Episode #7 is about how major and relative minor keys are organized in the circle of fifths.
Episode #7 is about how major and relative minor keys are organized in the circle of fifths. When you look at the circle clockwise each key is a fifth away (1:15). Discover how to find the relative minor key from the major (1:40), and how the circle is organized by sharps (1:54) and flats (2:54). Listen to a story about how Beethoven will ruin your pizza parties (3:13).
Question of the day: (6:14) What percentage of the circle of fifths are enharmonic keys?
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Hi and welcome to the APsolute Recap: Music Theory Edition. Today’s episode will recap the Circle of Fifths
Lets Zoom out:
We’re in Units 1 & 2 of Music Fundamentals
Topic 1.5 and 2.1 through 2.3
Our Big idea is pitch.
The circle of fifths is divided into 12 sections: 4 flat key signatures, 4 sharp key signatures, 3 sharp and flat key signatures, and 1 natural key signature. Within each section, there is a major and relative minor key that corresponds with the one key signature. When adding flats to a key signature follow the letter pattern: BEADGCF. When adding sharps to the key signature follow that pattern backwards: FCGDAEB.
Lets Zoom in:
If you are looking at the circle clockwise each key is a fifth away, hence why it is called the circle of fifths. If you look at it counterclockwise, each key is a fourth away.
Within a section of the circle, going from major key inward to the minor key, the minor key will be a minor third lower. When thinking about it in solfege terms, the major key will be do, and the minor key will be la. For example, to find the relative minor key for G major, I can sing down from G- Do ti la, G F# E. This means that the minor keys are also a fifth away from each other when reading clockwise.
Going to the right after C major, key signatures will be sharp. G major has one sharp, D major (which is a fifth away from G) has 2 sharps, A major has three sharps and E major has four sharps. From here, are both sharp and flat key signature possibilities: B major- 5 sharps and Cb-7 flats, F#- 6 sharps and Gb-6 flats, C#-7 sharps and Db-5 flats.
Going to the left from C major, key signatures will be flat. F major has one flat, Bb major has 2, Eb major has 3, Ab major has 4. You can go through and see the organization fit clockwise and counterclockwise, minor and major.
You could think of this visually as an actual clock, but isn’t pizza more exciting?
Imagine you’re having a music party, and you’ve invited Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Stravinsky and Debussy. And yes, they are all alive and well. You think, what could bring these people together... pizza. So you order one large pizza, half sharps, half flats. What could possibly go wrong?
Brahms is the first to arrive. He is still feeling full from the bowl of raisin brahms (drum/cymbal joke sound) he had that morning.
so he just wants one slice of plain cheese pizza. He takes off all the toppings and puts them on the other slices before anyone notices.
Stravinsky knocks down the door completely and takes some of the toppings off each side of the pizza to make himself three slices that have both toppings, sharps and flats.
Mozart and Debussy carpooled together, and happily agree to split the remaining eight pieces, four flats and four sharps respectively. They all sit down and start playing party games, and are so involved in the fun they don’t even get to start eating.
Beethoven had run into some traffic and was late to the party. He is angry that nobody saved him any pizza. So, he goes around and rudley takes the first bite out of everyone’s slices, seemingly unable to hear (drum/cymbal joke sound) anyone’s objections, thus eating all of the minor keys. They spend the rest of the party singing karaoke and having a grand old time.
To recap……
The circle of fifths organizes the major keys and their relative minor keys. The circle contains 4 flat key signatures, 4 sharp key signatures, 3 sharp and flat key signatures, and 1 natural key signature. When organizing key and key signatures use the letter pattern: BEADGCF.
Coming up next on the Apsolute RecAP Music Theory Edition: Melodic Dictation & Sight Reading
Today’s Question of the day is about Enharmonics
Question: What percentage of the circle of fifths are enharmonic keys?