The Circle of Fifths Sucks!

For those who have learned music theory and learned about simple harmonic concept,

you may have one way or another been introduced to the Famous Circle of Fifth.

Some may even say that it is the Holy Grail of Tonal Music.

But, what if I say that, the Circle of Fifth is actually - USELESS!!!

Well, before I tell you why Circle of Fifth is practically useless, you first have to know what the heck a Circle of Fifth is.

For those who are not familiar with the Circle of Fifth,

you should first read my previous blog called THE WONDERS OF THE CIRCLE OF FIFTH.

I really encourage you to read that blog first, so that I can trash the Circle of Fifth better.

LOL. Just kidding! What I mean is so you get the right context. ;)

Well, as I mentioned in my previous blog, musicians have used the Circle of Fifth diagram for a number of reasons. But, the main reason why many musicians consider this as the Holy Grail of Tonal Music, is that it has been used to explain the most basic harmonic progression.

Which is V-I progression. We also often call it The Dominant-Tonic Progression. It’s basically a succession of chords whose roots descend in fifths. From the fifth degree (or dominant) to the first degree (or tonic).

Let’s see this easy examples of FIVE ONE progression: G7 to C Major.

Look, if you start with G7 chord,

that means the root is G.

This root has to go down in fifth.

So, you count G as the first note,

go down by second you got F,

go down by third you got E,

by fourth you got D,

by fifth finally you arrive in C,

the tonic chord in this instance.

Voila, the circle of fifth.

This gets more interesting. The V-I progression can be preceded by a ii minor to create an even longer and a more cohesive harmonic progression, often called the ii-V-I progression.

And guess what, the root of the ii chord happens to be a fifth away from the V chord.

Like in this example ii-V-I in C will be dm-G7-C.

(SHOWS Diagram)

D going down by fifth, we got G, and G going down by fifth, we got C.

AND EVEN MORE fascinating that you can create a chain of secondary dominants, from one key to another key, by playing along the Circle of Fifth, and it would sound amazing!

Let’s say we wanna start in E7 and arrive in CMaj7:

All you have to do is to spot E7 in the circle of fifth, and going down the path, in fifth, until you arrive at your target chord, which is C maj7.

Voila! It’s absolutely amazing.

So, if the Circle of Fifth is so amazing, what makes it so useless?

Well, do you notice something?

All this time, I’ve been explaining all those wonderful and practical progressions - counterclockwise, haven’t I? Why would I explain a progression that is supposed to move forward, with a diagram that makes me move backward.

I think it’s just very counterintuitive! That’s why I think the Circle of Fifth SUCKS!

Let me say this again: for the purpose of explaining tonal harmony,

Circle of Fifth is very impractical,

very counterintuitive,

so it’s basically USELESS.

Isn’t it better to have a diagram that moves forward, in the direction of the V-I progression?

Well, THERE IS!

It is the Mirroring Sister of the Circle of Fifth, which is The CIRCLE OF FOURTH. If you go counterclockwise on a Circle of Fifth, you are basically creating a Circle of Fourth.

And in order to remember any sequence of ii-V-I progression,

THIS will be your BEST FRIEND!

Not the Circle of Fifth!

Let’s try this.

Say you want to play a secondary dominant chain that arrives in DbMaj7, starting in C7.

All you have to do is to locate your target chord and starting chord,

And then, you can cruise forward in Circle of Fourth.

Isn’t that much easier?

The two circles are basically giving the same information.

The only difference is just directions.

But that’s exactly the problem.

When thinking about harmonic progression,

the direction of the Circle of Fifth - throws people off.

It’s crazy how many times my students or my colleagues come to me with this confusion.

Just because they’ve been told to use the circle of fifth as their guide. I still don’t understand why most textbooks are still promoting the Circle of Fifth. While apparently, Circle of Fourth is much more intuitive in thinking about harmonic progression.

So, if you are a music theory teacher who is teaching ii-V-I harmony, please stop using the confusing diagram and just use the Circle of Fourth. Trust me, it will help your students to understand better and faster.

And if you are currently learning ii-V-I, and have the same problem.

Let me give you a quick tip, DITCH the FIFTH!!

I also created the Circle of Fourth diagram for you. You can find the download link in the "Resources" section of the webste. Print it out, or stick it to your wall, and there it is -- your majestic reference.

That’s it folks, let me know what you think about the Circle of Fifth.

Do you think it’s useful?

Or do you think it sucks?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.