"Send in the Clowns"

Irony - Sometimes defined as an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected
For example, in 1975 a little song from the Broadway musical, “A Little Night Music,”
Won the Grammy for Song of the Year!!

Even more Ironic? This song is a brilliant use of Irony!
“What’s it called?" SEND IN THE CLOWNS

If I said, “Hey send in the clowns” You would think – what happened??!?! What’s so funny ? Yeah, some people find clowns scary, but for the most part, clowns are supposed to be silly.
But if you were reflecting upon the ironies and disappointments of you life? That would be a very different matter... And that would be a very ingenious twist on the typical picture…. Alas, Thank You once again Stephen Sondheim (who is probably my most favorite Broadway composer and "A Little Night Music is one of my most favorite musicals)
At the end of the song he states, "Don't bother, they're here." Which also means, the players are the clowns, or as he says it, clowns is a synonym for fools.

But which choice is more interesting? Fools or Clowns? I'll let you guess.
We can learn something here!
Songwriters, never say die! when it comes to exploring options for different words and images. Better said, never, rest in peace, succumb, give up the ghost, abate,
expire, wain, wither, succumb, pass on, lapse, weaken, ... you get the point!!!

This little article in Wikipedia is awesome. It discusses his writing process and the influence of his mentor (Leonard Bernstein, another one of my favorite people);
as well as the unique song structure (the song has 4 verses and a bridge) and the unusual meter/timing. Songwriters, I say it again Broadway Cats can be pretty hip creatures and we can learn a lot from them!
More Here

And who else thought this song was cool enough to sing?
Krusty the Clown (sorry I had to mention that)
Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Frida (Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA), Bryan Ferry, Tom Jones, Glenn Close, Van Morrison, Wil Ferrell, Steven Colbert (when he had Sondheim as a guest) And many others, One of my favorite versions is by Barbara Streisand
View it here

Singers, this one is for you. First watch her body, specifically the placement of her head and the long lines of her neck. This allows the voice to flow easily. If we reach our chin too far forward or the position of our head is crooked, this creates tension, makes it more difficult to sing and will cause problems (fatigue, hoarseness, etc). Also, note the relaxed jaw and how she opens, opens, opens her mouth! Free that beautiful tone! While she's doing this, take a look, notice how her tongue is beautifully relaxed. Also, her vocal control and tone are breathtaking. (hint: listen to where she breathes) Ok, I'm gonna stop here for this week...

I shall sign off with this gem of rhyme, imagery, and cleverness....
(also from A Little Night Music)
It's a push and a fumble and a tumble in the sheets, And I'll foot the highland fancy,
A dip in the butter and a flutter with what meets my eye, It's a very short fetch
From the push and the whoop, To the squint and the stoop, And the mumble.
It's not much of a stretch, To the cribs and the croup And the bosoms that droop
And go dry. In the meanwhile, There are mouths to be kissed, Before mouths to be fed,
And there's many a tryst, And there's many a bed, To be sampled and seen
In the meanwhile, And a girl has to celebrate what passes by."
(the Millers Son -Stephen Sondheim)

The Brilliance, Beauty & Bawdy of Broadway Lyrics

Well it seems last week I ended up on a tangent about the Brill Building, Marilyn Monroe and Gwen Stefani. So, I will do my best to stay on track this week.
And yeah it might seem that this trip to Broadway might be a digression from the whole Theory thing. Yet, being that my mission statement (how funny that just said I even had one?) is about helping musicians excel! I think understanding history (& herstory) might just be on point....

So, often we think Ugh! Broadway is too Vanilla and Virgin. Once again, I'm waaaaay tooo cool for that! Let me introduce you to one of my favorite playboys, Cole Porter BIO Now it's not shock value I'm after (although that's always fun) It's the rhyme, the story, the melodic rhythm and the use of words... check this out from his musical, "Anything Goes." Let's also take a moment to notice the timeless themes of rebellion and sarcasm. For me a big part of this magic is that he presents with such ease and humor

In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, God knows,
Anything Goes (big deal we see more than that in commercials) NOW

If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose!
When every night,
The set that's smart
Is intruding in nudist parties in studios,
Anything Goes.

more here
Undressing? Nudist parties? Yeah, you get the point.
Need I say more about the brilliance of rhyme, humor and story? Well, just for fun, I will.
Fast Cars , Low Bars - Old Hymns, Bare Limbs - Mae West, Me Undressed -
Some pretty witty internal rhyme there Mr, Porter. And there's some divine time in your melodic rhythm. This is one of so many examples & I could wax on... but let's move on and be romantic instead.

