If you're thinking right now, "Isn't Am to Dm a perfect fourth, not a perfect fifth?"... well, I've made an extra addendum video to explain just that: ruclips.net/video/PknOTF84_WQ/видео.html 🎼😀
And that is precisely why you need that offset chord, the diminished, the flat 3, whatever, to get back "home." for those of us who grew up hearing primarily western music, we're accustomed to certain relationships between tones and chords. If you go from C to F, that's a fifth... but only if C is the V. Like you point out after playing your composition, it never feels really resolved because it sounds like there's a new tonal center with each chord change. V to I. If, on the other hand, C is your I chord... well, like you said, then you're moving by a fourth. V to I is resolved; but I to IV is (traditionally) not. Which is ultimately what's so compelling about such a progression. String enough together and you've got a sequence of changes that are perfect cadences and an unresolved tension at the same time.
The pre-existing song that you couldn't find that uses the entire circle is indeed Yes's "Awaken". Please check it out. And no, Rick Wakeman and co. didn't lose track of their tonal centre at all. But it *is* meant to be a forever-ascending sequence, so the feel is indeed as you say.
@@DavidBennettPiano We Yes fans obviously want you to listen to and love the whole song, but you can hear the full circle at around 10:35 here ruclips.net/video/59feSG8U5EQ/видео.html . Starts on E and goes counter-clockwise.
Also note that the diminished fifth is *exactly* 180 degrees opposite the chord it came from -- much like the complimentary colour on a colour wheel. That's why it doesn't sound dissonant, but instead provides a moment of tension which can then naturally resolve through the momentum along the rest of the circle.
I took guitar and banjo lessons for over a decade and nobody ever explained it like this. I also took music theory for 1 quarter in high school and HATED it. You have a gift.
I've been dipping in and out of music theory for nearly 60 years and thought lockdown would give me a chance to focus on "getting" it. Well that failed, but today, your video has made the penny drop. Your clear presentation, and use of particular favourite songs has really helped move me on. Thank you so much.
As a guitarist that has played by ear quite well for over two decades. I would like to say, I have learned more theory from your videos in the last few months than I have since playing. I know most of what you cover, but I have never been able to put a name on what I was intuitively doing by ear. I have watched other videos but you put things in the most digestible way. If the student has not learned, then the teacher has not taught anything. Thank you and keep up the great work. You are doing great!
That's a very nice comment, and David deserves the acknowledgement. I agree with what you say. I studied piano from age 4 till about 12 and then foolishly allowed it to fold when my tutor died. Like you, I have all this musical knowledge floating around in my head and can usually tell where a piece of music is heading, like sentences music has to make sense. You're also doing great as well as a student, remember you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.
Similar story here haha, ive been playing piano for a while and have a teacher and everything and school but ive learnt so much more theory here than there
Wouldn't be a David Bennett video without a Beatles example. You Never Give Me Your Money is one of my favorite Beatles' songs. Everything from the Abbey Road B side is just a freakin' masterpiece.
Been struggling with bass for over 40 years, found RUclips videos on the circle of fifths only recently but none are as good as this as far as demonstrating it to a music/tab/cord illiterate. I knew I liked playing hey Joe tho, now I know why and also why I like the Beatles medley so much. Thank you for explaining it in such an easy to understand way, now I might get somewhere.
Been playing music for 20 years. I thought the circle of 5ths was a method for remembering your sharps and flats. I didn’t realize you could play it. And I have played three of those songs he mentioned.
But oh the circle of fifths gets much much deeper than this fragment There is a incredible video on RUclips that blows my mind I will post it here for you if I can find it
your videos have really been helping me get a grip of music theory, it really helps me understand why my favorite songs sound so good! (and also helps me realize why the beatles were so important)
Superb video and explanation/demonstration. "Autumn Leaves" is another that has a cool use of the Circle of Fifths as well. I will often run through various chord arpeggios thought the circle going counter clockwise as it is so common in many jazz standards, at least so I've noticed! Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏
Yeah I thought his classical example was Autumn leaves for a second. My unlearned self would've assumed that example progression is just the key of C with a secondary dominant.
I knew everything you were telling us today. But I could never tell it that way. That's why I am happy that you bring this fascinating topic in such an easily understandable way, so that many people understand how wonderful music theory can be.
The 2nd guitar solo on “A man I’ll never be” from Boston’s 2nd album goes through a full round of the circle of fifths and resolves back into its key. It’s beautiful.
"Awaken" by Yes uses all 12 chords from the circle as follows: E, A/C#, D/A, G, C/E, F/C, Bb, Eb/G, Ab/Eb, Db, Gb/Bb, B/F#. It repeats multiple times and as you point out feels very ambiguous in regards to key.
That was fascinating. As a lifelong Yes fan I instantly recognized the progressions of a chunk of their epic "Awaken", from 13:43 until about 14:00 here. 👍🏻👍🏻 Any other Yes fans hear it?
I've been sharing "Awaken" as a circle of fifths example for a few decades now. They use it in several places, the most prominent being the "Workings of man" section, and then the "Masters of" section into the great climactic part right before the choir comes in. Another familiar piece that uses it is Genesis "Firth Of Fifth", which they humorously refer to in that son's title as they make a play on words on Firth Of Forth, which is an estuary in Scotland.
The verse of Burt Bacharach / Christopher Cross’s “Arthur’s Theme” uses the circle of fifths progression, but with a twist-there is a Bb major chord instead of a B diminished. The resulting progression has a bit of an Aeolian sound, but retains a satisfying turnaround to the starting point
my god this is so well put together. the examples are so helpful, the commentary is so insightful… this might be my favourite video of yours yet haha. alsooo earth wind and fire’s after the love is gone is a fantastic example of beautiful P5s too!
These illustrations are clutch; maybe it's just the way I learn, but your ability to show what you're talking about is a game changer for me, nice work...
'Hold Me Tight' by Paul McCartney/Wings (not the Beatles song of the same name) does 11 steps round the chord cycle. Starting at the D chord at the end of the verse it's then anticlockwise steps all the way through the chorus leading to A by the start of the next verse. So D to A the long way round.
The progression you played at the beginning instantly brought to mind the introduction and chorus of Could It be Magic (based on Chopin's Prelude in C Minor). I checked the chords and it doesn't quite fit but it sounded so similar.
