3 Ways to Unlock Music Theory with the Circle of Fifths

Boom. There it is. The almighty circle of fifths. Many know it’s important, few know why.

The circle of fifths can be analyzed and applied in a myriad of ways. Today we’re going to dig into three…

The first has to do with memorizing the key signatures of sharp keys like G Major, D Major, A Major, etc.

By the way, a key signature is simply the notes you sharp or flat to get a particular scale.

Alrighty, the cool thing about the circle of fifths is that as you move clockwise, each subsequent key center gains a sharp. And what’s really cool is that the new sharp is always the seventh scale degree.

For example, when you go from G Major (1 sharp: F#) to D Major (2 sharps: F# and C#), that added C# is the seventh scale degree of D Major:

D E F# G A B C#

And when you go to the next key, A Major, you carry over that F# and C# and add a G#, which is the seventh scale degree of A Major:

A B C# D E F# G#

Now, let’s move counterclockwise. As you work through the flat keys, each key gains a flat, but the new flat is the fourth scale degree, not the seventh.

For example, F Major has 1 flat: Bb. When you go to the next key, Bb Major, you keep the Bb and add an Eb, which is the fourth scale degree of Bb Major.

Bb C D Eb F G A

Moving away from scales now, you can also use the circle of fifths to learn chord progressions, especially ii V I’s. All you have to do is pick a key, move two keys clockwise, and work your way back counterclockwise to the key you started with.

For example, let’s say you wanted to learn a ii V I in the key of E Major. 

1. Find E Major on the circle.

2. Move two keys clockwise: F#

3. Work your way back to E: F# B E

Just remember to apply the appropriate chord qualities for a major ii V I:

The ii chord is a Minor 7, the V chord is a Dominant 7, and the I chord is a Major 7:

F#m7 B7 EMaj7

Now, once you know the chords in a ii V I, you’re going to need something killing to play over them. That’s where Sick Licks comes in – my new, six-book series of ii V I licks organized by genre, skill level, and chord progression.

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Happy Shedding!

Jeff