Ah.... "All the Things You Are" written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein (1939!) from the musical "Very Warm for May"
Covered by Many People Including the Late Michael Jackson!!
Analyze it and Learn more Here

"All The Things You Are"

Time and again I’ve longed for adventure,
Something to make my heart beat the faster.
What did I long for? I never really knew.
Finding your love I’ve found my adventure,
Touching your hand, my heart beats the faster,
All that I want in all of this world is you.
(chorus)
You are the promised kiss of springtime
That makes the lonely winter seem long.
You are the breathless hush of evening
That trembles on the brink of a lovely song.
You are the angel glow that lights a star,
The dearest things I know are what you are.
Some day my happy arms will hold you,
And some day I’ll know that moment divine,
When all the things you are, are mine

Charlie Parker said these were his favorite lyrics of all time. This one is also a classic (even as an instrumental) in Jazz Standard literature
Imagery wow! "Angel glow that lights a star"
Nice use of simile! " you are the Breathless hush of evening"

Now, check this out - excerpted from a fairly recent pop tune recorded by many people including Rascal Flatts and become a top 5 hit for the Christian artist, Selah.
(written by Marcus Hummon, Jeff Hanna & Bobby Boyd)

"Bless the Broken Road"
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
But now I'm just rolling home into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

more lyrics here

hmmmmm..... do we see the similarity of themes as well as similar expression, I could see this one in a musical. Not actually so different! Because they share vivid imagery, strong story, great use of simile.
Both Brilliant heart warming songs expressing the journey to finding love.

Like I said, you can learn a little from these Broadway Cats...
Take a look at these other favs and TELL ME what you think!

"Some Enchanted Evening" (South Pacific - Rodgers & Hammerstein)
lyrics
"If I Loved You" (Carousel - Rodgers & Hammerstein)
Lyrics
"Unexpected Song" (Song & Dance - A.L. Webber & Don Black, lyrics)
lyrics
"In a Very Unusual Way" (Nine -Maury Yeston)
This is one of my favorite musicals and What a Unique (even unusual?) way to express the theme of love! Breath-Taking
lyrics
"As Long as You're Mine" (Wicked -Stephen Schwartz)
Lyrics
"Til there Was You" Covered by none other than THE BEATLES!
(The Music Man - Meredith Wilson)
Lyrics


"Who can explain it? Who can tell you why? Fools give you reasons, Wise men never try"
(Some Enchanted Evening)

Well, Next Week I'll get to "Defying Gravity" and perhaps even, "Send in the Clowns"
Til then keep an open heart and a bawdy humor...

I'm too cool for Broadway

School has finally started again! But we’re gonna start slow as we still need lotsa energy to stay warm from the winter winds. Last week I prattled about Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and ended with the question…. Why does anybody care about Broadway anyway? Or I’m too cool, Isn’t Broadway music for geeks? Actually the answer is no. Obviously certain types of music don’t appeal to everyone and it’s totally fine if show tunes are not your bag. But, if you are a Songwriter? You can learn a lot from these composer cats; Singers and Musicians? You can definitely be inspired by these voices, orchestrations, and musicianship.
How is that possible? And why should you care? If you're gonna make music it helps to know the basics and there are a lot of artists we admire today who are using these songs,as well as crossing the line into The Great White Way (slang term for Broadway :)

Since it's always hip at a cocktail party to appear smart, Let's start with a BRIEF scan of Pop Music History.
Publishing 101. It all started in what they called Tin Pan Alley which was located in what we now call the Flatiron District (west 28th st btwn 5th & 6th ave - Hey New Yorkers, look for the plaque that is there now!) This was the original location of the first publishing companies where they hired people to write popular music. Rumor is that it was called Tin Pan Alley because of the clackity-clack from all the cheap pianos playing! So fast forward.... In the early 1900's what was the pop music (aka popular music) of the day? Broadway!!!
So there's some nerd history. read more here.... And the point here is that Tin Pan sowed the seeds and this music center eventually moved to the Brill Building (49th st & Broadway). The Brill Building then became home to some the best writers of the 60's
including people like Liebert & Stoller, Carole King & Jerry Goffin. It was THE center for publishers, studios, writers and music business, as well as the modern music sound, often referred to as "the Brill Building" sound More?

