The Circle of Fifths - How to Actually Use It
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- The circle of fifths is easy to learn, but what to do with it can be confusing. I'll show you a quick way to memorize it, and then ways to use it for things like chord building and key changes.
Also check out the follow up lesson about using the circle of fifths with minor keys: • The Circle of Fifths -...
Use these as replay buttons
0:29 -Making the circle
4:00 -Notes
7:02 -Chords
8:31 -Keys
Thank you 💕
Thanks bestie
Circle of fifth on guitar
Wooow how u did tay
thanks bestei
2 years I did not understand. I was frustrated but I did not give up playing. Now I can confidently say it is so easy as typing this.
Just to encourage someone out there. keep practicing. don't give up
Will do
Thank you :)
I gave up playing my saxophone because I missed so much of my band class, I lost all motivation to play because I was missing key points of information. For a while I convinced myself I was stupid because I never confronted that feeling. I'm sure if I told my band teacher, he would have been more than happy to help me. It makes me sad now, as do all my many failures and missed opportunities. I feel I've let myself down so many times, but I know I can make things so much better moving forward. I just need to get out of my current living situation so I can dedicate more of myself to developing my personality, rather than focusing all my energy on trying to stay sane. Abuse has always been an overwhelming part of my life, but I know I can escape it.
It might be over-sharing, but it feels a bit better to admit these things to myself as I type them.
Thx brother. My brother is a God. I need to catch up to this mans.
Samuel OC :)
Shit this guy just taught me more in 15 mins than what I'd learnt myself in the last 2 years
When I was a kid, I remembered it using
Order of flats: Fat Boy Eat All Day
Order of sharps: Go Down And Eat Breakfast
OMG, for the flats I've the same method!!
I learned it later on, but the way I memorized it was "Computer Generated F*** BEADs."
i learned
BEAD GCF and
Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Bugs
"fat boy eat all day", thats exactly what i was taught, but i was never taught of the circle of fifth, maybe i was too young for that
when i heard of the circle in recent years, i thought it was a chart for modern music chords, and very recently realized it was actually ancient.
i took piano and was told that the order of sharps was Fat Cat Goes Down Alley Eating Bacon and flats was B E A D G C F. and to me it seems that that was totally wrong.
I'm nearly 60, but this makes me want to go back to music school with you as teacher. Great job. You have a gift.
You're nearly 60, but you can't use grammar properly...
Duh?
The odd thing is that no one has bothered to explain in what way the grammar is incorrect. My original comment reads fine to me, at least for conversational English.
Thanks for your support!
Really great
lmao thanks for this, but serious question... How did you find out about the time I got drunk and ate butterflies!?
why do you fondle beads, Carolyn. why.
she's Catholic@@burpie3258
burpie 😂
David Hanson 😆
That would the the "Circle of Gossip"
This guy is an absolute legend. My friends and I are in a band, and I was struggling to understand how to write my own music, until I saw this video. He described an advanced course simple enough to have an overgrown toddler like myself understand it. Keep up the good work!
I'm just into my second year of learning to play, in my case a clarinet, but I really took a step forward with you explaination of the circle of 5Ths . excellent
P.S. I'm 78 and wishing I should have started earlier
Well you are making me feel better, Anthony! I am 58 and just finally getting time for music (life can be rather busy). Videos like this one are so helpful. And since we are speaking "geezer" now, all of the research shows that exactly this kind of learning really helps our brains stay sharper and potentially even avoid or retard the onset of dementia. Now, I'm off to take my Geritol! ;-)
Just when I was wondering whether I'm too late to make real progress at 72, only time will tell. I agree, we have to keep the grey matter working. Thanks golden oldies.
My teacher had another student that started violin at 62 and made it to an orchestra! Not one of the big ones, but a nice one still. Keep it up! Just be very cautious with tension/injuries! Wish you all the best
Very inspiring. You’re never to old to learn. I really loved playing music in middle and high school but my immigrant parents made me stop so I could take AP classes and get into a good college. Well I did just that and I graduated college and now have more time to do stuff I actually love which of course is playing music lol
Haha 78 likes for this comment and your 78
Michael, you're an excellent teacher! You made it look so easy. I didn't major in music ( I"m a retired CFO/CPA). However, I've been playing piano for 50 yrs and cello 30 yrs. I even took 4 yrs. of cello at a university & played in a symphony. You just added a big piece of the puzzle to my musical knowledge. We're never too old to learn. Thank you!!
Thoughtful comment! I like the reflecting aspect.
@ not everyone is playing to master it. Some people just enjoy playing the songs they know, or playing off a score. Music theory really only comes into play when improving, and when you're trying to coordinate more than one instrument. I played guitar for years, and didn't know what notes the frets were called until recently. I'm only here now because I'm trying to write my own stuff for piano and clarinet 🤷♂️
@ He did not say he spent 50 years playing the piano THEN 30 years playing the cello...in fact that is highly unlikely...some of those 50 years of piano could've also been some of the 30 years of cello...
Lol if you listen close at 2:22 you can hear someone getting arrested lol (PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK)
How in the actual hell did you hear that...😂
that isn't someone being arrested
@@JaysonPlaysMinecraft lol sure sounds like it to me.... Usually when the cops say put your hands behind your back.... Your going to jail.... Unless your a snitch then you still probly go to jail just not for as long..lol idk you tell me what you think it means when they say put your hands behind your back 😂🤣
@@canellofl7112 if it were someone being arrested i think the video would have paused
@@JaysonPlaysMinecraft obviously not the one shooting the video getting arrested.. Maybe someone outside the house, maybe a neighbor come on dude don't be that naive...wow I'm obviously not talking about the guy doing the video... It might even be on TV in the room but it is still definitely someone getting locked up
*Caroline got arrested at **2:22** in the background*
Deranged Łøçø lol
Hahahahaha
thats kind of creepy lmao
he says i'll call you back...i think
Serves her goddamn right.
FONDLES
NOT FIXES
NOT FOUND
NOT FLIPS
NOT FARMS
NOT FIGHTS
FONDLES
But now you'll remember it.......
Who on earth “fights” beads?
The human brain will focus on and remember violent and erotic things the best. If you're making mnemonics you want them to be raunchy so you remember them better.
@@graffhyrum Like the TTSTTTS of the major scale is most memorable as "TiTS-TiTTieS".
So the guy's a fondler. We all have our fetishes.
i've been playing guitar for 15 years, and i never realized how much i still have to learn until i saw this.
yurtpoh Lmao bubbles in your profile pic fits so perfectly
yeah, guitar sucks
lol
search up "Jacob Collier Music Theory Interview", mind blown
Tickleshits me too, I've only been playing for ten years and although I can read music, I play mostly tab and know little about music theory and I can't identify keys or anything
Bead-fondler is going to be the name of my next band
Thanks for the great review - Thanks, you are clearer than any of my former teachers and professors ! Maybe I’ll get back to writing my own music someday , Thanks
Sorry, I already set up a band with that name. Feel free to use “Caroline and The Fondlers”
Caroline's Bead Fondlers
The Effin Sharps
Caroline should be the title of your first Album.
Perfect! Clean and straightforward explanation. When on my morning walk I try to visualize the circle of fifths. I practice reciting how many sharps or flats for a given key and what they are. Very helpful when transposing on the fly. For example, I play my english horn with our string ensemble. When they play warmups in D, I know I need to be in A because my horn is in F, and they are all in concert C. LOL
I’m a senior in college studying music tech, and this is the most helpful, most cut-and-dry, most effective demonstration of the Circle of Fifths and how it can be used I’ve ever seen. College professors have a habit of skimming the Circle and not really teaching how it can be practically applied to making music. I only really knew it as “clockwise: fifths. Counterclockwise: fourths.” So thanks for this. I definitely subbed and favorited this vid.
"church it up" Best phrase i heard in a while
hahahaha lol
It's near perfect
sad
Don't understand all the negative comments. For me this was an incredibly simple method of understanding something I have been looking for a long time. I've taken notes and I will put it to use. Please keep doing what you do.
Simple? There's nothing to grab onto, nothing to arrange this into understandable sense. If it was A, B, C, D, it would make sense, but it's random and senseless. And there's SEVEN notes between these, so it's the CIRCLE OF SEVENTHS!
