Quote:
Originally Posted by monfoodoo
can the circle of fifths tell me (as in a E major scale,4 sharps, for an example),what the sharp notes are?
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Yes,
Sharps are always placed on the staff in a specific order.
F# C# G# D# A# E# B#
Remember this as
Fat
Cats
Go
Down
Alleys
Eating
Bologna
You go up one half step from the last sharp to find the key. So if you have 4 sharps they will always be F# C# G# D# and they will always be written on the staff in that order. The last sharp is D#. Go one fret (half step) up from D# and you have E.
The order of flats is the order of sharps backwards
Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb
Remember this as the word "BEAD" and then
Groovey
Cat
Feet
Hey, my theory teacher in college had a thing about cats.
The key is the next to last flat. So if you have 3 flats they will always be
Bb Eb Ab
The next to last flat is Eb so you're in the key of Eb.
But what's the next to last flat if I have only one flat?
If all you have is Bb then you're in the key of F. You just have to remember it.
But the circle also has a lot to do with jazz harmony. Just for fun let's play a song that's almost entirely in the order of the circle.
Kansas City Kitty.
4 beats each
G F# G E A D G D
G F# G E A D G G
8 beats each
B E A D
4 beats each
G F# G E A D G G