Jim Bottorff's Banjo Page

CIRCLE OF 5ths

 

The Circle of 5ths has many uses as you can discover by searching the Internet.

Following are some items I have found helpful in playing the banjo:

 

Chord Progressions           Practice Charts         Diagrams          Relative Minors

 

 

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Chord Progressions

 

The Circle of 5ths diagram below can be used to practice chord progressions.

The diagram illustrates a chord family for the Key of C:

 

  

 

Start at "Home" (C) and jump left or right and return back Home.

Try this chord progression: C  F  C  D  G  C

 

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Chord Practice Chart for the Plectrum Banjo

 

The outer ring of letters indicates chord names.

The inner ring of letters indicates key signitures with sharps and flatts.

 

 

 

Click below to view or print a practice chart for your banjo:

Older books and sources tend to show the Counter-Clockwise arrangement.

The most common arrangement is the Clockwise version.

 

For example, the bass is tuned E A D G (at the nut), same order as the names on the Counter-Clockwise Chart.
Bar across the 5th fret and the notes are A D G C, as per the Counter-Clockwise Chart.

 

For the tenor banjo, the Clockwise arrangement works for finding notes.
The tenor banjo is tuned C G D A (at the nut), same order as the names on the Clockwise chart.

Bar across the 5th fret and the notes are F C G D, as per the Clockwise Chart.

 

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Relative Minor Keys and Chords

Click on the diagram below to inlarge and see the relative minor keys and chords: