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This is another article that will probably be expanded on over time. It will appear on the front page when updates are made….
- Start out by thinking of a major key, so for example, C major.
- Now think about what the relative minor is, so the 6th chord in the key. In this case, A minor. We’ll talk about A minor again in a moment.
- But first, still in the key of C, think about your fourth and fifth chords, F and G
- A minor is in the key of C. A minor is also in the key of F. A minor is also in the key of G.
- This works for any three adjacent keys in the circle of fifths. Pick the middle one, and think about it’s 6th degree (or relative minor). That chord also appears in the neighbouring keys, either side.
- To prove it, E minor is in the key of G, as well as C and D.
- Try it out on the interactive circle of fifths. That’s all for now.
And to expand on this, it also works for the minor keys, working with the relative major….
- Think about A minor.
- Either side of A on the circle of fifths you find D and E.
- C major (the relative of A minor) can be found in the key of A minor, D minor and E minor.
- From that you can continue to figure out that C major is also in the key of F major (relative to D minor) and G major (relative to E minor)
These exercises will help you to become more familiar with the circle of fifths and it’s uses, without having to refer to diagrams, or other reference material.
Tags: chord, circle of fifths, key
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