EXACTLY the song(s) I was thinking of! Too many younger people of today haven't been exposed to Manilow's great skill for weaving Classical techniques with Pop style because he was so rudely written off by Rock critics and fans of edgier music.
@@atomicchanteuse5095 Yeah my mum was a fan so I grew up with it. But I believe Take That did a version of it when Robbie Williams was still with them so I thought perhaps younger people might be more familiar with it through them.
One of the most profound uses of the Circle is the song Awaken by Yes. It's a real masterpiece of melodic construction and dynamism. I do believe they are also using Fibonacci in the quiet organ and harp section in the middle of the song as well. All that, in one amazing piece of music!
Very interesting! I guess the human mind is wired to look for patterns, and with 12 consecutive chords, no matter how pleasant they sound together, the brain struggles to spot the pattern. This is probably why the most popular music today all use 4/4 or maybe 3/4 or 6/8 time signatures and fairly predictable chord progressions limited to maximum of 4 progressions. Four is a bit of a magic number in terms of how much the brain can comfortably keep in the short term memory. Thanks for making these videos!
Not just that, but grouping things in pairs makes it easier to have question/answer patterns. Measure 2 is the answer of measure 1 and measure 4 is the answer if measure 3. And at the same time measures 3 and 4 together are the answers to measures 1 and 2 together.
This is literally the perfect video and the perfect timing! I am presenting a lesson on circle of fifths in a few days, and these examples are exactly what I need! Thank you very much
You should be awarded a noble prize for education.... ive learned so much from you. A new lesson always. makes my day. I've been playing music for many years and this is the best explenation of the circle of fiths I've ever seen. Thank you, You rock!
Absolutely great to have a video that featured a lot of your actual piano playing akin to Adam Neely/Charles Cornell, this really adds a lot to your videos and I hope you keep it up!
The song "Awaken" by Yes, from the album "Going for the One," is a song that uses a progression that goes through the entire circle of fifths. (And it's a wonderful, magical, mystical song.)
@@MuzixMaker Indeed, along with Close to the Edge. Have you seen the version of Awaken performed by Jon Anderson with an Icelandic band called Todmobile? If not, look it up on RUclips; you won't regret it!
This was not only interesting and held my attention but it taught me more about music and composition than I have ever learnt. You are a good teacher, a better compliment I cannot say.
Two things. Firstly when you played the chord progression to give an example of a disjointed sound, it sounded like Wurthering Heights, ha! And, this channel is so amazing I almost don’t want it to get too popular or everyone will end up being a wicked songwriter : D
You’re exactly right, Wuthering Heights has a wandering series of major chords that don’t connect by normal functional harmony. That technique is used a lot in movie scores as well.
I find moving between unrelated chords gives that grungy feel to songs. In combination with a cool vocal melody it makes for beautifully unique ambiances.
I have learned to be weary when the words "unpleasant" or "bad" is used in music theory videos (and classes), because of how much our tastes are based on our culture.
The intro to Green Day's Restless Heart Syndrome is a circle of fifths! The song seemingly randomly popped into my head shortly after watching this video and, now that I've checked on my guitar: it's a circle of fifths indeed! I remember when I was 15 listening to the song for the first time and being fairly impressed by that chord progression (even though, while seemingly rather complex, it did nonetheless sound fairly "conventional" to my ears). It's good to know what the heck that was! Haha Much love to you, David. You're by far the best music education content creator on RUclips.
Thank you for this video, as a music teacher, whom was self taught all his life; theory has always been the door hardest for me unlock. This will be a constant watch to help understand this theory. Thank you.
Great video! I can think of one hit song from the 1980s, "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Sergio Mendes, that heavily uses the Circle of Fifths progression in its, but was almost constantly changing key signatures (I think it had 26 in total?), making it a very unique example. Rick Beato did a video on it a while back.
I would love to see you make a collaboration with Charles Cornell. You both have given me hundreds of hours of fascinating music theory content and you explain them so clearly. Maybe you can do an analysis of Hans Zimmer's movie scores.
Exactly. All of Am Dm, G, C, F, Bdim, and E are technically within the key of A minor. The only "change" you end up with there is the change of modes from natural minor to harmonic on that final E.
Yes, this proves that you can define a scale (including harmonic minor) by moving from fiths, exept for a diminished one. All chords resulting define a same scale major and minor, and travel all neighbour tonalities: from C/a to 1# and 1b.
Whoaaaa... I didn't know you can arrange music like you do colors. This video has been hanging on the right column for a few weeks. So glad I decided to watch it.
Wow, randomly stumbled across this video and just realized that "Baroque" style from the Nintendo / Arcade game "Guantlet" is just a descending Circle of Fifths starting with Em. One of those things that once you hear it, you instantly recognize it from all kinds of musical arrangements. Mind. Blown.
The globalist by muse has a very nice chord progression similar to this: A/C#, Dm, G, C, F, Bb, E/G#, Am, G/B, C Also, a lot of muse songs do this too, but varied like Unintended, Unnatural Selection and Soaked.
When I made a piece that used God chords, I remembered that I used the Circle of Fifths and tracked chords that are as far away from each other as possible to make some epic transitions. It's a really useful tool. I am mystified why some people still don't know how to apply the Circle of Fifths.
Plenty of music both popular and experimental uses chord movement like that, it doesn’t even necessarily sound chaotic especially if justified by the melody, arrangement, & voice leading. Either approach to harmony can be appropriate, depending on your aesthetic goals!
it does feel like the story of a strange-looking little dude just walking around in a silly way or something aint got nothing to care about in the world
I've been trying to understand the circle of fifths for years now and you finally made it click. Also for any guitarists out there, to find the circle of fifths use a 2 note power chords like 3rd fret with is C and G. From the G start a new power chord which is G and D, continue the pattern and you've got it.