History lesson over about how B'way developed into Pop
Now Let's Talk about how B'way music is still hip today...

Who is still singing this stuff?

++ Gwen Stefani, "Rich Girl" (yes this was an adaptation) Originally "If I Were a Rich Man" from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" This entire record went multi-platinum and also resulted in multiple Grammy nominations and the song hit the top 10
++ Everyone from Billie Holiday to Rod Stewart, including hip peeps like Maroon 5, Dexys Midnight Runners & most recently Michael Buble, have covered "The Way You Look Tonight" (Swing Time)
++ Poe - "I Can't Say No" (Oklahoma)
++ Junior Vasquez?!?! "Climb Every Mountain" (The Sound of Music)
++ Ms. Madonna made quite a hit from "Evita" (Platinum with 2 hit singles!)
And her "Material World" routine? Adapted directly from the scene in the musical "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Friend" performed by Marilyn Monroe. (Marilyn was actually a pretty good singer!)
Madonna
Marilyn

And some songs we sing everyday...
The most covered song of all time! "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Arlen & Harburg)
And in Winter? "Let It Snow" (Jules Styne)
And at Christmas?
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Martin & Blane)
"White Christmas" (Irving Berlin)

We can also mention the Pop People who have crossed the line into Broadway?
Abba, Elton John, and GREEN DAY ?!? Wrote a musical based on their concept album, "American Idiot" Still running on Broadway And in Feb 2011 Melissa Etheridge will be joining the cast!

Let's also look at our beloved Jazz Standards. A lot of our faves had their debut as songs in musicals! Ex: "All the Things You Are," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Jerome Kern) "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" (Rodgers & Hart), "Witchcraft" (Cy Coleman) and many, many more...

Oh and one more FAVORITE:
"Favorite Things" (Rodgers & Hammerstein) And if this one ain't too lame for Coltrane - It ain't too cheesy for me. YouTube


Meantime, You get the point there are some pretty cool and successful people still playing these songs Today! Why?
Could be because? They are simply great songs. We'll get a bit more in about that next week

One last thing, our friend Andrew Lloyd Weber (see previous post), well he's gone Platinum in the UK and in the US selling over 2 million copies with The Phantom of the Opera. And the original cast recording was the first in British musical history to enter the charts at number one....

Someones' Listening to it! Til Next Time .....

A Great Joke

HI Everybody!
So, it's been snowy and slowy in TN - So I have declared a snow day and decided to have a fun day of theorizing!
I am going to use this opportunity to tell a bad joke - yes up above I said it was Great because it is a great intro to some of the nonsense that I will be spouting about next week
Then we are continuing our journey into the land of sharps and flats via the Circle of 5ths

I am using this joke courtesy of the Grand Rand Bishop from his book, “The Essentials to Songwriting Success” This is a great book written by an amazing songwriter. What more can I say? See for yourself!!!!!
Check out his website: RandBishop.com

“A pair of Manhattanites, Vern and Frank, are walking down Amsterdam Avenue. “Oh my God!” Vern cries out, pointing up ahead. Following Vern’s pointer finger, Frank sees a man falling from a 10th story window. Miraculously, what surely looks to be a fatal fall is slowed, as the fortunate fellow bounces off of an awning protruding from the 5th floor. He then resumes his fall only to trampoline off of another awning at the 2nd floor level, and finally to land softly in a dumpster conveniently filled with packing peanuts. He climbs out of the dumpster, evidently unhurt, and begins gingerly brushing himself off. “Wow!” exclaims Frank. “That guy has got to be the luckiest man in New York City.”
“Second Luckiest,” Vern corrects him
“What do you mean?” Frank wonders out loud
“Andrew Lloyd Webber,” Vern explains. “He’s the luckiest man in New York City.”

