{"id":19055,"date":"2023-02-18T11:43:04","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T16:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=19055"},"modified":"2025-10-09T09:51:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:51:04","slug":"circle-of-fifths-the-key-to-unlocking-harmonic-understanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/circle-of-fifths-the-key-to-unlocking-harmonic-understanding\/","title":{"rendered":"Circle of Fifths: The Key to Unlocking Harmonic Understanding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Learn what the circle of fifths is, how to read it, and how it helps you understand keys, sharps, flats, and harmony<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The following information on the circle of fifths is excerpted from the Berklee Online courses Music Application and Theory<\/a><\/em>, written by Eunmi Shim<\/a>; and Music for Beginners<\/a><\/em>, written by Joe Mulholland<\/a>, Yumiko Matsuoka<\/a>, and Gaye Tolan Hatfield<\/a>. Both courses are currently enrolling.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The circle of fifths is arguably the most helpful way of visually organizing Western music theory\u2019s 12 chromatic pitches for learning. Seeing the notes laid out in a circle will help you unlock an understanding of how major and natural minor scales are organized, and also how they are related to each other. 
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So how do we first acquaint ourselves with the circle of fifths? Before we even look at that circle, take a look at your keyboard. Start at the lowest C (the farthest on to the left) and go up in fifths. Play the starred notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Note what happens: we end up back on C. In the process, we have touched all 12 possible notes: C, C\u266f, D, D\u266f, E, F, F\u266f, G, G\u266f, A, A\u266f, and B. Let\u2019s see if we can express this in a simple way. First, a quick review and an exercise to point us in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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