@@relicofgold I don't know if this is a joke or not, but it's been the circle of fifths for centuries now it's a basic part of rudiments of music. It's not like he invented it on his own
@@kylebalili7514 It's got 7 steps between each segment of the circle. That sounds like the circle of 7ths to me. Not asking you to accept that.
@@relicofgold The interval between each note is a fifth, hence the name ''Circle of Fifths''. Don't blame your lack of knowledge on anyone but yourself, just keep practicing.
@@marcosdiaz6673 Thanks for the slapdown. I'll know to go to you in the peanut gallery in the future for advice...........not.
I've just started piano after strumming a guitar for years and I am so grateful that you have made this video which has massively deepened my knowledge of notes, chords and keys. This 15 minutes has given me the knowledge and motivation to take my music studies to the next level. You are a great teacher because you know what students find difficult. Excellent.
I can't believe a 9 year old video explained the circle of fifths better than most videos on stream. Thanks a lot!
I admire the clarity in the way you explain, and the sympathy in the way you address your listeners. You are a clever teacher, and made this subject interesting and accessible
After I drink a fifth I usually drive in circles. Same thing right?
Well, it depends on whether you get in a major or minor accident. Regardless, your jail cell will be either square or rectangular, not a circle....
Kzactly
Or the old lady talking in circles drives you to drink. lol
No! It depends which direction you drive: counterclockwise or clockwise! If you drive counterclockwise it means you drank way too much, you drank a fourth:
1/5 < 1/4. You are way over the limit and should be reported.
💩💩💩💩
When you count in counterclockwise, you’ll get the 4th note of each :)
Interesting yes?
Octave
Yes - I prefer to just call them "the cycles" as great studio bassist Carol Kaye called them. She taught them as a reversable tool for learning natural tendencies of chord progressions.
You are a champion! Thank you, Thank you. I've been trying to wrap my head about this for a while, only half understanding it. You have explained this useful tool in a way that actually makes sense! This will save so much time and be so handy.
Way back in the 1970s, my two brothers and I took piano lessons for approximately three years. Our piano teacher would write down the chords on the sheet music, but I could never figure out how she knew the exact keys which made up each chord. NOW I KNOW HOW SHE DID IT! She used the Circle of Fifths. Thank you for your insightful You tube video!
Thank you Mr. Beast!
Lol
why
I thought of elon
He sounds like Red kb
LMAOAOAOAOAOA
I've been playing guitar for years, but it was hard for me to visualize the theory. I just started playing piano a few days ago and I've probably been able to accomplish more now than in the past 10 years combined as far as learning how to build chords and scales. I only knew scales by sound and practice, and I only knew chords by the shapes. You just taught me so much, so thanks.
“If I’m teaching a little kid, I kinda church it up a little bit” I’m using that
Good for you. You have to get them when they're young and don't know better. Otherwise, they'll see right through your bullshit.
69 likes i like that
Literally just thinking that haha
When building a chord, you go up one in the circle of fifths to get the fifth (as you said), but you can also go forward 4 in the circle to get the third (and 5 in the circle to get the major 7th). You probably didn't want to complicate your instructions to explain that Ab and G# are the same thing :-}
Oh yeah I figured that out. Super interesting tool
What you said kind of sounded like my teacher trying to explain the song hallelujah to us in highschool. He was talking about the first verse:
"Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you dont really care for music, do you?
(It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts)
The baffled king composing Hallelujah"
My teacher was big into music but this period was psychology. Maybe he was off track but went into detail. With my lack of musical knowledge it all went over my head but I held onto his lecture for hope of one day finding out what he meant. I also learned to play the song on ukulele but now I'm trying to learn accordion which the circle of 5ths is much more prominent and spoken about. Clearly I'm not proficient in ukulele otherwise I'd probably be using the circle of 5ths there as well.
Please of anyone has insight to right on ahead.
@@izzyh.3581 A bit late but if you're still dying to know...
The fourth, fifth, minor fall, and major lift refer to the chord progression in the song in relation to the root note. The root note or tonic is the note that the song centers around, in this case C. "The fourth" means the chord built on the fourth note of the scale.
So count up from C to the fourth note.
1 2 3 4
C D E F
You get 'F'. So the fourth means F major, the triad built from the fourth note in the C major scale.
