp major synonymous with G-ﬂat major: Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals

Scales b b b b b b b b b b Tension and D E G A B D E G A B Resolution Keys (B) (B) b b Building the FFC C Circle

So What? Circle of tones b b b b b b b Circle of G A B C D E F G chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. # b Kuphaldt The Key of F /G Major

The Circle F-sharp major is one step clockwise from B major in the Circle. # # # # # # Why Theory? It contains six sharp tones (F , C , G , D , A , and E ): Purpose

A G F E D C B A Assumptions G A F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# E D Intervals C C major G major A G F# Scales E D C# B A G F# E D D C# Tension and major Resolution

A G# F# E D C# A B A Keys G# major F# E D C# Building the Circle E A G# major F# E D# C# B A G# F# E D# So What? C# B/Cb major F#/Gb A# G# Circle of tones major F# E D# C# B A# A# G# G# F# F# E E# D# D# C# C# B Ab A# Gb Circle of G# Fb F# Eb E# Db D# Cb C# Bb Ab Ab Gb chords Gb Fb F Eb Eb Db Db Cb Bb Ab Gb F Eb Db Circle of keys Cb

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary # # # # # # # Copyright key: F -G -A -B-C -D -E -F The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. # Kuphaldt The Key of C Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? a C-sharp major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What? Circle of tones # # Circle of C C chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. # Kuphaldt The Key of C Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions C# D# F# G# A# C# D# F# G# A# Intervals

Scales

Tension and Resolution (C) (F)(C) (F) # # # # Keys B E B E

Building the Circle So What? C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C# Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of D Major (answer)

The Circle A second set of tone-letters is also possible for this key, making Why Theory? C-sharp synonymous with D-ﬂat major: Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals

Scales b b b b b b b b b b Tension and D E G A B D E G A B Resolution

Keys Building the CFFC Circle

So What? Circle of tones b b b b b b Circle of D E F G A B C D chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. # b Kuphaldt The Key of C /D Major

The Circle C-sharp major is one step clockwise from F-sharp major in the # # # # # # Why Theory? Circle, with seven sharp tones (F , C , G , D , A , E , and # Purpose B ): Assumptions

A G F E D C B A G A F G E F# D E C D Intervals C B A G F# E D C C major G Scales major A G F# E D C# B A G F# E D D C# Tension and major Resolution A G# F# E D C# A B A G# major F# E D Keys C#

E A G# major F# Building the E D# C# B A G# F# E D# Circle C# C#/Db B/Cb major major F#/Gb Ab A# Gb G# F major F# Eb E Db D# C C# Bb B So What? Ab A# Gb A# G# F G# F# Eb F# E Db E# D# C D# C# C# A# B Ab G# A# Gb F# G# Fb E# F# Eb D# E# Db C# D# Cb B# C# Bb A# Ab G# Ab Gb F# Gb Fb E# F Eb Circle of tones D# Eb Db C# Db Cb Bb Ab Gb F Eb Db Cb Circle of chords The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Circle of keys # # # # # # # # Practice Ideas key: C -D -E -F -G -A -B -C . However, for reasons

Glossary revealed in the next exercise, we cannot call the next key

Tony R. # b Kuphaldt The Key of C /D Major

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals Scales The next-clockwise key’s tonic must still be the ﬁfth degree of Tension and Resolution this key, but for reasons we will soon understand we must base

Keys this progression oﬀ of the enharmonic name of the present key b b b b b b Building the (D-ﬂat major): D -E -F-G -A -B -C-D Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of A Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? an A-ﬂat major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What? Circle of tones b b Circle of A A chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of A Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions Intervals Db Eb Ab Bb Db Eb Ab Bb Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys CFGCFG

Building the Circle So What? Ab Bb CDb Eb FG Ab Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of A Major (answer)

The Circle Why Theory? A second set of tone-letters is not possible for this key as it Purpose was with B major, F-sharp major, and C-sharp major. Those Assumptions are the only three enharmonic keys in the Circle of Fifths. Intervals Scales Ab major written correctly: Tension and b b b b b Resolution A -B -C-D -E -F-G-A

Keys # Building the A failed attempt to write it as G major: Circle G#-A#-B#-C#-D#-E#-G-G# So What? Circle of tones Note how the letter G is repeated and the letter F is omitted in Circle of the failed attempt. This is why the key of A-ﬂat has no chords

Circle of keys enharmonic equivalent: one cannot be correctly named

Practice Ideas following the convention of using all seven tone-letters.

