Music Fundamentals A Balanced Approach

Circle of Fifths—Major Keys

The Circle of Fifths shows the 15 major scales with their increasing number of sharps or flats. The sharped scales

begin clockwise to the right of C major and the flatted scales begin counterclockwise to the left of C major.

When moving clockwisearound the circle from C major the number of sharps increases from G major with one

sharp to C#major with seven sharps. When moving counterclockwisefrom C major, the number of flats increases

from F major with one flat to C flat with seven flats. Notice that the three pairs of enharmonicscales consist of

five, six, or seven sharps or flats (Cb/B, Gb/F#, Db/C#). Although other tonics around the Circle also have

enharmonic equivalents, major keys do not exist for them—for example, D#or Fb.

When moving five notes up from C (the major scale without any accidentals) to the G major scale, we add

one sharp, F sharp. This is called moving by a “perfect fifth”:

When we move up a perfect fifth from G to the D major scale, we will add a second sharp for a total of two

sharps (F sharp and C sharp), and so forth. Hence the term “Circle of Fifths.”

Notice (opposite page) that:

• The sharps move up by fifths: F C G D A E B. Look for these letters on the circle on the following page.


• The flats move down by fifths: B E A D G C F. This is the reverse order of the sharps.

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Vocabulary note

ANOTHER WAY TO USE

The sign directs the performer to repeat back to the beginning of the section.

In the preceding piece, there are two repeat signs. Begin with the anacrusis measure and play until the first repeat sign in measure

8. Repeat back to the beginning and play to the end of the piece where there is a second repeat sign. Repeat back to the double
   bar in measure 8 and play until the end of the piece. (Play A (anacrusis), 1–8 two times, then (A), 9–16 two times.)

Vocabularynote

CIRCLE OF FIFTHS

The Circle of Fifths was first discussed by the German Baroque composer Johann David Heinichen in a theory treatise written

in the early 1700s when it first became possible to compose and perform pieces in all 15 major keys.

MODULE 7

Workbook Exercises 7.1–7.3

1 2 3 4 5

C D E F G

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