Similarly, "the fifth" refers to the chord built on the fifth note of the C major scale.
count up from C to the fifth note
1 2 3 4 5
C D E F G
You get 'G'. So the fifth means G major, the triad built from the fifth note in the C major scale.
"The minor falls" refers to the next chord in the chord progression, the sixth.
counting up from C to the sixth note
1 2 3 4 5 6
C D E F G A
You get 'A'. So the sixth means A minor, the triad built form the sixth note in the C major scale.
Even though "the minor fall" is higher in pitch than "the fourth, the fifth" it releases tension created form the fourth and fifth hence the "fall".
"the major lifts" refers to the last chord in the chord progression, the first, built on the root note C. The triad formed from C is C major. Because C is the central note or root note of the song it acts like a finale to the chord progression. When C major hits notice how there is a feeling of resolution, hence the "the major lift".
The chord progression would be notated like this
IV V vi I
The roman numerals represent the chord number. Capital numerals mean major chords, lowercase means minor chords.
Order of sharps: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
Order of flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father
Dreadly I learned BEAD and Great Cows Fly but that's because my 8th grade band teacher loved cows. she had a stuffed bull that people would dress up in different shirts that he had. there were a few arguments about who got Benny tho and sadly they never got violent
Yeah I also heard of BEAD (then something else), I was gifted with a superb music teacher that gave me Mt. Dews when I answered correctly, haha, so most of my knowledge comes from her. :)
Dreadly lucky! my teacher retired and stopped sharing her knowledge after I finished 8th grade 2 years ago and she moved from the most awesomest state aka Minnesota to a cool state but not as cool as minnesota aka Florida and everyone loved her and I actually learned shit and got to play. my band teacher as a sevie talked for the entire period and then we never got to play and then we sucked at our concerts but our parents clapped anyway because they were parents and they wanted to make us feel like we actually ddi shit
Dreadly, re order of sharps. I learnt this years ago as a Bandsman in the Army.
Father Christmas Gets Drunk After Every Brew.
order of flats = BEAD Gets Completely F....ed. (not a good one for kids, but men remember it) It goes to show that we come to Music from different backgrounds. Theory is hard to explain, and you are doing a good job.
ruben lopez
Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds was what I was taught
But there definitely is a shortcut to find the third. Since every entry in the circle is a constant number of steps from the last, and since the third of a note is always the same number of steps from it, Finding the third of a note will always be the same number of steps around the circle. In this case, 4 steps around. Starting with C, go 4 steps, you're at E, staring with Ab, go 4 steps, you're at C. It will always work, I've just tried it on my piano for every note.
By these definitions, every type of chord is definable by a sequence of steps from the root note around the circle of fifths.
Major: [0 : 4 : 1] or [1 : 5 : 2] if you prefer 1 indexing.
Minor: [0 : -3 : 1] or [0 : 9 : 1]
Dim: [0 : -3 : 6]
Aug: [0 : 4 : -4]
etc. They're fairly easy to define and 7ths are simple to add on. From the above, we can say that there is an easy way to define any chord in terms of the circle of fifths. Would be an interesting way to program if you wanted to teach this to a computer.
p.s. now you could argue that this defeats the simplifying purpose of the circle by adding back in the counting but I'd postulate this is different than counting simple notes by the virtue of having negative indexes and when adding negatives being able to never have an index above 6. Plus with this method you can make pretty triangles with your different chords and if you have your circle memorized, commit the different triangle shapes to memory as well. I'll stop typing now. Hope everybody's staying safe out there.
Wow
Came here to write the point you made in the first paragraph. Left delighted by the idea of having chords become polygons in my mind 😍 Thank you!
This is like a gate to the new world of music for people like me play guitar as a hobby without having music theory.
Appreciate for posting this.
i have a test on this tomorrow and this made everything so much more clear omg thank you so much
The best circle of fifths explanation on the web, congrats!
Thanks so much man. I never grew up with music theory so I come back from time to time to refresh my mind. I found your video explains this in the best most simple way !
You explained it so well I finally got it crystal clear! I was shown this years ago and I really couldn't appreciate the benefits. You got a new subscriber for this.
So helpful! Wish I'd come across this 30 years ago! I feel like a genius now. Will watch more of your lessons.
