Circle of fifths quickly and easily understand
Stumbling over difficult keys – that happens even to the most experienced pianists. At least when they ‘stick’ to sheet music and don’t consciously recognize the key. And believe me: it happens quickly. Especially if you’ve never familiarized yourself with the possibility of intuitive piano playing.
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Gordon November
Gordon November
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The good thing is: Even if you’ve been playing piano for years or are a complete beginner, you can easily develop an X-ray vision for keys. This is made possible with the Circle of Fifths.
Probably the most useful tool when it comes to determining keys, understanding them, and finding matching chords.
So, the Circle of Fifths is not just a useful tool for recognizing keys. If you truly internalize it, it will make you a better pianist. Let me show you how.
What is the Circle of Fifths?
The Circle of Fifths is always arranged in a circular shape. Hence “circle”. And why “fifths”? A fifth is a 5-note interval. All keys adjacent in the Circle of Fifths are a fifth apart from each other.
“The Circle of Fifths is a ’round table’ that helps you determine the difficulty of a key. Regardless of whether it’s major or minor. I provide more information on the difference between major and minor here.”
Major Keys and the Circle of Fifths
The simplest keys are at the top of the Circle of Fifths. The simplest is therefore C major at 12 o’clock. Here you simply play through the white keys up to the next C.
Minor Keys and the Circle of Fifths
A minor is the relative key to C major and is in the same field in the Circle of Fifths. Here, too, no black keys are played – you play the white keys from A up to the next A.
Note: If a major and a minor key have the same key signature, they are called relative keys. They are separated from each other by a minor third.
This relationship is represented in the Circle of Fifths by writing the major key outside and the relative minor key at the same position inside the circle. An example of this can be seen in the illustration below. The relative minor key is always on the green circle directly next to the major key on the white circle.
What's the best way to learn the Circle of Fifths?
Most musicians learn the Circle of Fifths intuitively. Many have been playing for years or even their entire lives without ever consciously learning the circle.
Others, however, want to consciously learn the circle and often struggle for a long time with memorization. But what is the best approach?
The best method to learn the Circle of Fifths is the one that suits you best. There are many different methods, all of which can work well. Therefore, one method cannot automatically be considered the best.
Different Ways to Learn the Circle of Fifths
For example, you can memorize the Circle of Fifths step by step. However, this can be a very long and tedious process and sometimes even ends in complete failure.
Conclusion: Not a recommended method if you’re in a hurry or don’t have much patience.
Another popular method is to internalize the circle through frequent playing. A good method for anyone who likes to sit down at the piano every day – even if only for a few minutes.
Another popular method is to memorize the Circle of Fifths using an image. Probably the best option for people with a photographic memory. But don’t worry. Even if you don’t belong to this group of people, an illustration of the Circle of Fifths will help you understand and mentally store it.
With the following practical PDF for printing, you learn particularly effectively:
What do I use the Circle of Fifths for?
The Circle of Fifths is a very useful tool for intuitively recognizing keys. If you use it correctly, you quickly gain an overview of the different keys. However, there are many different ways to apply the Circle of Fifths effectively.
One way is to understand it as a navigation tool. It guides you like a compass through the oceans of music. The circle on which the different keys are marked is your navigation system. This way you can easily orient yourself and find the desired key.
You can also use the Circle of Fifths as a practice aid. Determine which key you are currently practicing in and get to know the individual keys better.
The Circle of Fifths is also very helpful for improvising. Use it to get an overview of all possible chords in a specific key – and thus discover new melodies more easily.
In short: The Circle of Fifths is a very useful tool for musicians of all genres and skill levels. Anyone who uses it correctly can quickly and easily find the desired key and greatly advance their intuitive piano playing.
Understanding Minor and Major in the Circle of Fifths
The Circle of Fifths works both counter-clockwise and clockwise. If you go counter-clockwise, the notes or keys are flattened. If you go clockwise, they are sharpened.
“A # tells you that you need to raise a note. A ♭ tells you that you need to lower a note. The number in the Circle of Fifths between the major and minor key tells you how many keys you need to raise or lower in total in a key.”
Time for a small exercise. We start at C and move key by key (only the white ones!) up to the next C. In the C major scale, we just played almost only whole tones. But there were also two semitones – between the third and fourth, and between the seventh and eighth notes.
“For a whole tone, one key is skipped. For a semitone, it’s not.”
Following the Circle of Fifths to the Right
If we go up a fifth from C, we are on G. The Circle of Fifths also shows you this if you follow it to the right. If we now play upwards from G and want to get the major scale, we have to raise one key in total – with a sharp. Specifically, F.
“You must maintain the semitone steps between the third and fourth, and the seventh and eighth notes if you want to construct a major scale from a different starting point.”
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If we go up another fifth from G, we land on D. And the same applies again. To build the major scale here, we now need two black keys. The nice thing about it: You can reuse the black key from before. Only one more is added: namely C sharp (the C is raised).
