From: Nick Day Date: Sun, 10 Nov 1996 00:59:45 +0000 Subject: Circle of fifths and keys.
(I originally sent this 10 days ago or so in reply to an off-list message from Paul A Bielicki's. Unfortunately every time I send it, it bounces, so I'm sending it to the list. Hope you don't mind, Paul, and that you get to see it sometime. Nick.)
Paul A Bielicki wrote: > > I saw your comments on the harp list and was particularly intrigued by > your relation of the circle of fifths to a clock. I understand that when > playing in different positions you simply count up 5 from the harmonica > key or up 4 from the song key but how does it work when you get into > sharps and flats? I would also be interested in any further info you have > on different positions. I currently play diatonic (primarily cross harp > blues) but I am also curious in playing jazz and blues in different > positions and eventually want to get a chromatic to expand my range of > music. > > Paul Bielicki
Hi Paul,
Not sure what you mean by 'up 4 from the song key', but would definitely recommend a chromatic. I have 3-octave and 4-octave Chromonicas and *far* prefer the 3-octave. The 4-octave is too big really, the bass notes don't work too well and the slide is noisy. I am sure you will find it *much easier* learning about keys with a chromatic and then going back to the diatonic to use your new skills. I play both, badly.
>how does it work when you get into sharps and flats? Good question. Best answer is work it out for yourself probably (using tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone for major scales, knowing B#=C, E#=F). But, the answer is: which keys are sharp and which are flat are chosen so you don't get the same letter twice, eg F and F# in the same scale. So:
To count up 5, each step always goes to the next letter, so you can temporarily forget about sharps and flats:
C: C,D,E,F,G [A,B,C] Play it... G: G,A,B,C,D [E,F#,G] D: D,E,F#,G,A [B,C#,D] A: A,B,C#,D,E [F#,G#,A] E: E,F#,G#,A,B [C#,D#,E] B: B,C#,D#,E,F# [G#,A#,B] [five sharps, five o'clock] Each time the *new* sharp note is the penultimate one (the seventh), eg F# in G.
Going backwards to flat keys, steps of four: C: C,D,E,F [G,A,B,C] F: F,G,A,Bb [C,D,E,F] Bb: Bb,C,D,Eb [F,G,A,Bb] Eb: Eb,F,G,Ab [Bb,C,D,Eb] [three flats, 'minus' four o'clock] Ab: Ab,Bb,C,Db [Eb,F,G,Ab] Db: Db,Eb,F,Gb [Ab,Bb,C,Db] Gb: Gb,Ab,Bb,Cb [Db,Eb,F,Gb] note Cb = B
Another way of looking at it is that the last four notes of one key are the first four of the next one a fifth up.
The 'clock' thing really helps as I can visualise a third as 20 minutes, and I know 20 minutes after B is 9 O'clock, which is Eb.
My aim is to play all this without thinking, then you are really playing transparently; I can do that with major scales but not all tunes yet. You could learn by habit without writing it down and working it out if you prefer, just 'find the right notes' so you can play a scale starting with any note. You don't know something until you know it two ways. More ways would help too, so when you know it, make it more complicated an confuse yourself again!
I started by playing C major up and down, then G, then D, A, E (hardest), B, Gb (easier), Db (easy), Ab (slightly harder), Eb (nice), Bb, F, C. It would take ages (like half an hour!). Keep practising and you'll do it in about a minute. Then try simple modifications like each note twice to make you have to think again. Then the minor keys. Figure out which way you prefer to play the enharmonic notes in each scale.
I put some notes about how to use the circle (and a nice JPEG image (improving it again soon) on my new web page, http://www.zoo.co.uk/~z0001246
I hope this helps a bit (and I got it all right!); ask again if confused. It looks more complicated than it really is. If you think this might be useful to others, feed free to send it to Harp-L. I'm sure none of these ideas are original. Good luck, hope you can get that Chromatic!
