My wife gave it to my son 20 years ago. Now at age 66 you have caused me to desire to learn guitar. Will look for your videos on beginners. Thoroughly enjoy your "What makes this song great" vids.
@@JackFalltrades I purchased a new guitar. The maker is Art & Lutherie. 6 string acoustic w/ built in LED tuner and mic jack. Reddish brown cedar veneer. Now I need to find an instructor in the very very rural hills of Kentucky where I live.
@@JackFalltrades How far along are you with learning it? Do you have any background with other instruments or reading music? Or self taught? I know just the basics of 2 years piano in the 5th grade and play a little by ear.
@@curtesamoangelos5995 You could lessons with someone remote. Display them on a TV. I a a year younger than you two. So naturally more technically astute. lol.
I love Rick. I have the Beato Book; but I’m possibly going to be in the minority here nevertheless. I just watched 4 videos explaining the cycle of 5ths and Rick’s was the most difficult to follow. Rick is brilliant, but I wish he was a more systematic teacher. I spend a lot of time with his videos; they are worth it and chock full of gems. But his lessons are best if you already understand most of the subject, then you can crack the gems out of each nut.
I hear you. It is so fluent to him that he barrels ahead a little too quickly at times, given he is presumably teaching people who don't already know the content. I imagine it helps to take notes and repeat the videos
Rick, when I first started watching your channel, I was just getting into music theory. I felt like everything was going over my head. Now, 1 year later, I can hold my own thanks to you. I've become a better song writer and music producer because of your teachings....so, thank you for all that you do. FYI...even though publishing companies and some artist give you a hard time....I completely love your "What makes this song great." It is such a great segment and I learn a lot from them.
Read an article in Guitar Player way back in the 80's by Rik Emmett of Triumph, and he used your two mnemonic devices as well. That's what sticks in my mind.
Fabulous. The best description I have ever seen. When I started Music 6 years ago I found the so called adult books ridiculous. I was 74. Hunted and found the Circle that I called the Rosetta Stone of Music. Then I saw more rubbish than one can imagine - even my clarinet teacher was shocked when I showed her that the ABRSM books were in the order of fIfths. It appears that in 30 years of teaching juniors she had never got past Twinkle Twinkle in theory. She just ignored what she called the chromatic keys on the clarinet. I found The Lydian Chromatic of George Russell and hunted in dictionaries for a definition of Plagal. Now I hear often referred to as the Amen cadence. I got lost with people saying harmony is all maths (it isn't) and for a while thought 2 5 1 was the only answer Until I found the magical Lisa on Pianote who shows that progressions are not carved in stone. All made as simple as it is with this magnificent exposition. My thanks also go to the 90 year old lady who described the order of flats as "sew a BEAD on my G string" that I can never forget :-)
in France I simply learned "fa do sol ré la mi si" for the sharps... as these notes were commonly put in that order for many reading exercises, I just had to repeat it some times, week after week, to never forget it. As for the flats... backward, and that was it. For the circle of fifths, I only had to replace my sharps at the good place (C at noon), and everything went naturally. mnemonics are sometimes overrated (and I'm a big user of mnemonics, but I avoid using it for absolutely everything)
This video was the single most effective video on the Circle of Fifth's I've seen yet. I think I got it now actually. Let's see if that holds up by tomorrow morning LOL
While I try to explain things in class, it always helps to have others explain the same thing I do. I know that I have students that watch your videos. This is going into a playlist of Circle of fifths, and the students will choose two videos to watch. This video seems to have more of a conversational aspect, and the on-screen pictures that pop up will be beneficial for my visual learners.
I remember all this stuff from first-year theory as a music Major. What I realized very early on was that the tests were all built on this stuff, and as things got more advanced the questions were all based on this information, but you couldn't bring that into class when you were taking tests. My solution was to take a single page right out the circle of fifths and you know the dominants and all that stuff, so basically I memorized a cheat sheet, so when test time came I pull out of blank piece of paper and I'd write it all out and then I'd work from that. Now in a sense that might be considered a shortcut to memorization but on the other hand what it did was cement the information into my brain. Whatever you got to do, the thing is you enter all that stuff into your subconscious and then you forget it and just take your solo.
