Circle of major and minor chords. Circle of fifths minor - music theory

The circle of fifths (or circle of fifths) is a graphical diagram used by musicians to visualize the relationships between keys. In other words, this convenient way organization of the twelve notes of the chromatic scale.

Circle of fifths(or circle of quarts and fifths) – is a graphical diagram used by musicians to visualize the relationships between keys. In other words, it is a convenient way of organizing the twelve notes of the chromatic scale.

The circle of fourths and fifths was first described in the book “The Idea of Musician Grammar” from 1679 by the Russian-Ukrainian composer Nikolai Diletsky.

A page from the book “The Idea of a Musician Grammar”, which depicts the circle of fifths

You can start building a circle from any note, for example C. Next, moving towards increasing the pitch of the sound, we set aside one fifth (five steps or 3.5 tones). The first fifth is C G, so the key of C major is followed by the key of G major. Then we add another fifth and get G-D. D major is the third key. By repeating this process 12 times, we will eventually return back to the key of C major.

The circle of fifths is called the circle of fifths because it can also be constructed using quarts. If we take the note C and lower it by 2.5 tones, we also get the note G.

Notes are connected by lines, the distance between which is equal to half a tone

Gayle Grace notes that the circle of fifths allows you to count the number of signs in the key of a particular key. Each time, counting 5 steps and moving clockwise around the circle of fifths, we get a tonality in which the number of sharps is one more than in the previous one. The key of C major does not contain accidentals. In the key of G major there is one sharp, and in the key of C-sharp major there are seven.

To count the number of flat signs in the key, you need to move in the opposite direction, that is, counterclockwise. For example, starting with C and counting down the fifth, you will arrive at the key of F major, which has one flat sign. The next key will be B-flat major, in which two flat signs are on the key, and so on.

As for the minor, then minor scales, identical to major ones in the number of signs in the key, are parallel (major) keys. Determining them is quite simple; you just need to build a minor third (1.5 tones) down from each tonic. For example, parallel minor key for C major there will be A minor.

Very often on the outer part of the circle of fifths are depicted major keys, and on the inside - minor

Ethan Hein, professor of music at State University city of Montclair, says the circle helps understand the structure western music different styles: classic rock, folk rock, pop rock and jazz.

“Keys and chords that are close to each other on the circle of fifths will be considered consonant by most Western listeners. The tonalities of A major and D major contain six identical notes, so the transition from one to another occurs smoothly and does not cause a feeling of dissonance. A major and E flat major have only one general note, so changing from one key to another will sound strange or even unpleasant,” explains Ethan.

It turns out that with each step along the circle of fifths in the initial scale of C major, one of the tones is replaced by another. For example, moving from C major to the adjacent G major results in the substitution of just one tone, while moving five steps from C major to B major results in the substitution of five tones in the initial scale.

Thus, the closer two given tones are located to each other, the closer the degree of their relationship. According to the Rimsky-Korsakov system, if there is a distance of one step between tonalities, this is the first degree of relationship, two steps is the second, three is the third. The keys of the first degree of kinship (or simply related) include those majors and minors that differ from the original key by one sign.

The second degree of relationship includes tonalities that are related to related tonalities. Likewise, tonalities of the third degree of kinship are tonalities of the first degree of kinship to tonalities of the second degree of kinship.

The degree of relationship is why these two chord progressions are often used in pop and jazz:

E7, A7, D7, G7, C

“In jazz, the keys tend to change clockwise, while in rock, folk and country they tend to move counterclockwise,” says Ethan.

The appearance of the circle of fifths was due to the fact that musicians needed a universal scheme that would allow them to quickly identify the relationship between keys and chords. “If you understand how the circle of fifths works, you will be able to play in your chosen key with ease—you won't have to struggle to find the right notes,” concludes Gail Grace. published

Greetings to all readers of our music blog! I have already said more than once in my articles that for good musician It is important to have not only playing technique, but also to know theoretical basis music. We already had an introductory article about it. I highly recommend that you read it carefully. And today the object of our conversation is signs in.
I would like to remind you that there are major and minor keys in music. Major keys can be figuratively described as bright and positive, while minor keys can be described as gloomy and sad. Each tonality has its own characteristics in the form of a set of sharps or flats. They are called tonality signs. They can also be called key signs in keys or key signs in keys because before writing any notes and signs, you need to depict a treble or bass clef.

Based on the presence of key signs, keys can be divided into three groups: without signs, with sharps in the key, and with flats in the key. There is no such thing in music that the signs in the same key will be both sharps and flats at the same time.

And now I give you a list of tonalities and the key signs corresponding to them.

