Joined: 11 Jan 2011 Netherlands Lessons: 10 Karma

Turbo quick'n'dirty tutorial by E.Koreman 19 Jan 2011 Views: 19070

If you are beginning and serious about music: do not skip the circle of fifths and pay enough attention to it.

It's not just a handy tool to find black piano keys, it's not just a handy tool to find some basic chord progressions. It's a 'magic square'. Here is a sheet with tips to learn it fast, with some fundamental explanations and some examples to do things.

Memorize these circles. Draw them, draw them again, try to find relations, symmetries, play with it. Understanding the circle of fifths and its decedents, the important abouts and its importance as a whole will boost your knowledge and skills. Even if you're already playing for a while.

Although it is mentioned in the sheet, the following is important: The Circle of Fifths is about plain intervals within one theoretical octave. We are at the very basics of music construction here. After the B in a C major scale you'll have the first C again. It may be called 8th, but it's the 1st. Intervals are distances which are only being measured up. Not down. C-G is 5, G-C is 4. You do not subtract intervals, you inverse intervals. Examples are given. The smallest interval is one. Not 0. Think like 1st interval, 2nd interval and so on. Counting.

I hope you like it. Have fun.