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of A Major

The Circle A-flat major is one step clockwise from D-flat major (C-sharp b b b b Why Theory? major) in the Circle, with 4 flat tones (A , B , D , and E ): Purpose

A G F E D C B A G A Assumptions F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# E D Intervals C C major G major A G F# E Scales D C# B A G F# E D D C# Tension and major Resolution

A G# F# E D C# A B A Keys G# major F# E D C# Building the b Circle b A E A A G G# F major major F# Eb E Db D# C C# Bb B Ab A G G# F F# Eb E Db D# So What? C C# C#/Db B/Cb major major F#/Gb Ab A# Gb G# F major F# Circle of tones Eb E Db D# C C# Bb B Ab A# Gb A# G# F G# F# Eb F# E Db E# D# C D# C# C# A# B Ab G# A# Gb Circle of F# G# Fb E# F# Eb D# E# Db C# D# Cb B# C# Bb A# Ab G# Ab Gb F# Gb Fb chords E# F Eb D# Eb Db C# Db Cb Bb Ab Gb F Eb Db Circle of keys Cb

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: Ab-Bb-C-Db-Eb-F-G-Ab Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of E Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? an E-ﬂat major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What? Circle of tones b b Circle of E E chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of E Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions Intervals Eb Ab Bb Eb Ab Bb Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys CDFGCDFG

Building the Circle So What? Eb FGAb Bb CD Eb Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of E Major

The Circle E-flat major is one step clockwise from A-flat major in the b b b Why Theory? Circle, with 3 flat tones (A , B , and E ): Purpose

A G F E D C B A G A Assumptions F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# E D Intervals C C major G major A G F# E Scales D C# B A G F# E D D C# Tension and major Resolution

Ab A G G# F F# Eb E D b D C C# Bb E A B Ab A Keys G G# F major major F# Eb E D D C C# Building the b Circle b A E A A G G# F major major F# Eb E Db D# C C# Bb B Ab A G G# F F# Eb E Db D# So What? C C# C#/Db B/Cb major major F#/Gb Ab A# Gb G# F major F# Circle of tones Eb E Db D# C C# Bb B Ab A# Gb A# G# F G# F# Eb F# E Db E# D# C D# C# C# A# B Ab G# A# Gb Circle of F# G# Fb E# F# Eb D# E# Db C# D# Cb B# C# Bb A# Ab G# Ab Gb F# Gb Fb chords E# F Eb D# Eb Db C# Db Cb Bb Ab Gb F Eb Db Circle of keys Cb

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-D-Eb Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of B Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? a B-ﬂat major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What? Circle of tones b b Circle of B B chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of B Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions Intervals Eb Bb Eb Bb Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys CDFGACDFGA

Building the Circle So What? Bb CDEb FGA Bb Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. b Kuphaldt The Key of B Major

The Circle B-flat major is one step clockwise from E-flat major in the b b Why Theory? Circle, with 2 flat tones (B , and E ): Purpose

A G F E D C B A G A Assumptions F G E F# D E C D C B A G F# E D Intervals C C major G major A A G G F F# Eb E Scales D D C C# Bb B A A G G F F# Eb E D b D C B D C# Tension and major major Resolution

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of F Major

The Circle Select the proper tone letters from the piano keyboard to form

Why Theory? an F major scale:

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals # # # # # # # # # # Scales C D F G A C D F G A Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the CDEFGACDEFGABB Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of FF chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half step step step step step step step Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of F Major (answer)

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions Intervals Bb Bb Scales

Tension and Resolution

Keys CDEFGACDEFGA

Building the Circle So What? FFGABb CDE Circle of tones

Circle of chords Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Circle of keys step step step step step step step Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Key of F Major

The Circle F major is one step clockwise from B-ﬂat major in the Circle, b Why Theory? with only 1 ﬂat tone (B ): Purpose

A G F E D C B A A G A Assumptions G F G F E F# E D E D C D C C Bb B A A G G F F# E E D D Intervals C C C major F G major major A A G G F F# Eb E Scales D D C C# Bb B A A G G F F# Eb E D b D C B D C# Tension and major major Resolution

Practice Ideas The next-clockwise key’s tonic will be the ﬁfth degree of this Glossary key: F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt The Circle is Complete!

The Circle

Why Theory? At this point we see why the Circle of Fifths is a circle: if we

Purpose follow this progression of ﬁfths far enough, it leads us back to Assumptions the key we started with (C major). Intervals

Scales We see there are twelve keys represented by the Circle. This

Tension and stands to reason because there are exactly 12 unique tones in Resolution the Western chromatic scale, and it is possible to build a major Keys key from any given tone following the same set of whole- and Building the Circle half-step intervals: So What?

