Applying the circle of 5ths to music?

[digiology]

Howdy, I understand the circle of 5ths but dont really know how to use it so it helps me write better music. Any thoughts?

[Poparad]

The most obvious thing the circle of fifths does is it organizes the keys by their key signatures.

Keys closely related (like G and C or G and D) will be next to each other on the circle. When a song modulates keys, it is most commonly done to a closely related key.

Also, it gives you a good way to organize practicing in all 12 keys.


A less obvious application is organizing the 7 chords in a key by the 'diatonic circle of fifths.'

Here is the C major scale harmonized:

C major
D minor
E minor
F major
G major
A minor
B diminished


Now, reordering them by the cycle:

F major
B diminished
E minor
A minor
D minor
G major
C major


Jazz music and a lot of popular music before 1970 used circle of fifth progressions. Here are some examples:

| Dm | G7 | Cmaj |

| E7 | Am | Dm | G7 | Cmaj |

| Cmaj | A7 | Dm | G7 |


In a few spots I turned some of the minor chords into dominant 7ths to create stronger V - i sounds.

Countless songs have been composed of progressions like this, although not always in one key. Many jazz tunes are composed of nothing but ii - V - I progressions, but to keep it interesting, the each one is usually in a different, but closely related key (again, the cycle).

[Little Dreamer]

For blues, you just look at what key you're in, then locate that key on the circle of 5ths and go one clockwise - thet's your V chord. Go one counterclockwise, that's your IV chord. The one you started on is of course your tonic chord.

Here's an article http://www.scroom.com/mus_lessons/tot.5.html that has some cool information. You can actually figure out what the notes are in any key - quite easily - by using the circle of 5ths.

[MorePaul]

You'll find a lot of uses for the cycle of fifths as you go on

why?

well because the the fifth is really a (in a sens you could say THE) basic unit of movement in western music

There is the Unison (1:1 frequency ratio) that is maximally consonant (least ammount of heterodyne) but that doesn't produce any motion at all

Then we haver the Octave (2:1) that in fully consonant, but is a member of the same pitch class and doesn't produce any harmonic motion

The next best whole number ratio is 3:2...that's the perfect fifth
This produces reaonably low heterodyning, but DOES produce harmonic motion