If you go clockwise you go up by fifths but if you go counterclockwise you go up by fourths. I did not understand what you say about going up by fifths in an anticlockwise direction. The circle of fifths also helps us to know the appearance of sharps and flats in the chords. -Greetings from Uruguay
I never said that we were going “up” by fifths, just that we were moving by the interval of a fifth. In a chord progression, there is no sense of moving “up or down”. So for example, Am moving to Dm could equally be described as moving a fourth up or a fifth down. I hope that helps! 😀
@@UkeofCarl Hello, not mastering the English language and trying to participate is not a good idea, sorry... but going back to what I was trying to explain or how it was taught to me is that the chords go clockwise every fifth, which is the order of the chords. sustained, counterclockwise go every fourth and is the direction of the flats. Since my instrument is the guitar, not the piano, I tell you that this is so because the inversion of an interval (in a chord) adds up to nine. For example, if I invert a third it gives me a sixth, if I invert a second it gives me a seventh, a guitar chord has as many inversions as the number of notes that chord has minus one, a chord with 4 notes has 3 inversions, etc. I hope I haven't bothered you too much with my comment, I don't have much faith in google translate. Cheers
@@DavidBennettPiano Hello, not mastering the English language and trying to participate is not a good idea, sorry... but going back to what I was trying to explain or how it was taught to me is that the chords go clockwise every fifth, which is the order of the chords. sustained, counterclockwise go every fourth and is the direction of the flats. Since my instrument is the guitar, not the piano, I tell you that this is so because the inversion of an interval (in a chord) adds up to nine. For example, if I invert a third it gives me a sixth, if I invert a second it gives me a seventh, a guitar chord has as many inversions as the number of notes that chord has minus one, a chord with 4 notes has 3 inversions, etc. I hope I haven't bothered you too much with my comment, I don't have much faith in google translate. Cheers
Thank you for including the link to the “ is this a perfect fourth or perfect fifth?” video. I’m a beginning piano student and just when I thought I knew what a perfect fifth was you threw this at me lol! 😂
Your piece there at the end demonstrating the full circle of fifths was like the most unsatisfying thing ever because it just kept going and there was no end lol. So cool and what a great video on this subject.
I am only now learning music theory at 39 after happily avoiding it when I was a teen learning piano, but this is very interesting. I guess I now learned about myself that I really enjoy some chaotic jumps around the circle of fifths!
Love this video. Interesting that the "at random" chords include G, Eb and B, which rearranged between the Eb and B have a major third (or augmented fifth) tonal center relationship that is used quite a bit in modern jazz. And they form an equilateral triangle around the circle.
Very smart video. I was thinking the same as you were showing the full circle rotation at the end, you lose the sense of 'home tonality.' It's honestly irritating, and by doing this you show just how super intelligent all the aforementioned artists were with their choices of when to return home as well as when to include a dim 5th change! Very awesome. You have also alerted me to a few songs that I'm quite familiar with as following this pattern. I especially love that Doors song and Here Comes The Sun but now I have a new reason to love them. They're so classically written. I loved seeing Ray's interview as well. Thank you for this video.
And Wild World has the same chord progression as It's a Sin. In fact, a radio DJ alleged that the Pet Shop Boys stole from Yusuf Islam, and even made a sound alike cover of Wild World to prove it. The boys sued, and the court rewards were given to charity. And the PSB realised how similar to I Will Survive their song was, and mashed that up in some of their concerts, having a diva sing Gloria's lyrics.
@@cleverhardy5230 my ear also found It’s A Sin during this video. I believe Fame from the musical of the same name has the same or a very similar progression?
It’s interesting how the “disjointed” examples just sounded like generic film scores! I guess now that chromatic mediants have become so codified in contemporary film scoring, especially when aiming for an “epic” or “heroic” quality, they’ve lost some of the novelty they once had and aren’t quite as jarring.
Love this video, super insightful! If anyone’s really interested in this stuff like I am, you should check out a Circle of Fifths with the relative minors. The progression he showed about 5:30ish is a little different than the real progression. (For example: It should actually start at the top of the circle, since Am has no sharps or flats). Anyways love the video this is so cool!
Honestly, I have watched a number of your videos back to back. Why have I go to 41 years old with no one explaining things about the music I loved and was playing in a way that I could understand. Your videos have unlocked a lot that seemed like it was coded. Legendary stuff
You're an awesome teacher bro. I taught myself to play piano watching channels like yours. I can play 300-400 songs now. After just 3 fun years of practicing and 4 years of studying Music Theory. I love it
Whenever I see a Bennet video with music theory in the title and a bunch of musicians in the thumbnail I just think "ok where are the Beatles, oh there they are."
Good discussion of the circle of fifths. Thank you for commenting about the anti clockwise circle of fourths. This is more common, and is more useful in playing guitar chords.
Thank you so much for this video! It was so fascinating seeing the circle of fifths used in real time. This video has helped me so much with touching base and understanding an introduction to music theory.
Thanks for sharing. I had heard of the Circle of Fifths, but I don't think I had heard someone explain it until now. Easy to understand. Great examples, too. I hope to utilize it at least in some composing exercises to see what happens. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
It's probably my 5th time watching this video. I get more out of it every time. You teach wonderfully and so clearly. I subscribed a few years ago and I look forward to your releases.
The progression in Wild World is not as dissimilar to the original progression you showed as you may suggest, and I tend to actually categorize both of them as variants of the same progression. That's because Dm is like B half diminidhed but without the root, and it has the same function except it's more consonant and fits better to the folk music and similar genres as opposed to the original diminished chord that fits better to genres like jazz.
It shows that Tension is the most important part of the song... When you apply that tension and how you do it is up to the composer. Wow,... Amazing I love your channel and I learn so much. Thank you.
Another good example I think would be Handel's "Pena Tiranna"; even though this sequence was used a lot during this period, it's very noticeable in this aria.
My late grandfather once walked from one end of Port Elizabeth, South Africa to the air force base where he was stationed in World War 2, while playing Afrikaner folk music (simple diatonic 3-chord music called boeremusiek, literally farmers' music) on a concertina, with a few guitarists accompanying him. He cycled through all 12 keys round the circle of 5ths. That must have kept the guitarists on their toes! He ended up with with quite a crowd following him. Oh dear, it reminds me of Forrest Gump!
Back when I started learning guitar in 6th grade, our teacher never taught us anything about this. I found the Circle of 5ths in high school in a Guitar World magazine and suddenly so much more opened up in my mind.
Wow. Just wow, and thank you...as an adult learner, (55-YOUNG!), lol, I have been laboriously slogging and drilling myself--maintaining playfulness, (for what am I doing if not having fun?), this video was like an illumination of things I am just beginning to grasp. Thank you, thank you, thank you...I don't kniow how many hours you have saved me...let me "play" with my newfound insights and see what happens...HUGS!