Circle of tones Whole - Whole - Half - Whole - Whole - Whole - Half

Circle of chords Thus, the Circle of Fifths maps every “major” key in the Circle of keys Western music system. The signiﬁcance of these keys’ order Practice Ideas around the Circle is their number of sharp or ﬂat tones. Glossary

Copyright The Circle of Fifths So What? Tony R. Kuphaldt We have invested a lot of eﬀort mapping out all the major keys. The Circle A logical question now is, “Why did we do all that work?” In Why Theory? answer to this question I have good news and bad news. Purpose Assumptions First, ﬁguring out all the key-tones for each of the twelve major Intervals keys is helpful because once you remember all these keys you Scales will be able to quickly identify the tones used within any tune Tension and or song of a given major key. This is extremely helpful when Resolution

Keys playing by ear: instead of having to correctly select from twelve

Building the possible tones, you need only select from seven. Circle So What? Second, remembering the order of major keys around the Circle Circle of tones is helpful because it allows you to quickly reference the key Circle of chords name by the number of sharp or ﬂat tones contained therein.

Circle of keys Every time you see a key signature on sheetmusic (that cluster

Practice Ideas of sharps or ﬂats near clef) you will be able to identify the

Glossary corresponding major key.

Copyright The Circle of Fifths Other beneﬁts of the Circle of Fifths include the ability to very Tony R. Kuphaldt quickly identify and shift between diﬀerent modes of a key. This is a whole subject unto itself, to be covered in another The Circle tutorial, but in certain music genres commonly using modes Why Theory? other than “major” it becomes necessary to navigate these Purpose

Assumptions key-variations ﬂuently. The Circle of Fifths provides a way to

Intervals do that, mapping each of the seven modes (Lydian,

Scales Ionian-Major, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian-Natural Minor,

Tension and Phrygian, Locrian) to each other by simple clockwise and Resolution counter-clockwise shifts around the Circle. Keys

Building the Circle Shifts around the Circle are also used in music genres where

So What? key-changes occur within a single tune. Jazz is rather famous

Circle of tones for this. Certain key changes sound more pleasing to the ear Circle of than others, and the Circle of Fifths is a tool useful for ﬁnding chords those “correct” key changes. Shifts around the Circle are also Circle of keys useful for building sets of complementary tunes in traditional Practice Ideas Irish music. Glossary

Copyright The Circle of Fifths So now comes the bad news: you’re going to have to commit Tony R. Kuphaldt all the key-tones to memory, as well as the order of keys around the Circle, if you ever plan on realizing these beneﬁts during a The Circle live music session. Why Theory? Purpose This is a lot like learning to multiply numbers without a Assumptions calculator. Someone can demonstrate and explain to you that Intervals 4 × 5 = 20 because 4 × 5 simply means 4 added to itself 5 Scales

Tension and times (i.e. 4+4+4+4+4 = 20), but in real life it would be Resolution a waste of time to multiply numbers like this. Repeated Keys addition may explain why multiplication works, but to use it in Building the Circle any practical way demands that you commit “multiplication

So What? tables” to memory so you can quickly recall that 4 × 5 = 20.

Circle of tones

Circle of What we did in building up our Circle of Fifths key by key was chords analogous to creating an entire multiplication table by repeated Circle of keys addition. Now comes the hard work of internalizing this table Practice Ideas in your mind so that you may recall it when needed. Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Fair Cinderella

The Circle A way to remember the clockwise order of keys is the phrase

Why Theory? “Fair Cinderella Goes Dancing At Every Ball”

Purpose Cinderella

Assumptions Fair C Goes major F G Intervals major major

Ball Dancing Scales Bb D major major Tension and Resolution Every Eb A At Keys major major

Building the b Circle A E At major major Every So What? C#/Db B/Cb major major F#/Gb Circle of tones Cinderella major Ball Dancing Cinderella Circle of Fair chords Goes Circle of keys As you can see, there is a bit of confusion around the Practice Ideas enharmonic keys, but the order F-C-G-D-A-E-B holds true if Glossary you back up a bit and resume. Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Fair Cinderella

The Circle

Why Theory? You’ll also notice that the phrase “Fair Cinderella Goes Dancing

Purpose At Every Ball” works to remember the order in which new sharp

Assumptions tones are added to keys going clockwise around the Circle:

Intervals Cinderella

Scales Fair C Goes major F G Tension and major (no sharps) major

Resolution New sharp: Ball # Dancing b F D B major Keys major New sharp: C# Building the Circle Every Eb New sharp: A At major G# major

So What? New sharp: D# Ab E Circle of tones major New sharp: New sharp: major At # # Every B (C) New sharp: A Circle of # C#/Db E (F) B/Cb chords major major F#/Gb Cinderella major Ball Circle of keys Dancing Fair Cinderella Practice Ideas Goes

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Fair Cinderella

The Circle

Why Theory? The phrase “Fair Cinderella Goes Dancing At Every Ball” even

Purpose works to remember the order in which ﬂat tones disappear from

Assumptions keys going clockwise around the Circle:

Intervals Cinderella

Scales Fair C Goes major F G Tension and major no flats major 1 flat (missing Bb) Resolution b Ball (missing E ) Dancing b D B major Keys major 2 flats (missing Ab) Building the b 3 flats Circle Every E b A At major (missing D ) major

So What? 4 flats (missing Gb) Ab E Circle of tones major major At 5 flats Every (missing Cb) 6 flats 7 flats Circle of (missing Fb) C#/Db B/Cb chords major major F#/Gb Cinderella major Ball Circle of keys Dancing Fair Cinderella Practice Ideas Goes

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Circle of tones

The Circle Why Theory? The Circle of Fifths may be used to determine relationships Purpose between tones, relationships between chords, and/or Assumptions relationships between keys. Intervals

Scales Tension and In this section we will explore some applications of the Circle to Resolution tones, or more precisely, to intervals between tones. Keys

Building the Circle

So What? The strings of stringed instruments are typically tuned in

Circle of tones speciﬁc intervals such as fourths or ﬁfths, and since the Circle

Circle of has its tone-letters arranged in these same intervals, the Circle chords becomes a good reference for the proper tunings of successive Circle of keys strings. Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Tuned in Fifths

The Circle Violin and mandolin strings are typically tuned in ﬁfths: Why Theory?

Purpose Key of G major (1 sharp)

Assumptions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nut # G ABDEFC G string Intervals Violin fingerboard Scales Key of D major (2 sharps)

Tension and 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 # # Resolution DEF G ABC D string

Keys Key of A major (3 sharps) Building the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Circle # # # ABC DEF G A string So What? Key of E major (4 sharps) Circle of tones 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Circle of # # # # EF G ABC D E string chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas Note how the tonic of each key is the ﬁfth degree of the key

Glossary before it.

Tony R. Kuphaldt Tuned in Fifths

The Circle Cello strings are also typically tuned in ﬁfths, starting one ﬁfth Why Theory? below violins and mandolins: Purpose Key of C major (no sharps) Assumptions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nut Intervals C DEGF AB C string

Scales Cello fingerboard Key of G major (1 sharp) Tension and Resolution 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 # G ABDEFC G string Keys

Building the Key of D major (2 sharps) Circle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 # # So What? DEF G ABC D string

Circle of tones Key of A major (3 sharps)

Circle of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 chords # # # ABC DEF G A string Circle of keys Practice Ideas The string tones follow a clockwise sequence around the Circle Glossary of Fifths. Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Tuned in Fourths

The Circle Bass strings are typically tuned in fourths, and so their string Why Theory? tones are reverse of a violin: Purpose Key of E major (4 sharps) Assumptions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nut Intervals # # # # EF G ABC D E string

Scales Bass fingerboard Key of A major (3 sharps) Tension and Resolution 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 # # # ABC DEF G A string Keys

Building the Key of D major (2 sharps) Circle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 # # So What? DEF G ABC D string

Circle of tones Key of G major (1 sharp)

Circle of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 chords # G ABDEFC G string Circle of keys Practice Ideas The string tones follow a counter-clockwise sequence around Glossary the Circle of Fifths. Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Locating tritones

The Circle

Why Theory? Another tone relationship applicable to the Circle of Fifths is

Purpose the tritone. A tritone, otherwise known as an augmented

Assumptions fourth or a diminished ﬁfth, is an interval of three whole-steps. Intervals Tritones are known for their dissonant quality, used often in Scales Western music to build tension prior to a resolution. If you Tension and know your Circle of Fifths well enough, you won’t need to Resolution

Keys count whole-steps to ﬁnd a tritone interval – you may simply

Building the look across the Circle to ﬁnd the tone-letter directly on the Circle opposite side! So What? Circle of tones For example, C and F♯ together represent a tritone interval. So Circle of do E♭ and A. So do F and B, or any other pair of tones located chords

Circle of keys on opposite sides of the Circle.

