Topic by Pianoteqenthusiast

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Topic: The Circle of Fifths

Etude 5 - Steingraeber Bright.

Listened to a friend playing this Circle 1971, almost 50 years ago, and didn’t understand it. Forgot the Circle.
     I’m now going anticlockwise (moonwise) around the circle of fifths (fourth, fifth, fourth, fifth….C F Bb Eb Ab Db….left hand  0,13 - 0,23 starting on C, listen to left hand ) and then starting again on different keys. All my life wanted to get better at playing songs in different keys. And, luckily, just recently began to understand the Circle - well, better late than never  :-)  A bunch of useful information. And gtingley’s talk about it in his Italian Intermezzo 7.2 2019 woke me up. Thanks!
(btw, the tempo with first ”anticlockwise” is as played, then Garageband helped me with the tempo of the others ).
https://youtu.be/iZzyxBefG6s

Reply by Gaston

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Re: The Circle of Fifths

Nice and interesting !
I'm curious to hear how it might sound if you simply reverse everything to clockwise mode...

Last edited by Gaston (10-04-2019 01:58)
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Reply by Pianoteqenthusiast

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Re: The Circle of Fifths

Gaston wrote:

Nice and interesting !
I'm curious to hear how it might sound if you simply reverse everything to clockwise mode...


Thank you, Gaston, for finding it nice and interesting! I don’t know how to reverse it, because going anti is fourths (C F…) but going clockwise fifths (C G…). Why not call it ”circle of fourths” when going anticlockwise :-)
Anyway, I tried to go clockwise. Here is first ex 1 and 2 going clockwise, and then anticklockwise/clockwise two times. But, it is useful concept when comes to music theory….
https://www.forum-pianoteq.com/uploads....ckwise.mp3
If this give some didactic material for Gaston -School, maybe It help me to a stage that give some academic degree :-)  :-)  My regards to the five members of the Gaston School Management Committee.

Reply by gtingley

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Re: The Circle of Fifths

It sounds that you are playing a descending 5th progression using all perfect 5ths and using all major chords. Thus starting on C we are getting C to F to Bb to Eb to Ab to Db to Gb to B to E to A to D to G to C. This approach yields major chords on every single note and a 12 note chromatic collection of roots. Composers rarely use this in real composition. In C major, a composer will most likely use C to F to Bdim (diminished 5th to stay in the key of C major)  to Em to Am to Dm to G to C restricting everything to the diatonic scale. In C minor we would normally get Cm to Fm to Bb to Eb to Ab to Ddim (diminished 5th to stay in the key of C minor) to G to Cm.

Ascending 5ths make a lovely contrast. For example C to G to Dm to Am is a progression we sometimes find. I particularly like G to Dm - it completely defies gravity.

Many of us do not bother calling anything a fourth as a fourth is merely an inversion of the 5th. Of course when we play such a progression we often alternate 5ths and 4ths but this does not alter the names of the chords at all. Better to just think that the progression is moving through the circle in 5ths in descending motion.

Reply by dklein

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Re: The Circle of Fifths

Very cool.  G to Dm sparks Holst's the Planets in my head, either Jupiter or Saturn (maybe Venus?).  Some small musical phrases like that are quite powerful at evoking moods and even memories, just as tastes and especially smells can do.

- David

Reply by Pianoteqenthusiast

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Re: The Circle of Fifths

gtingley wrote:

It sounds that you are playing a descending 5th progression using all perfect 5ths and using all major chords. Thus starting on C we are getting C to F to Bb to Eb to Ab to Db to Gb to B to E to A to D to G to C. This approach yields major chords on every single note and a 12 note chromatic collection of roots. Composers rarely use this in real composition. In C major, a composer will most likely use C to F to Bdim (diminished 5th to stay in the key of C major)  to Em to Am to Dm to G to C restricting everything to the diatonic scale. In C minor we would normally get Cm to Fm to Bb to Eb to Ab to Ddim (diminished 5th to stay in the key of C minor) to G to Cm.

Ascending 5ths make a lovely contrast. For example C to G to Dm to Am is a progression we sometimes find. I particularly like G to Dm - it completely defies gravity.

Many of us do not bother calling anything a fourth as a fourth is merely an inversion of the 5th. Of course when we play such a progression we often alternate 5ths and 4ths but this does not alter the names of the chords at all. Better to just think that the progression is moving through the circle in 5ths in descending motion.

Thank you, gtingley, for your knowledge and advise. You are very kind. I am  glad and really appreciate all the help you give. And I have been impressed by the knowledge and helpfulness of the forum members. I’m learning all the time. As I wrote in the beginning of this thread, it is just my fifth ”Etude”, training my stiff old fingers, as did my friend 1971.
And thanks to you for your nice music. Always waiting for your next music piece.