This is the most useful video i've seen about circle of 5th's. I've been stuck creating music lately. But this veido and II, V I, have been a game changer. Thanks so much David!
Robert Simpson's Symphony No. 9 goes round and round the harmonic circle. However, the maestro exploits the interval of the fourth rather than the fifth. Truly, a remarkable work.
Been learning the Viola and these videos have really helped refresh my memory from when I studied music at school as a teenager. It’s really clicking into place
The chorus of the original Fullmetal Alchemist's first opening uses it as well and Cruel Angel's Thesis from Evangelion uses the first four chords of it
Fascinating. I’m not a “real” musician, just a dilettante, but it has always sounded to me like “tumbling down 4ths” (or raising 5ths) like in Until by Julianna Raye or the break in Everybody Pays, by Mark Knopfler is changing keys, like a continuous modal shift, but is really just a Circle of Fifths adventure. Your teaching is so insightful and so clear that even someone like me can at least start to understand what my ear has been playing in my head for 66 years. Thank you!!!
I was trying to figure out what this progression is that I love so much earlier this week, and just yesterday I connected it with "Fly Me to the Moon" and "You Never Give Me Your Money" (along with passages from Chopin's Etude No. 1 and the Dvorak Cello Concerto)--I made quite a noise when I heard your first two examples
In before someone guesses Yes's "Awaken". (I'll edit later when I verify. :-) ) (And that this video is only slightly longer than that song. :-) ) Augh! So close!
I thank you, I love you . For the 1st time, I get what the circle of fiths about. I've known about it for years and just did not get it and you're intuitive detail Explanation helps me understand it. I truly understand now. I used to say what's it even for.
Hi David! Love your lessons. I am wondering though - the cord progression Am, Dm, G, C, F, Bdim, Am is not a straight counter clock wise progression in the circle of fifths as it includes minor cords. Usually the cords on the outside of the circle are major and normally there would be an inner circle with the parallel minor cords, right? How can you use minor cords and refer to the outer cords (major) of the circle of fifths?
This is so funny this came up on my recommendations because I just wrote an accordion solo accompanied by a 3 part brass group who's whole idea was continuously going around the circle of fifths. Its so fun because you can jump out whenever you want and use a strong resolution to just end it, also a great loop just to improv on no matter the style! Loved the video btw!!!
If you're thinking right now, "Isn't Am to Dm a perfect fourth, not a perfect fifth?"... well, I've made an extra addendum video to explain just that: ruclips.net/video/PknOTF84_WQ/видео.html 🎼😀
Thanks.
so true!
And that is precisely why you need that offset chord, the diminished, the flat 3, whatever, to get back "home."
for those of us who grew up hearing primarily western music, we're accustomed to certain relationships between tones and chords. If you go from C to F, that's a fifth... but only if C is the V. Like you point out after playing your composition, it never feels really resolved because it sounds like there's a new tonal center with each chord change. V to I. If, on the other hand, C is your I chord... well, like you said, then you're moving by a fourth. V to I is resolved; but I to IV is (traditionally) not.
Which is ultimately what's so compelling about such a progression. String enough together and you've got a sequence of changes that are perfect cadences and an unresolved tension at the same time.
Very cool lesson.....but how you gonna use jimi hendrix's hey Joe and then play some one ELSE play and sing it!?! TF?
@@towlie337 if he plays Jimmy' s version then most likely RUclips will block the video
The pre-existing song that you couldn't find that uses the entire circle is indeed Yes's "Awaken". Please check it out.
And no, Rick Wakeman and co. didn't lose track of their tonal centre at all. But it *is* meant to be a forever-ascending sequence, so the feel is indeed as you say.
Glad you mentioned that song!
Nice! I’ll check it out now!
@@DavidBennettPiano More Yes please (pun intended)
@@DavidBennettPiano We Yes fans obviously want you to listen to and love the whole song, but you can hear the full circle at around 10:35 here ruclips.net/video/59feSG8U5EQ/видео.html . Starts on E and goes counter-clockwise.
Beat me to it. What a fantastic piece of music. Yes at their/its best.
The circle of 5ths is something I use a lot as a DJ.
Knowing what key your tracks are in helps greatly when blending melodies.
Hey that's a clever idea...
No shit sherlock
Also note that the diminished fifth is *exactly* 180 degrees opposite the chord it came from -- much like the complimentary colour on a colour wheel. That's why it doesn't sound dissonant, but instead provides a moment of tension which can then naturally resolve through the momentum along the rest of the circle.
I took guitar and banjo lessons for over a decade and nobody ever explained it like this. I also took music theory for 1 quarter in high school and HATED it. You have a gift.
I've been dipping in and out of music theory for nearly 60 years and thought lockdown would give me a chance to focus on "getting" it. Well that failed, but today, your video has made the penny drop. Your clear presentation, and use of particular favourite songs has really helped move me on. Thank you so much.
As a guitarist that has played by ear quite well for over two decades. I would like to say, I have learned more theory from your videos in the last few months than I have since playing. I know most of what you cover, but I have never been able to put a name on what I was intuitively doing by ear. I have watched other videos but you put things in the most digestible way. If the student has not learned, then the teacher has not taught anything. Thank you and keep up the great work. You are doing great!
That's a very nice comment, and David deserves the acknowledgement. I agree with what you say. I studied piano from age 4 till about 12 and then foolishly allowed it to fold when my tutor died. Like you, I have all this musical knowledge floating around in my head and can usually tell where a piece of music is heading, like sentences music has to make sense. You're also doing great as well as a student, remember you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.
Yeah as a guitar player I was looking for this exactly but didn't know how to word it
theory is bogus
Similar story here haha, ive been playing piano for a while and have a teacher and everything and school but ive learnt so much more theory here than there
@@MikehMike01 ur probably tone deaf
Wouldn't be a David Bennett video without a Beatles example. You Never Give Me Your Money is one of my favorite Beatles' songs. Everything from the Abbey Road B side is just a freakin' masterpiece.
It sure is a fabulous album.
thanks i was wondering what the name of that song was
Except Sun King
@@randomchannel1566 really? I think it's really good.