Key Chart

So, after carefully considering this list, there are several important points to note.
In turn, one sharp or flat is added to the keys. Their addition is strictly stipulated. For sharps the sequence is as follows: fa, do, sol, re, la, mi, si. And nothing else.
For flats the chain looks like this: si, mi, la, re, salt, do, fa. Note that it is the reverse of the sharps sequence.

You probably noticed the fact that the same number of characters have two tones. They're called . There is a separate section about this on our website. detailed article. I advise you to read it.

Determination of key signs

Now follows important point. We need to learn to determine by the name of the key what key signs it has and how many there are. First of all, you need to remember that signs are determined by major keys. This means that for minor keys you will first have to find a parallel major key, and then proceed according to the general scheme.

If the name of a major (except for F major) does not mention any signs at all, or only a sharp is present (for example, F sharp major), then these are major keys with sharp signs. For F major, you need to remember that B flat is in the key. Next, we begin to list the sequence of sharps, which was defined above in the text. We need to stop the enumeration when the next note with a sharp is a note lower than the tonic of our major.

For example, you need to determine the signs of the key A major. We list the sharp notes: F, C, G. G is a note lower than the tonic of A, therefore the key of A major has three sharps (F, C, G).

For major flat keys the rule is slightly different. We list the sequence of flats up to the note that follows the name of the tonic.

For example, our key is A flat major. We begin to list the flats: B, E, A, D. D is the next note after the name of the tonic (A). Therefore, there are four flats in the key of A flat major.

Circle of fifths

Circle of fifths- This graphic image connections between different tonalities and their corresponding signs. We can say that everything that I explained to you before is clearly present in this diagram.

In the circle of fifths table of keys, the starting note or reference point is C major. Clockwise from it are sharp major keys, and counterclockwise are flat major keys. The interval between adjacent keys is a fifth. The diagram also shows parallel minor keys and signs. With each subsequent fifth we add signs.

The circle of fifths of tonalities, or, as it is also called, the circle of fourths-fifths, is in music theory a schematic representation of sequential tonalities. The principle of arranging all tonalities in a circle is based on their uniform distance from each other along the intervals of a perfect fifth, a perfect fourth and a minor third.

There are two main modes used in music – major and minor. Today we will take a closer look at the circle of fifths in major keys. The circle of fifths of major keys was created to make it easier to understand the existing 30 keys, of which 15 are major. These 15 major keys, in turn, are divided into seven sharp and seven flat, one key is neutral, it does not have any key signs.

Each major key has its own parallel minor key. To determine such a parallel, it is necessary from the given note of the selected major scale construct down the “minor third” interval. That is, count three steps (one and a half tones) from this starting point in the direction of lower sounds.

How to use the circle of fifths in major keys?

This schematic drawing gives an idea of the order of scales. The principle of its operation is based on the gradual addition of signs to the key as this circle passes. Something to remember keyword"fifth". Constructions in the circle of fifths of major keys are based on this interval.

If we move around the circle from left to right, in the direction of increasing sounds, we will get sharp ones. By following, on the contrary, from right to left along the circle, that is, in the direction of lowering the sounds (that is, if we build fifths down), we get flat tones.

We take the note C as the starting point. And then from the note to, in the direction of increasing the sound, we line up the notes in fifths. To construct the “perfect fifth” interval from the starting point, we calculate five steps or 3.5 tones. First fifth: C-sol. This means that G major is the first key in which the key sign should appear, naturally sharp and naturally it will be alone.

Next we build the fifth from G - G-D. It turns out that D major is the second key from the starting point in our circle and it already has two key sharps. Similarly, we calculate the number of sharps in all subsequent keys.

By the way, in order to find out which sharps appear in the key, it is enough to remember the so-called order of sharps once: 1st - F, 2nd - C, 3rd - G, then D, A, E and B – also everything is in fifths, only from the note F. Therefore, if there is one sharp in the key, then it will necessarily be F-sharp, if there are two sharps, then F-sharp and C-sharp.

To obtain flat tones, we build a fifth in a similar way, but following the circle counterclockwise - from right to left, that is, in the direction of lowering the sounds. Let's take the note C as the initial tonic, because there are no signs in C major. So, from C downwards or, as it were, counterclockwise, we build the first fifth, we get - do-fa. This means that the first major key with a flat key is F major. Then we build a fifth from F - we get the following key: it will be B-flat major, which already has two flats.

The order of flats, interestingly, is the same order of sharps, but only read in a mirror way, that is, in reverse. The first flat will be B, and the last flat will be F.

In general, the circle of fifths of major keys does not close; its structure is rather more like a spiral. With each new fifth there is a transition to new round, as in a spring and transformations continue. With each transition to a new level, spirals are added to the next keys. Their number is growing in both the flat and sharp directions. It’s just that instead of the usual flats and sharps, double signs appear: double sharps and double flats.