Practice Ideas Which tone forms a tritone interval with C♯? Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Locating dominant sevenths

The Circle Why Theory? Another tone relationship applicable to the Circle of Fifths is Purpose the dominant seventh. This is one half-step lower than the Assumptions regular seventh degree tone of the major scale, and is used to Intervals create tension in chord progressions. When you see a chord Scales written as a tone-letter plus the number 7 (e.g. A7, D♭7), this Tension and Resolution means that chord includes an added dominant seventh tone. Keys The dominant seventh also happens to be the tone exactly two Building the steps counter-clockwise from the tonic on the Circle of Fifths. Circle So What? For example, B♭ is the dominant seventh tone in a C major Circle of tones scale. Likewise, D is the dominant seventh tone in an E major Circle of chords scale. Circle of keys ♭ Practice Ideas Which tone is the dominant seventh in an E major scale?

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Locating pentatonic tones

The Circle Yet another application of the Circle of Fifths with regard to Why Theory? tones is locating pentatonic scale tones. A pentatonic scale is Purpose one comprised of just ﬁve tones, a major pentatonic scale Assumptions consisting of degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of that major scale. Intervals Interestingly, the Circle of Fifths may be used to identify Scales pentatonic tones for any tonic, as an alternative to counting Tension and Resolution degrees. Given a certain tonic tone, the other tones of a major Keys pentatonic scale are simply the next four tones going clockwise Building the Circle around the Circle.

So What? For example, the C major pentatonic scale consists of C, G, D, Circle of tones ♭ ♭ ♭ Circle of A, E, and B. The A major pentatonic scale consists of A , E , chords B♭, F, and C. The E major pentatonic scale consists of E, B, Circle of keys F♯, C♯, and G♯ (A♭). Practice Ideas Glossary Which tones comprise a G♭ pentatonic scale? Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Making double-stop “chords”

The Circle

Why Theory? Basic chords consist of a tonic tone plus a ﬁfth played

Purpose simultaneously along with other tones which deﬁne the chord’s

Assumptions quality (e.g. major, minor, suspended, etc.). If you are playing

Intervals a melody instrument and wish to play a double-stop (two tones) Scales that fit with a given chord, playing the first (tonic) and fifth is Tension and a good pair to choose because this interval fits most chords. Resolution Keys The Circle of Fifths helps quickly identify the fifth for any given Building the Circle tonic: just look one step clockwise. So, if the tonic is a D tone, So What? then you can play a D together with an A to create this perfect Circle of tones fifth interval. Rock musicians often refer to this interval as a Circle of power chord. Power chords are really useful for accompaniment, chords

Circle of keys because they are compatible with either major or minor chords. Practice Ideas Which tones comprise an E♭ power chord? Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Circle of chords

The Circle Why Theory? The Circle of Fifths may be used to determine relationships Purpose between tones, relationships between chords, and/or Assumptions relationships between keys. Intervals

Scales Tension and In this section we will explore some applications of the Circle to Resolution chords. Keys

Building the Circle

So What? Progressions of chords in tunes typically follow set patterns,

Circle of tones and these patterns often involve the use of IV and V chords

Circle of (i.e. chords whose tonic tones are the fourth and ﬁfth tones in chords that key’s scale). Thus, the Circle may be used as a reference Circle of keys for identifying IV and V chords given the I chord. Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt I-IV-V chord identiﬁcation

The Circle For musicians who play chords, you are probably already aware Why Theory? of how common I-IV-V chords are in a great many tunes and Purpose songs. These Roman numerals refer to the tone-degree Assumptions

Intervals numbers within a major key. So, for example, if you are playing

Scales a tune in the key of C major, C major would be the I chord

Tension and because C is the 1st-degree tone in that key, F major would be Resolution the IV chord because F is the 4th-degree tone, and G major Keys would be the V chord because G is the 5th degree tone. Building the Circle

So What? The challenge is how to quickly identify the I, IV, and V chords

Circle of tones for any given key that gets called out at a jam session. If the

Circle of tune will be played in A major . . . QUICK! What will the I, chords IV, and V chords be?? You will sometimes see musicians Circle of keys counting on their ﬁngers to identify the IV and V chord letters Practice Ideas given the key letter (I chord). Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt I-IV-V chord identiﬁcation

The Circle

Why Theory? If you know the Circle of Fifths well, however, there is a faster

Purpose way to identify these chords than counting. The major key of

Assumptions the tune is of course the I chord. The IV chord is simply the

Intervals name of the key one step counter-clockwise on the Circle. The Scales V chord is simply the name of the key one step clockwise on Tension and the Circle. Resolution Keys If you’re going to play a tune in G major, what are the I, IV, Building the Circle and V chords?