@@johntousseau9380 I feel like it's a waste of time compared to what comes next
Musicians never die they just decompose.
Good one!🤣
why did I laugh 😭😭😭
So that's what that awful stench is. Thank god, I thought I was dying
Saw what you did there.
They’re decomposing composers ,there’s less of ‘em evry year….
Been struggling with bass for over 40 years, found RUclips videos on the circle of fifths only recently but none are as good as this as far as demonstrating it to a music/tab/cord illiterate.
I knew I liked playing hey Joe tho, now I know why and also why I like the Beatles medley so much.
Thank you for explaining it in such an easy to understand way, now I might get somewhere.
Chord*
Been playing music for 20 years. I thought the circle of 5ths was a method for remembering your sharps and flats. I didn’t realize you could play it. And I have played three of those songs he mentioned.
But oh the circle of fifths gets much much deeper than this fragment
There is a incredible video on RUclips that blows my mind I will post it here for you if I can find it
What do you play?
Ya me too. I’ll
Have to play this now
your videos have really been helping me get a grip of music theory, it really helps me understand why my favorite songs sound so good! (and also helps me realize why the beatles were so important)
Thank you! 😀😀
Superb video and explanation/demonstration. "Autumn Leaves" is another that has a cool use of the Circle of Fifths as well. I will often run through various chord arpeggios thought the circle going counter clockwise as it is so common in many jazz standards, at least so I've noticed! Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏
Autumn Leaves is a great example! As is All The Things You Are which is another classic jazz standard😀
Yeah I thought his classical example was Autumn leaves for a second. My unlearned self would've assumed that example progression is just the key of C with a secondary dominant.
I knew everything you were telling us today. But I could never tell it that way. That's why I am happy that you bring this fascinating topic in such an easily understandable way, so that many people understand how wonderful music theory can be.
The 2nd guitar solo on “A man I’ll never be” from Boston’s 2nd album goes through a full round of the circle of fifths and resolves back into its key. It’s beautiful.
An endless circle of fifths felt to me like the harmonic equivalent of a Shepard Tone! :D
oh wow it would. all the chords interlock into each other 😯
Yes it’s making me quite anxious not having a resolution to that progression.
I was going to write the exact same thing!
Omg same bro I stg I feel so not good after listening to him go on on with that 😵💫😵💫 :( so unsatisfying
"Awaken" by Yes uses all 12 chords from the circle as follows: E, A/C#, D/A, G, C/E, F/C, Bb, Eb/G, Ab/Eb, Db, Gb/Bb, B/F#. It repeats multiple times and as you point out feels very ambiguous in regards to key.
That was fascinating. As a lifelong Yes fan I instantly recognized the progressions of a chunk of their epic "Awaken", from 13:43 until about 14:00 here. 👍🏻👍🏻
Any other Yes fans hear it?
Yes! Awaken starts on E
I've been sharing "Awaken" as a circle of fifths example for a few decades now. They use it in several places, the most prominent being the "Workings of man" section, and then the "Masters of" section into the great climactic part right before the choir comes in. Another familiar piece that uses it is Genesis "Firth Of Fifth", which they humorously refer to in that son's title as they make a play on words on Firth Of Forth, which is an estuary in Scotland.
FINALLY! I understand WHY and not just HOW!! Thanks David! You are an exemplary instructor!
Thank you!!
The verse of Burt Bacharach / Christopher Cross’s “Arthur’s Theme” uses the circle of fifths progression, but with a twist-there is a Bb major chord instead of a B diminished. The resulting progression has a bit of an Aeolian sound, but retains a satisfying turnaround to the starting point
my god this is so well put together. the examples are so helpful, the commentary is so insightful… this might be my favourite video of yours yet haha. alsooo earth wind and fire’s after the love is gone is a fantastic example of beautiful P5s too!
Thank you! That means a lot 😀
All I think about is Stick It To The Man from School of Rock :')
Didn’t expect to see you here, makes sense tho
These illustrations are clutch; maybe it's just the way I learn, but your ability to show what you're talking about is a game changer for me, nice work...
You just clicked baited me into learning the circle of fifths the best way anyone has thought me thank you.
'Hold Me Tight' by Paul McCartney/Wings (not the Beatles song of the same name) does 11 steps round the chord cycle. Starting at the D chord at the end of the verse it's then anticlockwise steps all the way through the chorus leading to A by the start of the next verse. So D to A the long way round.
I’m so glad you mentioned this! The is a monumental achievement by Paul! Fittingly he sings “I’ve waited all my life for you!”
The progression you played at the beginning instantly brought to mind the introduction and chorus of Could It be Magic (based on Chopin's Prelude in C Minor). I checked the chords and it doesn't quite fit but it sounded so similar.
EXACTLY the song(s) I was thinking of! Too many younger people of today haven't been exposed to Manilow's great skill for weaving Classical techniques with Pop style because he was so rudely written off by Rock critics and fans of edgier music.
@@atomicchanteuse5095 Yeah my mum was a fan so I grew up with it. But I believe Take That did a version of it when Robbie Williams was still with them so I thought perhaps younger people might be more familiar with it through them.
@@feliciab2 Unfortunately, Take That was a One-Hit-Wonder group here in the US. Solo Robbie did better here than with the group! But, I digress...
The Strokes use all 12 major chords using the circle of fifths on the outro of “15 Minutes” You should definitely check it out
One of the most profound uses of the Circle is the song Awaken by Yes. It's a real masterpiece of melodic construction and dynamism. I do believe they are also using Fibonacci in the quiet organ and harp section in the middle of the song as well. All that, in one amazing piece of music!
The most incredible and uplifting piece I ever heard 🙏
YES "Awaken" is my favorite piece of music of all time.
My favourite song that uses that progression is Yoiyami no Uta by sound horizon, it's so epic
What's Fibonacci? Apart from the spiral
Very interesting! I guess the human mind is wired to look for patterns, and with 12 consecutive chords, no matter how pleasant they sound together, the brain struggles to spot the pattern. This is probably why the most popular music today all use 4/4 or maybe 3/4 or 6/8 time signatures and fairly predictable chord progressions limited to maximum of 4 progressions. Four is a bit of a magic number in terms of how much the brain can comfortably keep in the short term memory. Thanks for making these videos!