The quarto-fifth circle of keys or simply the circle of fifths is a scheme for convenient and quick memorization of all keys and key signs in them.

At the top of the circle of fifths is the key of C major; clockwise - sharp keys, the tonics of which are arranged in perfect fifths upward from the tonic of the original C major; counterclockwise - a circle of flat keys, also located in perfect fifths, but only downwards.

At the same time, when moving in a circle of fifths clockwise with each new key the number of sharps gradually increases (from one to seven); when moving counterclockwise, accordingly, from one key to another the number of flats increases (also from one to seven).

How many keys are there in music?

Music uses mainly 30 keys, of which one half is major and the other half is minor. form pairs based on the coincidence of the key alteration signs in them - sharps and flats. Keys with identical signs are called parallel. There are thus 15 pairs in total.

Of the 30 keys, two do not have signs - these are C major and A minor. 14 keys have sharps (from one to seven in the order of sharps FA DO sol re la mi si), of these 14, seven keys will be major, and seven, respectively, minor. Another 14 keys have flats (similarly from one to seven, but only in the order of flats SI MI LA D sol DO F), of which seven are also major and seven are minor.

A table of all tonalities used by musicians in practice, along with their signs, can be downloaded, printed and used as a cheat sheet.

Explanation: How is the circle of fifths formed?

The fifth in this scheme is the most important. Why exactly a perfect fifth? Because the fifth is physically (acoustically) the most natural way of transitioning from one sound to another, and this one was born by nature itself.

So, Sharp keys are arranged in perfect fifths upward. The first fifth is built from the note “C”, that is, from the tonic of C major, a pure tonality without signs. The fifth from "C" is "C-G". This means that the note “G” becomes the tonic of the next key on the circle of fifths, this will be the key of G major and it will have one sign – F-sharp.

We build the next fifth from the sound “g” - “g-d”, the resulting sound “d” is the tonic of the next key of the circle of fifths - the tonic of the D major scale, in which there are two signs - two sharps (F and C). With each fifth built, we will receive new sharp keys, and the number of sharps will increase more and more until it reaches seven (until all degrees are increased).

Thus, if we build fifths starting from “C”, then we get the following series of tonalities: G major (1 sharp), D major (2 sharps), A major (3 sharps), E major (4 sharps), B major (5 sharps), F sharp major (6 sharps), C sharp major (7 sharps). A number of recorded tonics turned out to be so wide in scope that we had to start recording them in the bass clef and end in the treble clef.

The order in which sharps are added is: FA, DO, G, D, A, MI, SI. The sharps are also spaced apart by a perfect fifth. This is due to this. Each new sharp appears at the seventh degree of the scale, we talked about this in the article. Accordingly, if the tonics of new keys are constantly moved away by a perfect fifth, then their seventh degrees are also moved away from each other exactly by a perfect fifth.

Flat major keys are arranged in perfect fifths down. from to". In the same way, with each new key there is an increase in the number of flats in the scale. The series of flat keys is as follows: F major (one flat), B flat major (2 flats), E flat major (3 flats), A flat major (4 flats), D flat major (5 flats), G flat major (6 flats ) and C-flat major (7 flats).

The order of appearance of flats is: SI, MI, A, D, G, C, FA. Flats, just like sharps, are added in fifths, only downwards. Moreover, the order of the flats coincides with the order of the keys of the flat branch of the quarto-fifth circle, starting with B-flat major.

Well, now, finally, let’s present the entire circle of tonalities, to which, for completeness, we will also add parallel minors for all majors.

By the way, the circle of fifths cannot strictly be called a circle; it is more like a kind of spiral, since at a certain stage Some keys intersect due to the same pitch. In addition, the circle of fifths is not closed; it can be continued with new, more complex keys with double keys - double sharps and double flats (such keys are used extremely rarely in music). We will talk about tonalities that match in sound separately, but a little later.

Where does the name “circle of quarto-fifths” come from?

Until now, we have considered movement in a circle only in fifths and have never mentioned fourths. So what do they have to do with it? Why does the full name of the scheme sound exactly like “ quarto-fifth circle»?

The fact is that a quart is a fifth. And the same series of tonalities of a circle can be obtained if you move not in fifths, but in fourths.

For example, sharp keys can be arranged not by perfect fifths up, but by perfect fourths down. You get the same row:

Flat keys can be arranged not by perfect fifths down, but by perfect fourths up. And again the result will be the same:

Enharmonically equal tonalities

Enharmonism in music is the coincidence of elements in sound, but their difference in name, spelling or designation. Simple notes can be enharmonically equal: for example, C sharp and D flat. Enharmonicity is also characteristic of intervals or chords. And in in this case we will deal with enharmonic equal keys , accordingly, the scales of scales of these tonalities will also coincide in sound.

