What is the Circle of 5ths ? Part #3 - The 1,2,3 of figuring out Sharps

OK .... So we left off with our high-tech GPS device which helped us to navigate the Circle of 5ths.
We already understand:
How many flats and sharps exist in each key
IF you don't already know that?
Please read "What is the Circle of 5ths
Part 1, "The Key to Flats & Sharps" here
Part 2, "Navigating the Circle" Here


Let's continue our journey into the world of sharps after a quick review of our last adventure
G Major: 1 sharp
D Major: 2 sharps
A Major: 3 sharps
E Major: 4 sharps
B Major: 5 sharps
F# Major: 6 sharps
**Note Once again we are only talking about Major Keys here**

Now how do we figure out which sharps exist in each key?
Simple as 1, 2, 3!!!

Let's start with G (oh my those last 3 sentences rhymed unintentionally!!)
First Recall your musical alphabet A, B, C, D, E, F, G - G means GO back to A

1. Look at the Key Name
ex: G Major
2. What note comes before it in the alphabet ?
ex: Key of G
ex: F comes before G in the alphabet
3. Add a sharp
+ Key of G
+ F comes before G
+ Add a Sharp: F#
WHAT IS THE SHARP IN THE KEY OF G ? F# !!!!!
Simple as 1,2,3

Our next key in the circle is D ( 5 steps away from G = G, A, B, C, D)
We know that D has 2 sharps
1. Look at the Key Name ANSWER IS D MAJOR
2. What letter comes before D in the alphabet? ANSWER IS C
3. Add a sharp ANSWER IS C#

But Wait you said that D had TWO sharps?!?!
Well, remember I also said that sharp guy was a party fellow?
He travels from Bar to Bar and picks up Friends everywhere he goes!
In other words, as we travel clockwise from Key to Key,
For each progressive key we add our new sharp to the previous ones

EX: so we already learned that
The key of G has 1 sharp - F#
The key of D has 2 sharps - F# and C#
F# is already there from the previous key and now we add C#

Let's continue
Our next key after D is .... (count on your GPS)
So, thumb on D
Pointer finger on E
Middle finger on F
Ring finger on G
Pinky on A
VOILA! you have now determined your next key which is the key of A!

Let's go back to our 1,2,3 of figuring out the sharps
1. Look at the Key name: ANSWER IS A MAJOR
2. What letter comes before A in the alphabet ? ANSWER IS G
REMEMBER IN THE MUSICAL ALPHABET AFTER G WE GO BACK TO A
(this is the only instance where you have to remember something beyond the alphabet you learned in kindergarten - pretty simple because in that alphabet nothing comes before A, so just now commit to memory:
G comes before A, G comes before A, G comes before A)
3. Add a sharp - THE ANSWER IS G#
4. A Major has 3 sharps - Our new one is G# plus F# & C# because we've already picked them up from the last 2 keys.

NEXT
1. Look at the Key Name ANSWER IS E MAJOR
2. What letter comes before E in the alphabet? ANSWER IS D
3. Add a sharp ANSWER IS D#
4. E major has 4 sharps - D# plus the 3 from the previous keys: F#, C#, G#, D#

NEXT
1. Look at the Key Name ANSWER IS B MAJOR
2. What letter comes before B in the alphabet? ANSWER IS A
3. Add a sharp ANSWER IS A#
4. B major has 5 sharps - A# plus the 4 from the previous keys: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#

NEXT
1. Look at the Key Name ANSWER IS F# MAJOR
(because F has already been sharped in the circle he stays that way)
2. What letter comes before F in the alphabet? ANSWER IS E
3. Add a sharp ANSWER IS E#
4. F# major has 6 sharps - E# plus the 5 from the previous keys: F#,C#,G#,D#,A#,E#

I will leave C# to YOU!

Now, here's another tip - or perhaps a trend to notice...
Look at your sharps as they line up
F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#
Holy Genius of Music Theory!!!! There's another pattern here...
Can you see it? Hint: GPS Hint: Circle of 5ths
Give up?
THERE IS A 5TH BETWEEN EACH SHARP AS WE ADD THEM! Check it out
So, thumb on F
Pointer finger on G
Middle finger on A
Ring finger on B
Pinky on C
Get it! the relationship between F and C is a 5th (and the same goes for all of the other sharps we are adding) What another nifty way to figure it out

EX: We already know that G has one sharp which is F and that A has 3 sharps
To figure out the sharps in A you can travel the circle Starting at F# to C# to G#
Magical!!