Not just that, but grouping things in pairs makes it easier to have question/answer patterns. Measure 2 is the answer of measure 1 and measure 4 is the answer if measure 3. And at the same time measures 3 and 4 together are the answers to measures 1 and 2 together.
This is literally the perfect video and the perfect timing! I am presenting a lesson on circle of fifths in a few days, and these examples are exactly what I need! Thank you very much
Thank you!
"literally"
You should be awarded a noble prize for education.... ive learned so much from you. A new lesson always. makes my day. I've been playing music for many years and this is the best explenation of the circle of fiths I've ever seen. Thank you, You rock!
Absolutely great to have a video that featured a lot of your actual piano playing akin to Adam Neely/Charles Cornell, this really adds a lot to your videos and I hope you keep it up!
Thanks!
The song "Awaken" by Yes, from the album "Going for the One," is a song that uses a progression that goes through the entire circle of fifths. (And it's a wonderful, magical, mystical song.)
Widely thought of as their masterpiece.
@@MuzixMaker Indeed, along with Close to the Edge. Have you seen the version of Awaken performed by Jon Anderson with an Icelandic band called Todmobile? If not, look it up on RUclips; you won't regret it!
“I came here to say this, but knew in my heart it already been said.” 🙏🏻
And that album DID reach number "One" on the charts!
This was not only interesting and held my attention but it taught me more about music and composition than I have ever learnt. You are a good teacher, a better compliment I cannot say.
I’m a guitar player and this is probably the greatest tip I’ve ever heard. Thank you for providing. You’re incredibly talented and a great teacher.
Two things. Firstly when you played the chord progression to give an example of a disjointed sound, it sounded like Wurthering Heights, ha! And, this channel is so amazing I almost don’t want it to get too popular or everyone will end up being a wicked songwriter : D
You’re exactly right, Wuthering Heights has a wandering series of major chords that don’t connect by normal functional harmony. That technique is used a lot in movie scores as well.
1:13 Melissa from full metal alchemist
I find moving between unrelated chords gives that grungy feel to songs. In combination with a cool vocal melody it makes for beautifully unique ambiances.
Agreed. I actually made a song with chords that aren't typically together, and I immediately got a grungy cound
I have learned to be weary when the words "unpleasant" or "bad" is used in music theory videos (and classes), because of how much our tastes are based on our culture.
The intro to Green Day's Restless Heart Syndrome is a circle of fifths!
The song seemingly randomly popped into my head shortly after watching this video and, now that I've checked on my guitar: it's a circle of fifths indeed! I remember when I was 15 listening to the song for the first time and being fairly impressed by that chord progression (even though, while seemingly rather complex, it did nonetheless sound fairly "conventional" to my ears). It's good to know what the heck that was! Haha
Much love to you, David. You're by far the best music education content creator on RUclips.
Thank you for this video, as a music teacher, whom was self taught all his life; theory has always been the door hardest for me unlock. This will be a constant watch to help understand this theory. Thank you.
Great video! I can think of one hit song from the 1980s, "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Sergio Mendes, that heavily uses the Circle of Fifths progression in its, but was almost constantly changing key signatures (I think it had 26 in total?), making it a very unique example. Rick Beato did a video on it a while back.
I would love to see you make a collaboration with Charles Cornell. You both have given me hundreds of hours of fascinating music theory content and you explain them so clearly. Maybe you can do an analysis of Hans Zimmer's movie scores.
I’d love to collab with Charles. He and I have chatted before on Zoom and he’s a lovely man!
They have very different styles. That could just turn out weird.
He passed away in 2017. I'd say he was the best vocalist in rock. Freddie Mercury was good too and Robert Plant was similar in tone and range.
The diminished fifth interval “trick” is also simply to stay within a key.
Exactly. All of Am Dm, G, C, F, Bdim, and E are technically within the key of A minor. The only "change" you end up with there is the change of modes from natural minor to harmonic on that final E.
Yeah, but the dominant (thus major) V chord is almost “in key” given its ubiquity and naturalness.
Yes, and this makes the so-called circle of fifth just a half-circle with a short cut along the diameter ;-)
Exactly. It’s also moving in fourths but semantics I guess
Yes, this proves that you can define a scale (including harmonic minor) by moving from fiths, exept for a diminished one. All chords resulting define a same scale major and minor, and travel all neighbour tonalities: from C/a to 1# and 1b.
Whoaaaa... I didn't know you can arrange music like you do colors. This video has been hanging on the right column for a few weeks. So glad I decided to watch it.
Wow, randomly stumbled across this video and just realized that "Baroque" style from the Nintendo / Arcade game "Guantlet" is just a descending Circle of Fifths starting with Em. One of those things that once you hear it, you instantly recognize it from all kinds of musical arrangements. Mind. Blown.
The globalist by muse has a very nice chord progression similar to this:
A/C#, Dm, G, C, F, Bb, E/G#, Am, G/B, C
Also, a lot of muse songs do this too, but varied like Unintended, Unnatural Selection and Soaked.
When I made a piece that used God chords, I remembered that I used the Circle of Fifths and tracked chords that are as far away from each other as possible to make some epic transitions. It's a really useful tool. I am mystified why some people still don't know how to apply the Circle of Fifths.
5:23 - I kinda.. dig the “chaotic” chord motion haha.
Do you know a band called Cardiacs? some of their songs sounds like this Edit: For exemple "Wind and rain is cold" have this feeling i think
Then John Coltrane - Giant Steps is for you.
Plenty of music both popular and experimental uses chord movement like that, it doesn’t even necessarily sound chaotic especially if justified by the melody, arrangement, & voice leading.
Either approach to harmony can be appropriate, depending on your aesthetic goals!
So do I! That chord motion could easily be a Kate Bush song like Wuthering Heights, for example
it does feel like the story of a strange-looking little dude just walking around in a silly way or something
aint got nothing to care about in the world
I've been trying to understand the circle of fifths for years now and you finally made it click. Also for any guitarists out there, to find the circle of fifths use a 2 note power chords like 3rd fret with is C and G. From the G start a new power chord which is G and D, continue the pattern and you've got it.
I’ve been playing guitar for 55 years and I just now get it. Somehow this got through. Thanks very much for this.