Haaaaa!!!!!!! I am still laughing. And if you know of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, you probably are too. And if you haven’t heard of Andrew Lloyd Webber? Well, you’ve probably heard of these musicals? Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom of the Opera - He’s the composer and he’s written over a dozen more that you know. Get your google on here ….
More about Sir Andrew

Most importantly – Why should you care? Musicals are for Geeks, right?
Maybe, but stick around songwriters & I promise you can learn something from those show writers as well as from the history of Musical Theater.
( In addition to being a Theory nerd, I think I also just admitted to being a Geek)
Til Next Time, perhaps watch an Old Musical and instead of focusing on the costumes and choreographed routines, listen to the music, hear the lyrics, notice the orchestration - you might be pleasantly surprised by this element of the craft of songwriting :)

Why do I need this Stuff Anyway?

I’ve spoken with a lot of musicians who have said something to the effect of “Well, if I learn to read music, it will hinder my creativity,” “If I learn music theory, my music will become boring and too academic.” Ok, I hear that, we all fear the result of what may happen if we bring an unknown quantity into our lives, especially something as sacred to us, as our music. Take a moment and look further…..
The famous composer, Igor Stravinsky, is considered the pioneer of 20th century music. Let’s take for granted, he could read, compose, orchestrate, etc, et al. One of his most famous works, “The Rite of Spring” debuted in 1913. On the evening of the premier, the audience went nuts (ummm, but not with cheers and applause), there was actually a riot in the theater, people threw things, chairs were toppled over and Stravinksky himself had to sneak out the back door for his safety (that’s pretty rock star-esque) WHY? The music was so innovative and unlike anything people had heard before, they violently rejected it. Then, nearly 10 years later the piece was played again and suddenly? People heard the brilliance of this unique work and it has become part of the foundation for modern composition.
(Lesson #1 Never stop walking on the path where your creativity leads you! Even if everyone else is a few steps behind!)
more here

Why am I telling you this? Aside from the fact that I am a nerd and like to talk about music, The point is that knowledge of music enabled someone to make his mark in the history of music, it did not prevent him from being brilliant. The opposite is true, his knowledge of composition enabled his ability to break barriers and to create unique music.

As we often see, the new ideas that people react harshly to today often becomes the leading trend of tomorrow. Take the hoopla that the Beatles created or Elvis’s hips – no one can deny the mark they made on music history. How? They had the ability to do something different!!! Confidence gives us this courage. How do we become confident? By being the very best we can be at our craft!! Simply put, when we can understand how music works, it makes us a better musician & writer.

AND Knowledge can enable us to break rules!!! Take another case. The 20th century composer John Cage is very famous for some pieces he wrote for what we call prepared piano. How in heck does one prepare a piano? Usually they call a tuner. BUT in Cage’s case…. It involves actually placing objects (aka preparations) inside of the piano strings, dampers or pedals (you can also do this to a guitar!) which changes it’s natural sound, overtones, and how it is played. Cool! Innovative! Although some people think this is way toooo crazy (maybe that’s why it makes me smile) No one can argue that it’s a unique approach to making music! Videos
OK, maybe you’re thinking….. the prepared piano is hip, but I’m a pop, country, blues, R&B, radio friendly artist/writer. So are….
Ben Folds who wedges an Altoid tin in the strings and plays his piano through a rat distortion to attain the unique sound for the song, “Free Coffee.” In Concert He demonstrates the preparation and performance of the piano
First, that’s a pretty nifty performance moment! & a cool way to make this song happen.
Although he is not a trained musician himself, Ben IS a strong proponent of music education, a generous supporter of both VH1 Save the Music Foundation & of The Nashville Symphony
His album A Cappella (May 2008) features college performers from acapella ensembles. In his own words regarding Acapella voice ensembles…. more here

“They (meaning acapella singers) have to have a fairly thorough understanding of western theory, harmony, arranging, voice leading and so on, just to get through a few measures. We pro's are rarely put through those kinds of paces, at least those of us in rock music, including the ones with the 'street cred'……”
We can always learn a lot from successful predecessors and no one can deny Ben Folds success (and talent!) as both a writer and a musician. So, perhaps it’s worth our while to be a part of his mission and to take the time to learn a little bit more about music…..
P.S.
Some Other Modern/Pop piano preparations…..
The Noah and the Whale song "Our Window" makes use of a piano prepared with "screws, ping pong palls and tooth picks."
"All Tomorrow's Parties" from The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), John Cale prepared his piano with a chain of paper clips.