Fantastic the many relationships you can make using the quint circle, the many ways it can be used.
1. There is also a way that you can use it for making a chord converter, so that if a song is in one key and you want it in a different key. - you just make two quint-circles on cardboard or other hard material, and centre them on the same point a drawing pin or a bolt or nail, and make the key you have on one of the circles correspond to the key you want ... Then all the other chords will correspond the same way. Go from inside circle to outside circle, or vice versa, but just remember which direction you are using.
2. Then it can be made on three levels to give you the notes in each basic three note chord, e.g. One setting gives major chords, another minor chords, another diminished, and another augmenteds. There can be a fourth fifth and sixth circle probably in a different colour, to give the additions to the chords for the sevenths ninths and elevenths.
3. Other circles can be made to show the relative chords; which can be minors, diminished and augmenteds
4. then the same system can probably be used to display whole systems of leading chords.
I kind of just know them by memory on the piano all the chords and feel this would be too long to figure it out like this. I just wanted to know the concept of the circle of fifths. Definitely for changing of notes and make it sound good that is very helpful! Love how the sharps and the pattern going up the circle of fifths makes soo much sense as well!
It's amazing, i used to study piano lessons but it's been so long. It's amazing that this is used for so much of music. I realized that I use this in everyday kmusic things without even THINKING about it!
This has been more helpful for than practically every tutorial I’ve seen on CZcams
It’s also useful for modulating to another key. For example, going from Key of G to A, you play the chord before the A (ie. D chord) over the bass note after the A ( ie. E). Works for any key: to go from C to D, play G/A.
Thank you so much for this video! I know the basics but as you said, I did not know how to use this tool and get more efficient in any practical music stuff. Great teacher!
As always, you cover all the important points as well as point to further reading. You are clear about what is what, for instance I love that you said that the Circle of Fifths is only a visual tool - I don't know why people try to dress up a lot of these simple concepts and ideas. The way I understood it prior to this video, the relationship of 5ths is very important in diatonic music, and going around in 5ths exposes some natural patterns in the octave (that kind of emerge from because the notes are cyclical, and going on in perfect 5ths actually ends up touching all the notes in the octave). Now, the difficult part is how to actually utilize this visual aid to do a lot of approximate calculations in your head. That's the answer I was looking for, and as always you delivered! Now my head is buzzing with ideas on how to use this :).
I was looking for a Circle of Fifths tutorial ,and found this one. I was a bit confused for a moment, as I couldn't remember recording this. :) Excellent and thorough explanation - thanks!
+Michael New I saw your comment in my inbox and thought "what was I talking about? That makes no sense."
Michael New What
Okay, this in itself is great.
What do you mean
This has been the best explanation on how to understand and use a cord circle I’ve seen out there. Has really taught me some things. Thanks
I have finished my education in harmony of music synthesis ,solfez, piano lessons and so on... but Still... this tutorial was essenssial to combining all this knowledge together!! Thank you very much !!! You made my mind flip to the right direction!! keep up this excellent work you're doin'!!!
for someone like me who is a musician at grade 7 I've always struggled with the circle of 5ths until now. Thank you, this was so helpful !!
"Church it up for the kids" you're a good man and this is a great video. Thank you!
I drew the circle, but I also added the 3rd values in-between - the major 3rds (4 half-steps along) on the outside of the circle, and the minor 3rds (3 half-steps along) on the inside. So now I have a handy map for all 1-3-5 major and minor chords. :D
Edit: I suddenly thought about what minor key corresponds to the major key, and how people write them on the inside of the circle. Doing that would mean shifting my minor 3rds map, and I like having the major and minor 3rds of a particular root note together. Besides, I noticed I can find the corresponding minor key by moving 3 steps forwards on the circle.
I had heard of the Circle of Fifths before and read a little about it but never really tried to learn it. But this made it very simple. Thanks.
After 7 years of saxophone in middle/high school, this is amazing to me. I had ZERO theory in school,....just play the notes on the paper. At the age of 58, I am tinkering on a bass guitar, and youtubing music theory...Thank you, you are a great teacher!
if my idiot university prof had your gift for exposition my first theory class wouldn't have been torture, thanks for the superb explanation and memory aids.