I always thought the diminished chord was to keep it in key: Am Dm G C F Bdim Am
It simply exists in the key.
Another gem. The composition around the CoF was almost disturbing. I kept waiting for a tonic to let me know I was home. It never came.
It’s weird isn’t it! It sounds harmonious and pleasing and yet disoriented!
If you go clockwise you go up by fifths but if you go counterclockwise you go up by fourths. I did not understand what you say about going up by fifths in an anticlockwise direction. The circle of fifths also helps us to know the appearance of sharps and flats in the chords. -Greetings from Uruguay
I never said that we were going “up” by fifths, just that we were moving by the interval of a fifth. In a chord progression, there is no sense of moving “up or down”. So for example, Am moving to Dm could equally be described as moving a fourth up or a fifth down.
I hope that helps! 😀
It’d make more sense to describe it as the Circle of 4ths in his example. It’s unusual to see 4ths as 5ths.
@@UkeofCarl Hello, not mastering the English language and trying to participate is not a good idea, sorry... but going back to what I was trying to explain or how it was taught to me is that the chords go clockwise every fifth, which is the order of the chords. sustained, counterclockwise go every fourth and is the direction of the flats. Since my instrument is the guitar, not the piano, I tell you that this is so because the inversion of an interval (in a chord) adds up to nine. For example, if I invert a third it gives me a sixth, if I invert a second it gives me a seventh, a guitar chord has as many inversions as the number of notes that chord has minus one, a chord with 4 notes has 3 inversions, etc. I hope I haven't bothered you too much with my comment, I don't have much faith in google translate. Cheers
@@DavidBennettPiano Hello, not mastering the English language and trying to participate is not a good idea, sorry... but going back to what I was trying to explain or how it was taught to me is that the chords go clockwise every fifth, which is the order of the chords. sustained, counterclockwise go every fourth and is the direction of the flats. Since my instrument is the guitar, not the piano, I tell you that this is so because the inversion of an interval (in a chord) adds up to nine. For example, if I invert a third it gives me a sixth, if I invert a second it gives me a seventh, a guitar chord has as many inversions as the number of notes that chord has minus one, a chord with 4 notes has 3 inversions, etc. I hope I haven't bothered you too much with my comment, I don't have much faith in google translate. Cheers
@@pabloantelo2946 That’s also the way I was taught. I see the first example in his video as a circle of 4ths.
Thank you for including the link to the “ is this a perfect fourth or perfect fifth?” video. I’m a beginning piano student and just when I thought I knew what a perfect fifth was you threw this at me lol! 😂
Never any resolution for the endless circle of fifths song. Maddening to listen to.
Your piece there at the end demonstrating the full circle of fifths was like the most unsatisfying thing ever because it just kept going and there was no end lol. So cool and what a great video on this subject.
This is completely mind blowing stuff.. I'm not the type to comment usually but man, this whole channel just amazes me over and over again.
I am only now learning music theory at 39 after happily avoiding it when I was a teen learning piano, but this is very interesting. I guess I now learned about myself that I really enjoy some chaotic jumps around the circle of fifths!
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John has two circle of fifths progressions: one in the verse, one in the "ah-ah-ah" section
Good example!
That song is chock full of songwriting lessons.
Love this video. Interesting that the "at random" chords include G, Eb and B, which rearranged between the Eb and B have a major third (or augmented fifth) tonal center relationship that is used quite a bit in modern jazz. And they form an equilateral triangle around the circle.
What a gifted teacher, presenter, producer, and musician. Thank you, Muses, for sending us David!
Thanks Dell! And thanks for your support!
Your presentation of this concept is absolutely masterful. It is the gift professors at major universities wish they had, and very few possess. Bravo.
Thank you!
Very smart video. I was thinking the same as you were showing the full circle rotation at the end, you lose the sense of 'home tonality.' It's honestly irritating, and by doing this you show just how super intelligent all the aforementioned artists were with their choices of when to return home as well as when to include a dim 5th change! Very awesome. You have also alerted me to a few songs that I'm quite familiar with as following this pattern. I especially love that Doors song and Here Comes The Sun but now I have a new reason to love them. They're so classically written. I loved seeing Ray's interview as well. Thank you for this video.
One that you didn't mention was "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed. It uses exactly the same progression as "Wild World."
Great example!
Perfect day, perfect progression.
And Wild World has the same chord progression as It's a Sin. In fact, a radio DJ alleged that the Pet Shop Boys stole from Yusuf Islam, and even made a sound alike cover of Wild World to prove it. The boys sued, and the court rewards were given to charity.
And the PSB realised how similar to I Will Survive their song was, and mashed that up in some of their concerts, having a diva sing Gloria's lyrics.
@@cleverhardy5230 my ear also found It’s A Sin during this video. I believe Fame from the musical of the same name has the same or a very similar progression?
@@gmcsrbosavl6964 Something similar, yeah.
It’s interesting how the “disjointed” examples just sounded like generic film scores! I guess now that chromatic mediants have become so codified in contemporary film scoring, especially when aiming for an “epic” or “heroic” quality, they’ve lost some of the novelty they once had and aren’t quite as jarring.
Love this video, super insightful! If anyone’s really interested in this stuff like I am, you should check out a Circle of Fifths with the relative minors. The progression he showed about 5:30ish is a little different than the real progression. (For example: It should actually start at the top of the circle, since Am has no sharps or flats). Anyways love the video this is so cool!
Honestly, I have watched a number of your videos back to back. Why have I go to 41 years old with no one explaining things about the music I loved and was playing in a way that I could understand. Your videos have unlocked a lot that seemed like it was coded. Legendary stuff
You're an awesome teacher bro. I taught myself to play piano watching channels like yours.
I can play 300-400 songs now. After just 3 fun years of practicing and 4 years of studying Music Theory.
I love it
Excellent,thank you 😊😊
I can play all the Mahler Symphonies on the clarinet. After playing 54 years the clarinet.
Whenever I see a Bennet video with music theory in the title and a bunch of musicians in the thumbnail I just think "ok where are the Beatles, oh there they are."
Ok where are Radiohead? 😁
😀😀😀
Good discussion of the circle of fifths. Thank you for commenting about the anti clockwise circle of fourths. This is more common, and is more useful in playing guitar chords.