P.S.S.
if you don’t believe me about Stravinsky? Check out the movie “Coco & Igor” I think it’s a great flick overall (rated R not for the kids!). But all you need to do is watch the first 20 minutes to see the chaos that “The Rite of Spring” created. Amazing how art that’s innovative can have a such a grand impact …..

What is the Circle of 5ths ? Part #2 How it works!

If you are just getting on this wild ride now, you may want to review the last Post, "What is the Circle of 5ths? Part #1: the Key to Flats & Sharps" for the back story and it may clarify some terminology. If you already know the Key to Flats & Sharps - as in What those words Mean ?
Rock on with your bad self and follow along here :)

This Post is going to focus on Navigating the Circle of 5ths.
So get ready to travel!
We are going to cruise around the circle of 5ths,
Create a mnemonic device to help us along and
Then draw a picture of our travels
And you thought Music Theory was stagnant and dull!


We left off saying that the Circle of 5ths was simply a tool & a pretty picture to help us learn how many sharps or flats are in a Major key.
(there are also minor keys, but let's play with them in a different post)
**Please note all references in this post refer to Major keys**

Some of the many reasons why we want to know this include….
This helps us to transpose music quickly when we play, modulate keys easily when we write, immediately understand how many sharps or flats are in a given key when we jam, etc, etc ….

Here is your lovely picture of the Circle of 5ths



**picture courtesy of Folkblues.net

We call it a circle of 5ths because
Each key in the circle is 5 steps away from the previous key
Note that
We Move Clockwise for Sharps
We Move Counter-Clockwise for Flats

“Let’s start at the very beginning, the very best place to place to start…. When you read you begin with A,B,C”
There are 8 basic notes in the musical alphabet and they repeat over and over again.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G - after G we GO back to A
(the G in Go is our reminder to GO back to A!)

Going Clockwise from C we are adding Sharps and moving Upwards in our scale (sharp objects make you jump up and say Ow!)
Going Counter Clockwise we are adding Flats and moving Backwards in our scale (when things fall down they get kinda crazy!)


C Lives at the top of our circle. (see illustration)
He lives alone. No roommates.
He C's things in a simple way and usually avoids both Sharp objects & falling Flat from Tequila.
Why am I telling you this?
C MAJOR IS THE ONLY MAJOR KEY WITH NO SHARPS OR FLATS ☺
Commit That One Little Fact to Memory
C MAJOR IS THE ONLY MAJOR KEY WITH NO SHARPS OR FLATS ☺
C MAJOR IS THE ONLY MAJOR KEY WITH NO SHARPS OR FLATS ☺
C MAJOR IS THE ONLY MAJOR KEY WITH NO SHARPS OR FLATS ☺
Done!



But sometimes …..
His friend Sharp comes by and they will go out for a night on the town.
They always travel Clockwise
There are 5 steps between each stop they make
At each place they pick up a new friend

How does this relate to our Circle of 5ths?
The SHARP keys are listed as we move clockwise around the circle
Each Key is 5 notes away from the one before it
As we travel, we pick up a new sharp for each new key


How do we find OUR way around the circle?

1. Let us use the Musical Alphabet as our Map
Remember?
A B C D E F G (GO back to A)

2. Remember we are talking 5ths!
So we start with C and count up 5 notes because as we add sharps each key is 5 steps away from the previous key

3. Directions?
Let your fingers serve as your a high-tech GPS device
(I am serious here!) Start by counting on your fingers & you won’t get lost!


So, thumb on C,
Pointer finger on D,
Middle finger on E,
Ring finger on F
Pinky on G
VOILA! you have now determined your next key which is the key of G!
C * D * E * F *G The Key of G
G is the key with ONE Sharp

Back to your fingers
So, thumb on G
Pointer finger on A
Middle finger on B
Ring finger on C
Pinky on D

G * A * B * C * D The Key of D
D is the key with Two Sharps
I'll leave the GPS to you and just continue ...

D * E * F * G * A
A is the key with Three Sharps
A * B * C * D * E
E is the Key with Four Sharps
E * F * G * A * B
B is the Key with Five Sharps
B * C * D * E * F
F# is the Key with Six Sharps (I'll explain the Sharp / # in the next post)

So, we now know
G, D, A, E, B, F# are the keys in the world of sharps
As we progress in the circle, we add a new sharp

How do we remember the order of the keys?
By making this even more fun - Mnemonic Device here we come!