Now, for homework
1. Take a minute NOW to write out the sharps in each key using the 1,2,3 method
PLEASE close this screen and do it without looking. Then you can double check it here!
2. Tape it to your bathroom mirror and review it as you brush your teeth each morn and evening
3. Play through each key on your instrument
4. APPLY IT in the next tune you're writing, the next chart you look at, hear it as you play.

Have Fun!!! and as always, drop a line back with any questions!!
Contact@meredithblis.com

What is the Circle of 5ths? Part #1: the Key to Flats & Sharps

"You spin me Right Round baby, Right Round Like...."
THE CIRCLE OF 5THS!
I am so happy this question came in this week! "What is the Circle of 5ths? And Why is it useful?"
Thanks CK in Nyc :) Why am I excited? Well, because it is one of the most frequently asked questions. Keep reading and I"ll explain.... Also, I want to note that this is sort of an in depth topic and may take a few posts.

The Circle is 5ths is essentially a music term and a cute little diagram for a technique that helps us figure out how many flats or sharps are in a key of music.
(Specifically, what we call a Major key - there are also minor keys, but that's a whole different house!)

WHY is it important? Once we know this handy tool, we have the ability to instantly figure out the notes we are supposed to play in a song, scale & what's going on if someone calls out, "Blues in the key of A!"

Sharp? Flat? Key?
I am going to back up here and begin with some basics of what the heck THOSE mean! A lot of you may already know, but I want to make sure we are all on the same page (of music, of course!) before I continue.

What does Sharp mean? ah.... like scissors, um "an object that has a cutting edge or fine point used for cutting or piercing" That's what dear Mirriam Webster has to say about it and we all know THAT!
But in music terminology it is a symbol that looks like this # (number sign)
Why it is important? It takes a note and RAISES the tone by half a step. That's it!
I think of it this way: if someone takes a sharp object & gently pokes you with it - Ow!! and You are bound to jump UP
Similarly a Sharp jumps our note Up a tiny bit and raises the pitch; ie: A to A#

What does Flat mean? ah..... remember the last time you drank too much tequila and ended up Flat on the floor? Yeah, people tend to fall down when that happens or they are stuck Flat out in bed for the next day (or several....)
The flat symbol looks like a lower case b (in a written music it's angled a tiny bit to the left)
If you drink too much tequila you end up down and out! And it will knock ya down a tiny bit Flat.
In contrast to a Sharp, a Flat LOWERS a given note by half a step. That's it! ie: A to Ab

Now that's out of the way ....
What does one mean when they say a KEY of music ?
There are 12 Major Scales
There are 12 keys of music
Why ? They correspond to the 12 major scales.

Each scale has a different number of flats or sharps
The KEY you are in playing corresponds to the SCALE of the SAME name.
Ex: Key of A Major equals the A Major scale meaning the Key of A major will have the same notes as the A Major scale
Ah.... The KEY opens up the door to the house where the song lives by showing us how many sharps or flats
reside there. Cool!
In essence, The word Key is simply music terminology to let us know in One Letter what specific flats or sharps to play in the given piece of music. The Letter? is simply the name of the scale!

Ok, Now that we have clarified Sharps, Flats and Keys
Question: Why did the the Music Note go to the bar ?
Answer: Because someone poked him with a Sharp object & after jumping Up out of his skin, his nerves were frazzled and he needed to calm down. Unfortunately? He then he drank too much tequila and fell Flat on the floor.
It is important to remember to get Flats keys when he drinks too much Tequila so that he doesn't drive home. So
you can call his friend, The Circle of 5ths!
Then IF we actually expect Mr, Flat to find the keys to his apt after all of that tequila perhaps a Mnemonic Device will help.... (more on that in a sec)

Seriously?
How does all of this nonsense relate to our his dear friend, the Circle of 5ths?
Quite simply the Circle of 5ths is THE TOOL or METHOD that helps us quickly determine what specific sharps or flats are in a given key.
We can even make our own Mnemonic Device to help us remember it!

(I swar it's harder to spell the word Mnemonic than it is to write this post!!!) An example of a Mnemonic device is...
Roy. G. Biv (which coincidentally is a song on my last CD!) represents the colors of the rainbow
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo & Violet. (coincidentally it also represents the colors of our chakras in ascending order from the base of the spine to the top of the head) And you thought Music Theory was No Fun!?!?

I'm going to end this post here for now. Next post will be all about the fun of playing with Mnemonic devices to understand the Circle of 5ths so that we can play the correct flats and sharps.
OH, why is this useful to know? Once you learn the circle of 5ths? You have the ability to know Immediately which sharps or flats to play in a piece of music or if somebody calls out a key in a jam session, or if you see a chart in a specific key
Wow!