I’m amazed how sweet your playing about the full circle of fifth’s was … very well done 👍
Thank you so much for this video! It was so fascinating seeing the circle of fifths used in real time. This video has helped me so much with touching base and understanding an introduction to music theory.
Thanks for sharing. I had heard of the Circle of Fifths, but I don't think I had heard someone explain it until now. Easy to understand. Great examples, too. I hope to utilize it at least in some composing exercises to see what happens. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
6:53
I loved the contrast
C to E.
This can be used in a piece of music for specific emotions.
If you’re curious, that is the chord change in Radiohead’s Creep
@@haidynwendlandt2479
Thank you for that..
I love that song.
Will examine.
I hope my ears are sensitive enuf to decode
@@vspatmx7458 I think it’s specifically a G to a B chord if it helps your ear
@@haidynwendlandt2479
Thanks once again.
Will try as soon as I get home to a keyboard whixh is what helps me decode the song on the mobile
sounds a lot like Lady Stardust by David Bowie.
I was trying to learn what the circle is about in the past but this video made it much more clearer. Big thanks my friend!
It's probably my 5th time watching this video. I get more out of it every time. You teach wonderfully and so clearly.
I subscribed a few years ago and I look forward to your releases.
This is my new favourite chord progression !
The progression in Wild World is not as dissimilar to the original progression you showed as you may suggest, and I tend to actually categorize both of them as variants of the same progression. That's because Dm is like B half diminidhed but without the root, and it has the same function except it's more consonant and fits better to the folk music and similar genres as opposed to the original diminished chord that fits better to genres like jazz.
It shows that Tension is the most important part of the song...
When you apply that tension and how you do it is up to the composer.
Wow,... Amazing I love your channel and I learn so much. Thank you.
Another good example I think would be Handel's "Pena Tiranna"; even though this sequence was used a lot during this period, it's very noticeable in this aria.
My late grandfather once walked from one end of Port Elizabeth, South Africa to the air force base where he was stationed in World War 2, while playing Afrikaner folk music (simple diatonic 3-chord music called boeremusiek, literally farmers' music) on a concertina, with a few guitarists accompanying him. He cycled through all 12 keys round the circle of 5ths. That must have kept the guitarists on their toes! He ended up with with quite a crowd following him. Oh dear, it reminds me of Forrest Gump!
Its not called port Elizabeth anymore i recently heard?...
Back when I started learning guitar in 6th grade, our teacher never taught us anything about this. I found the Circle of 5ths in high school in a Guitar World magazine and suddenly so much more opened up in my mind.
Perfectly explained. Thank you! I was struggling to get the concept for the longest time, but you simplified it for anyone.
Wow. Just wow, and thank you...as an adult learner, (55-YOUNG!), lol, I have been laboriously slogging and drilling myself--maintaining playfulness, (for what am I doing if not having fun?), this video was like an illumination of things I am just beginning to grasp. Thank you, thank you, thank you...I don't kniow how many hours you have saved me...let me "play" with my newfound insights and see what happens...HUGS!
I was missing this class for almost 15 years. God bless you mate and thank you so much !!
As another example of circle of fifths you can take almost every composition from the Baroque period, Vivaldi particularly.
Right.
That's where the intro to " Light My Fire" comes from!
Uno de los mejores ejemplos es el invierno de vivaldi, donde se usa la misma progresión de acordes de quintas descendientes en el clímax de la canción
This is the most useful video i've seen about circle of 5th's. I've been stuck creating music lately. But this veido and II, V I, have been a game changer. Thanks so much David!
Robert Simpson's Symphony No. 9 goes round and round the harmonic circle. However, the maestro exploits the interval of the fourth rather than the fifth. Truly, a remarkable work.
Been learning the Viola and these videos have really helped refresh my memory from when I studied music at school as a teenager. It’s really clicking into place
intervals have confused me for a long time. but this video finally made me understand. and its so simple that I wonder how I didnt realize it sooner.
"In My Eyes" written by Minor Threat and covered by Rage Against the Machine uses the circle of 5ths in the verses.
For anyone who watches anime, the second phrase of the verse from the song Yasashii Suisei (Beastars ED) uses this chord progression.
The chorus of the original Fullmetal Alchemist's first opening uses it as well and Cruel Angel's Thesis from Evangelion uses the first four chords of it
Fascinating. I’m not a “real” musician, just a dilettante, but it has always sounded to me like “tumbling down 4ths” (or raising 5ths) like in Until by Julianna Raye or the break in Everybody Pays, by Mark Knopfler is changing keys, like a continuous modal shift, but is really just a Circle of Fifths adventure. Your teaching is so insightful and so clear that even someone like me can at least start to understand what my ear has been playing in my head for 66 years. Thank you!!!
I was trying to figure out what this progression is that I love so much earlier this week, and just yesterday I connected it with "Fly Me to the Moon" and "You Never Give Me Your Money" (along with passages from Chopin's Etude No. 1 and the Dvorak Cello Concerto)--I made quite a noise when I heard your first two examples
In before someone guesses Yes's "Awaken". (I'll edit later when I verify. :-) ) (And that this video is only slightly longer than that song. :-) )
Augh! So close!
Thanks so much for this! You Never Give Me Your Money is literally my favorite Beatles song. I'm betting the circle of fifths is why.
I thank you, I love you . For the 1st time, I get what the circle of fiths about. I've known about it for years and just did not get it and you're intuitive detail Explanation helps me understand it. I truly understand now. I used to say what's it even for.
Hi David! Love your lessons. I am wondering though - the cord progression Am, Dm, G, C, F, Bdim, Am is not a straight counter clock wise progression in the circle of fifths as it includes minor cords. Usually the cords on the outside of the circle are major and normally there would be an inner circle with the parallel minor cords, right? How can you use minor cords and refer to the outer cords (major) of the circle of fifths?
Also the progression is in 4ths, not 5ths
I wondered that as well. Surely if you are going anti clockwise you are making fourth steps not fifth.
This is so funny this came up on my recommendations because I just wrote an accordion solo accompanied by a 3 part brass group who's whole idea was continuously going around the circle of fifths. Its so fun because you can jump out whenever you want and use a strong resolution to just end it, also a great loop just to improv on no matter the style! Loved the video btw!!!
I love how you play during the outro. It makes me want to listen to the very end.