G D A E B F#
Girls Don't Always E-mail Boys First
Gin Definitely Awakens Every Bad Flirt
Greedy Dogs Always Eat Bones Fast
OR Invent your Own!


Now for the Flat portion of the evening
Usually C and Sharp don’t invite him to join them for 3 reasons

1. He likes to stop at different places. In other words?
The Key names are different for flats

2. He travels backwards around town.
In other words?
The Flats are listed as we move Counter-Clockwise around the circle.

3. He Jumps around a lot and can be downer to follow.
In other words?
We can actually travel in 2 directions to determine our next Flat key
More on that in a minute

Why am I gossiping about Flat?
In the circle of 5ths, the Flats are listed on the left side moving Counter-Clockwise from C
We can calculate them by moving a Fourth UP OR a Fifth DOWN
(told ya, that flat guy can be a downer….)
SO, When we travel with Flat we have TWO Choices
Because? A FIFTH GOING DOWN IS THE SAME DISTANCE AS A FOURTH GOING UP
Check it out

Choice #1
YOU Can Count FOUR Notes UP from C
C D E F G A B
Same as did when counting our Sharps But for Flats we count Four UP!
Flat drank Four tequilas straight UP!

Back to Your Fingers
Thumb on C
Pointer on D
Middle Finger on E
Ring Finger on F
C * D * E * F
F is your key with one flat

Back to Your Fingers
Thumb on F
Pointer on G
Middle Finger on A
Ring Finger on B

From here on out when you are counting you add a flat / b to the key name (stick with me)
F * G * A * Bb
Bb is your key with 2 flats
Bb * C * D * Eb
Eb is your key with 3 flats
Eb * F * G * Ab
Ab is your key with 4 flats
Ab * Bb * C * Db
Db is your key with 5 flats
Db * Eb * F * Gb
Gb is your key with 6 flats


Choice #2
When things fall flat often life begins to feel backwards....
Start by counting backwards from C

Let's think of our musical alphabet as going down
(down, flat out, he's free falling from the tequila)
C B A G F E D
(D? DON'T forget to go back to C)

So, thumb on C, Pointer finger on B, Middle finger on A, Ring finger on G and Pinky on F
VOILA! you have now determined your next key which is the key of F!
C * B * A * G * F
F is the key with ONE Flat

Thumb on F, Pointer finger on E, Middle finger on D, Ring finger on C and Pinky on B
VOILA! You have now determined your next key which is the key of Bb!
REMEMBER: From here on out when you are counting you add a flat / b to the key name (stick with me)
F * E * D * C * Bb
Bb is your key with 2 flats


From here on, use your own GPS aka fingers….
Bb * A * G * F * Eb
Eb is your key with 3 flats
Eb * D * C * Bb * Ab
Ab is your key with 4 flats
Ab * G * F * Eb * Db
Db is your key with 5 flats
Db * C * Bb * Ab * Gb
Gb is your key with 6 flats




Now it’s time for our mnuemonic devices!
F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb

Fred Buys Expensive Armani Designer Glasses (or G-strings?)
Funky Baboons Eat Almond Date Granola
Four Bad Elephants Are Dangerously Gambling
Funny Blue Elves Adore Dandelion Gardening
OR invent your own!


So we figured out why we call it a circle of 5ths
Each key in the circle is 5 steps away from the previous key
5 steps higher for sharps
And
5 steps lower for flats which is the same note as 4 steps higher



Next Post will explain WHICH sharps and flats exist in each key

So, even in my world that's a lot of information! We will continue in the next posts with which Sharps / Flats live in each key
Here is a tip to learn
1. Take 5 minutes NOW to draw out the circle yourself
(use your GPS aka fingers and then compare it to the picture)
2. Hang it on the bathroom mirror and stare at it for a few minutes a day as you brush your teeth
3. Make some notes on it that might help YOU remember it more easily, my mnemonic devices, 4 letter words, your favorite things... JUST DO IT.
I promise if you hang it up and read thru it twice a day as you brush your teeth In less than a week, you will have it memorized asap!
(As long as you do brush at least twice a day -lol!)

Who knew I'd also be promoting good dental hygiene!?!?
So, That's all for today my darlings!
Til next time, (be sure to floss too)
XO and sweet dreams

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!