As we have already noted, such tonalities that match in sound appear at the intersection of the sharp and flat branches of the circle of fifths. These are the keys with a large number characters - with five, six or seven sharps or flats.

The following tonalities are considered enharmonically equal:

B major (5 sharps) and C flat major (7 flats)
Parallel to the named G-sharp minor (5 sharps) and A-flat minor (7 flats);
F sharp major (6 sharps) and G flat major (6 flats);
Parallel to them are D-sharp minor and E-flat minor with the same number of signs;
C sharp major (7 sharps) and D flat major (5 flats);
Parallel to these scales are A sharp minor (also 7 sharps) and B flat minor (5 flats).

How to use the circle of fifths?

Firstly, The circle of fifths can be used as a convenient cheat sheet for learning all keys and their signs.

Secondly, Using the circle of fifths, you can easily determine the difference in signs between two keys. To do this, it is enough to simply count the sectors from the original tonality to the one with which we are comparing.

For example, between G major and E major the difference is three sectors, and therefore three signs. There is a difference of 4 flats between C major and A flat major.

The difference in signs is most clearly shown by the circle of fifths, divided into sectors. In order for the image of the circle to be compact, the tonality in it can be written using:

Finally, Thirdly, Using the circle of fifths, you can instantly establish the “closest relatives” of a particular tonality, that is determine the tonality of the first degree of relationship. They are in the same sector as the original key (parallel) and in neighboring ones on each side.

For example, for G major, such related keys will be E minor (in the same sector), as well as C major and A minor (adjacent sector on the left), D major and B minor (adjacent sector on the right).

We will return to a more detailed study of related tonalities in the future, then we will learn all the methods and secrets of finding them.

A little about the history of the circle of fifths

No one knows exactly when and by whom the circle of quarto-fifths was invented. But early descriptions A similar system is contained in a manuscript dating back to 1679 - in the work “Musician Grammar” by Nikolai Diletsky. His book was intended for training church choristers. He calls the circle of major scales the “wheel of cheerful music,” and the circle of minor scales the wheel of “sad music.” Musikia - this word is translated as “music” from Slavic.

Now, of course, this work is of interest mainly as historical and cultural monument, the theoretical treatise itself no longer meets the requirements of our time. However, it can be said that since then, the circle of fifths has become entrenched in teaching practice and has been included in almost all well-known domestic textbooks on music theory.

Dear friends! If you still have questions on the topic of the circle of fifths, be sure to write them in the comments to this article. Before we leave, we suggest you listen to some good music. Let it be today famous romance Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka “Lark” (poems by the poet Nikolai Kukolnik). Singer - Victoria Ivanova.

The circle of fifths (or circle of fifths) is a graphical diagram used by musicians to visualize the relationships between keys. In other words, it is a convenient way of organizing the twelve notes of the chromatic scale.

The circle of fourths and fifths was first described in the book “The Idea of Musician Grammar” from 1679 by the Russian-Ukrainian composer Nikolai Diletsky.

A page from the book “The Idea of a Musician Grammar”, which depicts the circle of fifths

The circle of fifths is called the circle of fifths because it can also be constructed using quarts. If we take the note C and lower it by 2.5 tones, we also get the note G.

Notes are connected by lines, the distance between which is equal to half a tone

As for the minor, minor scales, identical to major scales in the number of signs in the key, are parallel (major) tonalities. Determining them is quite simple; you just need to build a minor third (1.5 tones) down from each tonic. For example, the parallel minor key for C major would be A minor.

Very often, major keys are depicted on the outer part of the circle of fifths, and minor keys on the inner part.

Ethan Hein, a professor of music at Montclair State University, says the circle helps to understand the structure of Western music of different styles: classic rock, folk rock, pop rock and jazz.

“Keys and chords that are close to each other on the circle of fifths will be considered consonant by most Western listeners. The tonalities of A major and D major contain six identical notes, so the transition from one to another occurs smoothly and does not cause a feeling of dissonance. A major and E flat major only have one note in common, so moving from one key to another will sound strange or even unpleasant,” explains Ethan.

The degree of relationship is why these two chord progressions are often used in pop and jazz:

E7, A7, D7, G7, C

“In jazz, the keys tend to change clockwise, while in rock, folk and country they tend to move counterclockwise,” says Ethan.

The appearance of the circle of fifths was due to the fact that musicians needed a universal scheme that would allow them to quickly identify the relationship between keys and chords. “If you understand how the circle of fifths works, you'll be able to play in your chosen key without having to struggle to find the right notes,” concludes Gail Grace.