Earl Brackett right? The music theory I took killed me, AND I couldn't retain it.
Schools etc. stretch everything out the hardest and longest way (like math) so they can keep making more money, home work & fill time to create more classes, as you can see here and all over the web :)
If your university professor told you the simple version, you'd be done in 3 weeks instead of a whole semester. lol
It's all business.
Getting ready for a theory exam and this is so helpful thanks 👍🏼
This single video answered so many questions I had with chords and music structure.
Just started learning piano and wasn't going to click on this vid bc I thought it'd be way too theoretical, but soo glad I did. Thanks so much for taking the time to share this! You're a good man :)
I first watched this 2 years ago when I started studying music in college and I couldn't get it (0 theory), but now I can, thanks a lot! I use your videos to teach myself theory
Lol. I couldn't get it. Why is he doing that exercises (?) Around 6-ish minutes 😅😂
Way back when I was a full time player, I would use the Circle of 5's to practice licks, patterns, scales and chords for jazz improv work. To work chords, start on the C, and play all the chords ascending around the circle. Then, I would play one chord ascending, the next on descending, and so on. I would practice all types of chords; 7 chords (major triad with flat 7), minor 7, half diminished, etc. Do the same thing with scales; major, dorian minor, the minor built on the fifth (I can't remember what you call it), etc. Again, one ascending, next one descending. Then switch.
OF COURSE I do ALL of this with a metronome. I do this with my eyes closed. What happens, is you develop an instant reaction to chord changes. I made up flash cards that I could shuffle and generate always changing random patterns. By practicing all of this, a jazzer can call out any note in any scale: for example, what is the flat 5 of a minor 7 chord in the key of F#? Or the 6 in the same key. So on and so on. It really does become reflexive. If you ain't willing to put the time in to learn at that level, then you ain't serious about being a jazzer. If you ain't willing to practice at that level, stick to your repertoire playing.
Amazing!
Thank you! Lots of hard work, but worth it!
It's so important to have intervals automated in jazz, especially in keys you haven't played a lot in. It should be automatic before you're gonna play jazz anywhere, knowing what voicings to use when you're given a lead sheet, etc.
I used to warp up playing somewhere over the rainbow in all 12 keys on Sax in Circle order. It used to help and was just as much of a mental exercise as it was a musical one.
I have a question, since the 5th of the F#m7 is a Db. When you ask what the flat 5 is, do I have to make the Db into a C, or does it stay a Db since it's already a flat?
I just started learning music a few days ago, so this is new to me. I already love it, it’s incredible!
Thank you so much this is a really great explanation something that's often presented in a very confusing way.
Well I was watching this it struck me that are very easy I'm finding the third for the is just to go back one step and choose the note before it. So if it was the C scale you would go back from C to F and a note immediately before it is
E. I've also just realised after struggling with the concept of try tritones that they are opposite sides from the root note so if you are starting at C and you want to find the tritone just go straight down to Fsharp at the bottom, from G in a straight diagonal line down to D flat.
I would take a class from you starting tomorrow if I could. You are a very well spoken individual and you teach something that is so complex to most in such a way that it is so simple! You deserve way more like on all your videos!!
Caroline fondles beads. Nope. Never going to forget that. 10/10 would learn mnemonics from you again.
I thought she fondled her BF?
Thank you Michael. The circle of 5ths was always kind of nebulous to me, but you just made great sense out of it on 3 different levels! I learned a lot thank you.
Thank you for doing the video.
I finally got back to piano playing and lessons from being in a hiatus for some 30+ years.
My current instructor has not explained this as well, as you did.
I told him this past week, I am going to learn the 12 majors and 12 minors by next week. He said that was an ambitious goal.
Probably. On The Other Hand I have checked out several you tube videos on this subject, and from my point of view, you are the only person I have found, that has explained this so eloquently simple. From your video, I might be able to go back to him next week with all or at least most of it learned.
Memory key:
Carolyn gets drunk and eats butterflies
Carolyn fondled beads
Carol Found Bob Eating At Dennys😁
Fat Chicks Give Dad An Erection Brother
Wilma Baird 🤣
Beads hmm? 😏
and at the 2.22 she got arrested 😂
Glad to see you back! loved your previous videos...very didactic!!!
