Cricle of Fifths?

Question

Can someone please exaplain this to me (as in musical terms).

And how can I remember it?

Answer 1

It is a trick to remember the sharps on a staff. C is no sharps. G is the fifth of C, it has 1 Sharp. D is the fifth of G it has two sharp and so forth.

CGDAEBF# are the keys ....make up a sentence to remember them. The circle of fifths is in and of itself a shortcut to remember.

Answer 2

Well, if you start in the key of "C" there are no sharps or flats. If you go up a fifth say, on the piano keyboard, you come to "G." The key of G has one sharp(F#). Now if you continue up a fifth from G, you come to D. The key of D has two sharps(F
# and C#). If you continue up a fifth from D, you come to A. The key of A has three sharps(F#,C#,and G#). If you continue up a fifth from A, you come to E. The key of E has four sharps(F,C,G,and D#).

From E up a fifth = B. Yes, add another sharp:F,C,G,D and A#.
From B up a fifth = F# Add another sharp so that the key of F# sharp contains: F,C,G,D,A and E#.

Now this is where it gets a little tricky. Have you ever heard of the word "enharmonic?" It's just a fancy word for spelling two notes differently that sound the same. Therefore, F# also = G flat. Now the key of G flat = B,E,A,D,G and C flat. Same key as F#, just different spelling of notes. We're dealing with flat keys now.

O.K., let's keep going up by fifths from G flat. That would take us to D flat. Now, instead of adding flats like we did sharps, we're going to start subtracting flats until we get back to the key of C. So, the key of D flat looks like this: B,E,A,D, and G flat.

Continue up a fifth from D flat = A flat(B,E,A, and D flat).
Up a fifth from A flat = E flat(B,E, and A flat).
Up a fifth from E flat = B flat(B and E flat).
Up a fifth from B flat = F(B flat only in its key signature).
And finally, up a fifth from F = C (no sharps or flats, we have returned home).

One last thing. You can reverse this process and come up with the "circle of fourths." The only difference is you "hit" the flat keys first and go back to the key of C by subtracting sharps. It's easier than it sounds. Just stick to the "circle of fifths" for now.

Answer 3

thats where you know all the scales right. well say it is Bb scale next to it should be some thing that says some number and next to that should be a flat sign or a sharp sign then in the middle of the circle should b the order of the flats and sharps.so then the number of flats or sharps that was next to Bb then you now what they are .that was kind of confusing to understand so e-mail me for further detail

Answer 4

The circle of fifths starts with any note, and goes to the next "perfect fifth." If you keep going, you'll eventually come back to the note where you started, thus it's a circle.

Answer 5

you start off on the c key and move up 5 keys each time

c= no sharps
g=1 sharp-F
d=2 sharps-F+C
ETC.

note: THE SHARP IS ALWAYS THE NOTE BEFORE THE FIFTH
SORRY I DID THAT IN CAPS

Answer 6

i memorized it by BEADGBEADGCF - i dont really know a better way but its diffrent scales- like the first note of all the different scales -but then again memorizing it might be different for u between transposing and nontransposing(myself a flute) instruments- best way to memorize it is by the fingerings tho

Answer 7

http://www.carolinaclassical.com/scales/circle.html

Great explanination and graphics