So What?

Circle of tones If you’re going to play a tune in E major, what are the I, IV,

Circle of and V chords? chords Circle of keys If you’re going to play a tune in A-ﬂat major, what are the I, Practice Ideas IV, and V chords? Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Circle of keys

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose

Assumptions

Intervals The Circle of Fifths may be used to determine relationships

Scales between tones, relationships between chords, and/or

Tension and relationships between keys. Resolution

Keys Building the In this section we will explore some applications of the Circle to Circle keys. Speciﬁcally, we will examine how the Circle may be used So What? to identify the key signature of a mode. Circle of tones

Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt What is a Mode?

The Circle A mode is a modiﬁcation made to a key by raising or lowering Why Theory? speciﬁc scale-tones. If we identify the degrees of a major Purpose

Assumptions (“Ionian”-mode) scale by number, and then selectively raise or

Intervals lower certain degrees of that scale one at a time, we can

Scales generate six other modes:

Tension and Resolution 1 2 3#4 5 6 7 Lydian Keys 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ionian (Major) Building the "Brighter" Circle 1 23 4 5 6 b7 Mixolydian So What? 1 2b3 4 5 6 b7 Dorian Circle of tones 1 2b3 4 5 b6 b7 Aeolian (Minor) Circle of chords "Darker" 1b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 Phrygian Circle of keys 1b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 Locrian Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt A Brighter/Darker Circle

The Circle

Why Theory?

Purpose Assumptions If we don’t wish to remember the sequence of degree-tones to Intervals raise or lower in order to “brighten” or “darken” a key, we may Scales simply use the Circle of Fifths. The key signatures represented Tension and Resolution by a Circle of Fifths just happen to follow this exact same

Keys raising/lowering pattern. This means we may very quickly Building the identify the key signature of a desired mode by ﬁrst ﬁnding the Circle major key of the tonic we want, then stepping around the circle So What? clockwise to “brighten” the mode or counter-clockwise to Circle of tones “darken” the mode. Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt A Brighter/Darker Circle

The Circle A few of the major keys common to folk music are shown with Why Theory? their relative modes: Purpose

Assumptions Darker (CCW) Brighter (CW)

Intervals

Scales C maj F maj G mix G maj Tension and C mix D dor D mix Resolution G dor A min A dor Brighter (CW) Bb D min E min D maj Keys A mix Lydian E dor Major (Ionian) B min Building the Mixolydian Circle b A maj B dor Dorian E E mix F# min Minor (Aeolian) Gb min So What? Phrygian Locrian Circle of tones b A E Darker (CCW) Circle of chords C#/Db B/Cb F#/Gb Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Practice Ideas Kuphaldt

The Circle Just like memorizing multiplication tables, committing

Why Theory? key-tones and key-orders to memory requires much practice.

Purpose This section outlines multiple ways to internalize these Assumptions concepts. Commit to incorporating these concepts into every Intervals practice session, and you will soon ﬁnd them becoming more Scales and more comfortable to you. Tension and Resolution Remember that there are twelve major keys represented by the Keys Circle of Fifths. Mastery of all keys necessitates practicing each Building the Circle and every one of them. However, some of these keys are far So What? more common than others in certain genres of music such as Circle of tones folk. For all you folk musicians reading this, feel free to Circle of chords concentrate on the following keys in order to simplify your task:

Circle of keys Major keys of C, G, D, and A (from 0 to 3 sharps) Practice Ideas

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt Playing scales

The Circle A time-honored way of learning tones in each key is to practice Why Theory? each key’s scale in linear order, both up and down, always Purpose beginning and ending on the tonic. Whenever possible, do this Assumptions over multiple octaves so as to cover the broadest range on your Intervals instrument. This helps familiarize you with all the positions Scales

Tension and used for playing tones. Resolution

Keys

Building the Circle

So What?

Circle of tones

Circle of chords One disadvantage of linear scales is that they tend to be

Circle of keys boring. When you hear musicians lament the practice of scales, Practice Ideas this is what they’re complaining about. Fortunately, there are Glossary more interesting ways to practice key-tones! (Read on . . .) Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Playing tone-clusters

The Circle Since our real goal is to internalize each key rather than simply Why Theory?