Hope they are more in the making!
Doing my best; of course finding the time is an eternal struggle. And thank you.
I used to sing with a Barbershop Chorus and they often talked about the circle of fifths. I suddenly realised that I had being using the same concept in my guitar and piano playing. It was explained very competently and I did watch to the end.
I'm currently 169 years old and i love your lessons and its never too late to learn piano. Every time I play piano I feel young!!!
if you think about tones physically , the fifth is the most harmonic note to the root (if you dont count the octave). if you divide a string by two , you´ll get the octave, by 3 you´ll get the fifth . by4 youll get another octave and by 5 the fourth (wich is a fifth in the other direction .) so the circle of fifths shows how good the notes are related to eachother . it gets more and more dissonant ,the farer you move away from the root . also if you whant to know the scales for any tone, just take the chords of the root, the fifth and the fourth and here you go .
To help other beginners clarify what a 5th is, it's 5 natural notes or 5 white keys on that keyboard, plus the other sharps and flats that this good man included in between the natural notes (white keys).
Yeah, the "fifth" note of a Major scale. Same (unless specified otherwise, like if it says 'minor', or 'augmented' etc] for a Third, a Fourth, a Sxith, but not a Seventh because fuck us I guess.
mugensamurai ((
THANK YOU ! I've been trying to understand the circle of fifths for ages and my 93 y.o. professional musician father is getting tired trying to explain it to me. So I thought I'd watch this video for clarity, and within 1:20 of watching this, I'm like 'IF IT'S SEVEN NOTES APART, WHY THE FUCK IS IT CALLED A FIFTH ? THIS ALREADY DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AND I'M NOT EVEN 2 MINUTES INTO THE DAMN VIDEO !!"
:P
Sue Ferguson ya, just ignore the sharps/flats
mugensamurai 7 half steps for a perfect 5th
Thank you so much Michael, this is very useful for a music theory newbie.
Probably the cleanest explanation of the Circle of Fifths I've run across yet.
Lastly, when I draw out the circle of 5ths for students, I tell them to think of a clock. But instead of C being "12 o'clock", it becomes 0/0, G is 1, D is 2, etc. showing the number of #'s, and going the other way, F is 1, Bb is 2, showing the number of flats. Then you can draw wedges to represent the primary major chords and relative minors. They also have circle of 5th charts that have moveable plastic overlays that group these chords together.
Another fantastic video. Great explanation. Great to have you back with another video.
Good to be back. Thanks.
Wow, I’m playing music for long time and didn’t dig deep into this. I didn’t incorporated numbers to music/ notes so this is new to me. I learned music chords visually, meaning I know where these notes are bec I have a visual image in my brain of my hand in piano or I see my finger position in guitar fret- that graphic familiarity. But I never did numbers. These seems interesting. New learning for me. Thanks!
Whoever first discovered this is a genius. It’s like math formula- we benefit a lot from it but how it was discovered is super amazing.
Watched a few videos trying to understand this. Yours was the best. Thank you so much!
Great explanation, and super easy to follow.
Even for experienced musicians, it’s important to practice the basics.
I have been playing for 20 years, and I have ALWAYS had a hard time remembering the circle of fifths. I like your pneumonic idea. It might have been less painful than getting the thing tattooed onto my forearm like i did... 😅
The most critical use for the Circle of 5ths as it was taught to me is that the 2-5-1 chord progression (used in nearly every song ever written) and 3-6-2-5-1 chord progression, are totally spelled out at-a-glance in the Circle of 5ths - for EVERY single key a song can be played in. Also, a great resource to ingrain in your mind for a baseline for improv, for the same reason.
Can you explain what it is you mean by 2-5-1 chord progression as well as the 3-6-2-5-1 progression?
@@brianespinoza7331 that's about harmonising a scale. For ins if you take 251 and c major scale, you can play Dm, G to C and still sound musical. Because C major scale is harmonised as follows: C Dm Em F G Am Bdim C. Hope that helps
samin2012 what’s the m represent?
@@ahmereware8063 minor - Dm=d minor chord
I don't see it. I can think of SO MANY tools much more useful for improv than the circle of5ths. But then again, I'm not very bright
Finding sharps &flats in the keys. That was the Eureka moment! Thank you Mike.