And so it continues until you reach F sharp major.
Following the Circle of Fifths to the Left
It works the same way in reverse. We go left from C and land on F (a fifth down). The ‘1’ in the Circle of Fifths tells us that this time we have to flatten one key.
We remember: There must be a semitone between the third and fourth, and between the seventh and eighth notes. Otherwise, whole tones. In the case of F major, this means: B is flattened to B flat. This black key also appears in D minor. Take a look at your Circle of Fifths PDF and you’ll immediately see: D minor is the relative minor key to F.
Now we proceed as before, clockwise. We go down a fifth and land on B flat. And so on.
Circle of Fifths Exercises
The Circle of Fifths is a great way to intuitively recognize keys. But to develop this skill, you need to practice! Here are a few tips and exercises that can help you:
1. Familiarize yourself with interval relationships. By thinking about the intervals you encounter on the circle, you can get used to the relationships between notes and keys more quickly. This ultimately helps you learn the different keys in the Circle of Fifths.
2. Practice every day. An effective way to intuitively grasp the Circle of Fifths and easily identify keys is to practice regularly and not just occasionally approach the circle. The more you practice, the better you will become at recognizing the various keys on the Circle of Fifths.
3. Try improvisation. Improvisation is another great way to intuitively grasp the Circle of Fifths and develop a feel for different keys. Try different pieces of music and improvise in various directions. A great way to develop an understanding of the different keys on the circle.
Overall, the Circle of Fifths is an excellent resource for all musicians – whether beginners or advanced – for intuitively learning scales and chord progressions.
Circle of Fifths Mnemonic
Now, as promised, here’s your Circle of Fifths mnemonic. If you follow the Circle of Fifths to the right, the following saying comes into play:
Go Down And Eat Bread Fast.
This mnemonic helps you determine the number of sharps in a major scale.
To calculate how many accidentals a certain key has, you can simply use the mnemonic. It has six words. If you are to determine the number of sharps for A major, simply count the words up to that point. The result?
A major has three sharps. How many sharps does D major have then? Exactly: Two. And F major, as the last word in the mnemonic, has six sharps accordingly.
If you discover sharp accidentals at the beginning of a piece of music and need to find the key, the mnemonic can, of course, also help you. Count how many sharps you see, and look at the word associated with the corresponding sharp in the mnemonic. If there are four sharps, it’s the word ‘Esel’ (donkey) you’re looking for (the fourth word of the mnemonic). So we are in the key of E major.
Don't Confuse with Minor
The Second Mnemonic for Flat Keys
Now the same applies for the other direction:
Fresh Buns Eat Aces Of Song.
You can determine the key signatures of the different flat keys using the mnemonic. This works the same way as with the sharp keys, only the mnemonic is different.
For example, if you want to find out how many accidentals E-flat major has, you recite the mnemonic “Frische Brötchen Essen Asse Des Gesangs” and count the words until you reach “Essen”. That’s the third word. So E-flat major has three flat accidentals.
With the mnemonic for the Circle of Fifths, you can also recognize the key of the piece based on its flat accidentals.
Caution
The mnemonic for flat accidentals also only applies to major keys. If you look at the final chord of the piece of music and are sure that the piece is in a major key, you can apply the mnemonic. For example, if there are four flat accidentals at the beginning, you know that the piece is in A-flat major,
These are your two Circle of Fifths mnemonics that help you intuitively make music with the Circle of Fifths.
Bonus: Finding Matching Chords with the Circle of Fifths
There is a wide variety of chords and combination possibilities in music – and they all greatly influence your intuitive piano playing. However: As a piano virtuoso – or as I like to say: an “Intuinaut” – it can be difficult to navigate this vast repertoire.
But there’s very good news: With the Circle of Fifths, you can find out which chords harmonize with each other – meaning they sound good together.
And that helps you with intuitive piano playing as well as with composing and interpreting. But also with playing your favorite songs by ear.
For Pros: On Keys, Chords, and Scales
Music is organized into keys. Most melodies and chord progressions can be assigned to a key. A key, in turn, consists of seven chords that share the same seven notes. For example, the chords C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, and B° are each formed from the seven notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. These notes together form the C major scale.
The seven chords you can form from the seven notes of a key are, in turn, degrees of that key. Degree VI, with the major-minor pair I, forms a sonic part of the Circle of Fifths; since they differ by only one note, both can be identified as relative keys. Somehow logical, as they have identical key signatures.
If you’re playing a song that should have an inconspicuous chord change, then it’s best to choose a relative chord (I <> VI, IV <> II or V <> III). On the other hand, it is often advisable to make jumps to other degrees at points with a striking chord change.
Conclusion: Use the Circle of Fifths!
The Circle of Fifths is a compass. It is a source of inspiration. And it is a tool for determining keys. So, overall, a really useful tool. So give it your attention and try to internalize it and the concept behind it. It’s worth it!
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