Jim Bottorff's Banjo Page

CIRCLE OF 5ths

 

It is called the "Circle of Fifths" because if you start at any note and move toward the higer notes,

each new note is exactly five steps higher than the last one (a musical interval called a Perfect Fifth).

 

The Circle of Fifths is a simple map that shows how all 12 musical keys relate to each other.

Think of it like a color wheel for music.

 

You'll find a wealth of information online about the many uses of the Circle of Fifths.

I've personally discovered the following applications to be very helpful in my banjo playing:

 

Chord Progressions           Practice Charts         Diagrams          Relative Minors

 

 

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Chord Progressions

 

If you are playing a song and want to know what chord usually comes next,

look at the notes to the left or right on the circle. These notes are so closely related,

they almost always sound natural and pleasant when played in sequence.

 

If you are playing in a specific key, the "neighbors" on the circle

are almost always the chords you need to use.

 

Use the Circle of Fifths diagram below to practice chord progressions.

While this visual shows the chord family for the key of C, the same logic applies to all other keys.

 

  

 

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 identifies the chord names, while the inner ring represents the

corresponding key signatures with their respective sharps and flats.

 

 

 

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

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Circle of 5th Diagrams - Clockwise and Counter-Clockwise

I’ve been looking at the Circle of Fifths in two different ways to show how music resolves to the home key.

The clockwise version is the 'classic' way to see it, but the

counter-clockwise version seems to be the one most people use these days.

 

Clockwise Arrangement

Left to Right, such as B E A D G C

 

 

The Clockwise version is useful for finding notes on the bass-guitar and last four strings of the guitar.
Bar across any fret on your bass or guitar and the notes can be read from the above diagram.

For example, the bass is tuned E A D G (at the nut), same order as the names on the above diagram.
Bar across the 5th fret and the notes are A D G C, as per the diagram. Other frets are similar.

 

 

Counter-Clockwise Arrangement

Right to Left, such as B E A D G C

 

 

For the tenor banjo, the Counter-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 diagram above.

Bar across the 5th fret and the notes are F C G D, as per the diagram. Other frets are similar.

 

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Relative Minor Keys and Chords

Click the diagram below to enlarge it and view the relative minor keys and chords.

These minor chords are frequently used as substitutions for their major counterparts.

Note that a relative minor scale contains the same notes as its relative major scale.

 

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