This is really well explained and I like the birds eye view set up with the whiteboard and small keyboard. Thanks!
you´re a great teacher!
ROOGUITAR '*
*Another useful thing*, go 4 notes clockwise from your root note on the 'circle of fifths' to find your major third.
*Impressive right?*
Flexed and extension muscles in fret hand
@@rongerbing2717 what?
and 5 notes ahead to find the 7th?
Coltrane changes in nutshell
Sorry man, I was only able to give you 1 like.
This is the most easy tutorial on circle of 5ths I have ever watched on CZcams 😍😍😍
Quarantine days are better and productive because of the Circle of Fifths! Thank you.
As somebody who plays a lot of music without the knowledge of music theory, this was incredibly helpful. Thank you for simplifying this whole concept without the fancy terminology!
Even though your explanation of the Circle of Fifths is way over my head you pointed out clearly how the circle of fifths can help to form chords & compose music. As a student of music I've always wondered how you form a chord theoretically. My introduction of the circle of fifths of which I knew nothing about is another music theory that I should pay attention to. Now you've really raised my curiosity, THANKS!
If you're pretty new to music theory I definitely recommend this one: czcams.com/video/5Y01jIorpeA/video.html. I go over chord building in detail and it's more geared towards a beginner.
He never mentioned the inner circle.... the relative minors...
and the same stuff applies there... He can memorize it , as you can also...
but no one can understand why it is this way.
Mr. can you share with me such skills, because i met some difficulties in studying this.....
here is my email
mkungajr@gmail.com
now figure out how A7b5 chord has the same notes as Eb7b5, opposites on the circle. it works, tho that requires naming some notes differently (for instance, the b5 of Eb is Bbb {"double flat'}, admittedly a strange name for a note). in jazz, a seventh chord can often often be replaced by a seventh chord a flatted fifth away, which will often sound "wrong" in a good way.
he admitted the video wasn't all-inclusive. feel free to make us a video explaining the things you alluded to.
Great lesson. The most practical explanation of the circle I’ve heard. I just subscribed. Thanks
Wow I totally forgot how the circle of fifths can be used as a shortcut for figuring out the flats/sharps in a key! Thanks for the refresher, you have a super clear teaching style!
You have explained much in this short time. Thank you! Carole
Carole gets drunk and eats butterflies
@@UrMom-kr5jx gets drunk and eats butterflies
Man I never understood this circle and I watched soooo many videos and you are the only one I understood. Your gifted, thank you.
Excellent explanation, presented in a practical way. Not only why we should know the circle of fifths but how to use this knowledge. Thank you!
Brilliant vid! Best run through the circle of fifth I ever came across.
Thanks a bunch!
I can't believe I just got such a briliant lecture for free! Thank you so much!
"I kinda church i up a little bit." hahaha
"Cathy Gives David Apples, Every Boring Friday". Just thought that one up and also this one: "Cathy Forgets Ben Every Afternoon, Dang!" ;-)
Wow man this really changed my understanding of what I'm actually playing. I appreciate it man thanks for the information. Very well explained
I’m new to theory.. but I just subscribed to your channel because you’re pretty easy to understand… I’m looking forward to seeing more..👍🏼
great lesson. Church up the Order of Flats and Sharps: 1st flat in key of F is Bb.....Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father. 1st Sharp in key of G is F# .... Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle.
"You immediately know that your 5 chord is F" F is the 4th. If you go clockwise around the circle, it is a 5th, whereas if you go counterclockwise, it is a 4th. A 4th is a Subdominant chord, not a dominant. Still one of three most powerful chords in a set key. (Most powerful are Tonic [root] Subdominant [4th] and Dominant [5th])
Which one creates tension? The subdominant or the dominant?
@@leonardok3529 both. dominant is just a bit stronger.
@@leonardok3529 what do you mean by tension? A diminished chord sounds tense to me. But, a Tonic (CEG) to a Subdominant (FAC) to a Dominant (GBD) and back down to a Tonic (CEG) sounds more like a progression or phrase.
This has clarified the circle of 5th's for me. Thanks.
This is the best video explaining the circle of fifths I’ve stumble on so far.