Purpose memorize each scale, it becomes useful (and more engaging!)

Assumptions to play the tones of a key in non-linear orders. For example,

Intervals you may play clusters of four ascending or descending

Scales key-tones, each successive cluster starting one degree higher:

Tension and Resolution

Keys

Building the Circle

So What? Circle of tones Really, any pattern that covers the entire key will work. The Circle of idea here is to create and explore something more musical than chords a simple scale, while still internalizing all the tones within a Circle of keys given key. Give yourself permission to have some fun with new Practice Ideas

Glossary patterns! Try playing some patterns right now!

Tony R. Kuphaldt Playing in random order

The Circle A more advanced way to internalize the tones of a key is to Why Theory? practice playing them in totally random order. Begin with the Purpose tonic tone, and return to that tone periodically to “re-orient” Assumptions your sequence to it, but play all the other tones at random. Intervals Scales This, of course, will be very challenging at ﬁrst. If you ﬁnd Tension and Resolution yourself wondering if the tones you’re playing really belong to Keys that key, feel free to return to linear scales. In fact, you might Building the wish to alternate linear scales with random-order tones in your Circle practice sessions, using the linear scales to remind yourself So What? what the correct tones are for that key before trying to play Circle of tones

Circle of those tones randomly again. chords Circle of keys Remember that your goal is to master the key, not merely to Practice Ideas master the scales of each key. Fluency with key-tones enables Glossary you to play with much more conﬁdence and accuracy. Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Composition

The Circle The next logical step beyond playing key-tones in random order Why Theory? is to come up with an order that actually sounds like a melody. Purpose Your compositions don’t have to be fancy. In fact, really Assumptions primitive melodies are perfectly acceptable! Intervals Scales What you’re aiming for here is the use of intervals to create Tension and Resolution diﬀerent aural sensations. Once you have become familiar with Keys the tones comprising a key, you may freely experiment with the Building the intervals between those tones, purposely creating tension and Circle resolution to convey musical “ideas” through your playing. So What? Circle of tones This is essentially what musicians do when they improvise: use Circle of chords their knowledge of the tune’s key to select creative tone Circle of keys sequences that sound good and complement the melody. One Practice Ideas really cannot be a good improviser without being very familiar Glossary with that tune’s key-tones! Copyright The Circle of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Transposing familiar tunes

The Circle A fun way to learn new keys is to take a familiar tune in a key Why Theory? you know well, and transpose that tune to a less-familiar key. Purpose This is what we saw earlier with “Mary Had A Little Lamb”: Assumptions Intervals In the key of C major: E-D-C-D-E-E-E Scales Tension and In the key of G major: B-A-G-A-B-B-B Resolution Keys A paint-by-numbers approach to transposition is to assign a Building the Circle degree number to each tone based on the original key (e.g.

So What? 3-2-1-2-3-3-3 for the opening of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”)

Circle of tones and then use those degree numbers to identify the correct Circle of tones in the new key. chords Circle of keys Your familiarity with the melody will guide your selection of the Practice Ideas correct tones in the new key, thereby helping to familiarize Glossary yourself with that new key. Copyright The Circle Glossary of Fifths

Tony R. Kuphaldt Interval – The ratio of pitch between two diﬀerent tones, corresponding to the distance separating tones on a keyboard or a The Circle fretboard. One fret’s distance on a guitar is a half-step interval, while Why Theory? two frets’ distance is a whole step. Intervals may also be described in Purpose

Assumptions terms of the tones’ numbered position on a scale (e.g. a “perfect

Intervals fourth” interval is the distance between the 1 and 4 tones of a major

Scales scale). This is part of the essential vocabulary for music. you will ﬁnd

Tension and that the “feel” of music depends more on the intervals between notes Resolution than the notes themselves! Keys

Building the Circle Octave – A two-to-one ratio of musical pitch. Octave tones sound

So What? remarkably similar to each other, and use the same letter designators.

Circle of tones “Middle C” on a piano keyboard represents a tone vibration of 261.6 Circle of cycles per second, while the next “C” an octave above that is chords precisely twice as fast (523.2 cycle per second) and the next “C” an Circle of keys octave below “middle C” is half as fast (130.8 cycles per second). Practice Ideas Octaves are why tones seem to repeat themselves up and down the Glossary

Copyright scale of any wide-range instrument. The Circle of Fifths Sharp (♯) or Flat (♭) – A raising or lowering of pitch. This may Tony R. refer to a tone being oﬀ-pitch compared to a standard (e.g. tuning Kuphaldt fork, electronic tuner), or it may refer to the relative pitches of tones The Circle on a musical scale. The Western “chromatic” scale (containing all Why Theory? tones) is divided into twelve tones per octave, some of them given Purpose letter names and others given letter names plus the “sharp” or “ﬂat” Assumptions designation: A-A♯-B-C-C♯-D-D♯-E-F-F♯-G-G♯ and back to A. Intervals Alternatively, A-B♭-B-C-D♭-D-E♭-E-F-G♭-G-A♭ and back to A. This is Scales part of the essential vocabulary for music. Tension and Resolution

Keys # # # # # # # # # # Building the C D F G A C D F G A "Sharp" ( ) tones Circle Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb "Flat" ( ) tones So What? Note: there is nothing "special" Circle of tones about sharp or flat tones. These designations are the result of using Circle of chords only seven alphabet letters to represent twelve unique tones! Circle of keys CDEFGACDEFGABB Practice Ideas "Natural" ( ) tones

Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt

The Circle Scale – A sequence of tones, usually played in ascending or

Why Theory? descending order, constituting a musical “palette” useful for creating Purpose tunes or phrases. A closely related concept is that of a Key, which in Assumptions Western music typically consists of the tones comprising a speciﬁc Intervals class of seven-note scale. Mastery of scales and keys allows you to Scales quickly ﬁnd tones that sound well with any other tone, which is Tension and Resolution obviously useful (e.g. jamming, composing).

Keys Degree – A number label given to each of the seven tones Building the Circle comprising a key. For example, in the C major key, C would be 1, D So What? would be 2, E would be 3, etc. Musicians often refer to intervals by Circle of tones these degree numbers. Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary

Copyright The Circle of Fifths Tony R. Major versus Minor – These terms refer to two diﬀerent qualities Kuphaldt of tone-clusters (e.g. keys or chords) deﬁned by the intervals between The Circle those tones. Major and minor are not the only types of quality in Why Theory? Western music, but they tend to be the most common. These Purpose qualities stand independent of the starting tone, which is why there Assumptions are twelve “major keys” in Western music as well as twelve “minor Intervals keys” (i.e. each of these keys starting from one of twelve distinct Scales tones within an octave). Knowing all the major keys by heart gives Tension and Resolution you a great starting point to build any of the minor or “modal” keys. Keys Building the Mode – A variation on a key, created by altering the step-distances Circle (intervals) separating tones in that key. Traditionally, there are seven So What? modes, each given a Greek name. Major (ionian) and Natural Minor Circle of tones

Circle of (aeolian) are two of them. Some musical genres, especially Irish chords music and Jazz, make use of modes to create diﬀerent “qualities” for Circle of keys tunes lying between major and minor. Practice Ideas

Glossary

Copyright The Circle of Fifths Chord – A set of three or more tones played simultaneously. Some Tony R. Kuphaldt instruments (e.g. autoharps) play nothing but chords, and others (e.g. guitars) are often played solely to form chords. Chords are used The Circle extensively to accompany melodies, and are often notated by simple Why Theory? letter symbols near lyrics which makes them easy to document in Purpose song music. Knowing which tones make up a chord gives you Assumptions

Intervals multiple options to sing and/or play harmony to any melody.

Scales Arpeggio – Italian for “chord played as on a harp,” this is simply Tension and Resolution the diﬀerent tones making up a chord played one at a time instead of Keys simultaneously. Guitar players: hold a chord pattern with your left Building the Circle hand while picking individual notes with your right hand instead of

So What? strumming the strings, and you will be playing an arpeggio! Many

Circle of tones melodies contain arpeggios, making them easy to play for anyone

Circle of familiar with chords. Arpeggios sound more sophisticated and chords interesting than chords played in block-fashion. Any chord player Circle of keys need only play the notes individually to create a respectable harmony Practice Ideas from a set of given chords. Glossary

Tony R. Kuphaldt

The Circle Copyright Notice Why Theory? 2017-2018 by Tony R. Kuphaldt – under the Purpose c

Assumptions terms and conditions of the Creative Commons

Intervals Attribution 4.0 International Public License

Scales

Tension and This is a copyrighted work, but licensed under the Creative Resolution Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License. The Keys terms and conditions of this license allow for free copying, Building the Circle distribution, and/or modiﬁcation of all licensed works by the So What? general public. In other words, feel free to copy, share, and Circle of tones even modify what you ﬁnd here! Circle of chords

Circle of keys

Practice Ideas

Glossary