Thanks Rick. Very timely piece. Played self-taught acoustic for 54 years. Just started practicing scales and modes on electric. It's so new to me. I'm having a great time. Thanks to you, I'm gonna' be a rock star!
The circle of 5ths is the single most important tool I use to learn songs on the fly. As a dueling piano player in an all-request format, we have to know hundreds of songs.
This video is one of the reasons I dropped my music major in college. Too complicated for me. Sing all day. Harmonize, improvise. But music theory is truly rocket science. I congratulate the people who can figure this stuff out.
@Kit Duguay I think it is greatly useful as well, but the learning curve is very steep, even for those of us with very musical ears. I think watching Beato is as good a way as any to learn such things.
It's pretty hard. You have to count up all the way from 1 to 8 and you have to know the ABCs from A all the way to G. I gave up after the first 20 seconds.
I live in Nashville and thought I knew some stuff because of Nashville “number system”. 🤣🤣🤣 I don’t know $hit. I was lost by 2:41 in this video. I just stick to 1 4 5 6m and every mixture thereof. It’s clear I need to learn a whole lot more. This guy is a genius. Just opened my whole world.
Get yourself a Bass Guitar. Bass players have to learn and understand theory, otherwise they will bore themselves to death when they practice. Rick Beato started off as a bass player, Adam Neely is a bass player. Bass players just keep the band together and get ignored by the audience because they tend to think that as a bass only has four strings it must be an easy instrument to play. Learning a second instrument will also help you to understand music better too, then a third, and before you know it you will be suffering from multi-instrumentalism, an ailment that has no cure and will stay with you for life. Get some keyboards too, they are laid out in a very logical way to understand music theory, I wish that I'd realized that twenty years before I actually did.
@@GeorgeSPAMTindle Cool and correct. I did take up the bass and also play the drums as a 12 year old. The 2 years of violin when I was about 9ish didn't hurt either. Rick Beato is a really good music resource.
I first learned to play guitar in church. The music director kept going on about the "circle of fifths" the way he described it was each song was specifically picked because it moved through the circle and helped the congregation get a sense of completion when all the songs were done. Can say that I know anymore what he was trying to say after watching this. I think I need the Cof5th for dummies video.
Order of sharps: Frederick Charles Goes Down And Enters Battle - Order of flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Frederick. I remembered this from the book "How To Read Music" by Roger Evans, or it could have been from somewhere else. Enjoy.
@@Anders2112 Silly they may be, though Mnemonic Devices/memory triggers have a place. Especially for beginners in Music. ie: Every Athelete Deserves Greens, for standard Bass open tuning. Helps alot with erratic Children lol.
Slightly different but, like yours, a very good mnemonic. Ascending: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. Descending: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father.
Every Rick Beato video is like a master class. Even for the basics, it's like a 'master class of the basics.' His knowledge, experience, and communication is truly top notch.
One thing I almost never see in discussions of the Circle of Fifths is that it's easy to see which chords are in a major or minor key by looking at the group of chords right around the root. For instance, C is surrounded by F (IV) and G (V) on the outer circle, and Dm (ii), Am (vi), and Em (iii) on the inner circle. Those are the chords in C major (minus the B dim; just have to memorize that one). Same method can be used for minor keys. Neat-o.
Thank you for pointing this out! I had noticed this for the outer circle (IV and V) but not for the minor ones. This gives more motivation to try to remember the circle of fifths visually.
Love music, have played most of my life. Knew the circle if 5ths from my piano teacher in 82, but have never heard any of this other info. Thank you for taking the time to teach this ole country boy something new! Have a GrEAt DAy!!!
Thanks Rick. I have the Beato book and this video brings me back to my 1967 college days as a music major. I never completed my degree, but now in retirement I am endeavoring to excavate my lost knowledge of music theory. I have had a few truly excellent teachers in my life and you certainly have the gift!
All my music theory from college shakes off it's dust when you speak. Rick you are full of surprises. You not only rock with the best of them, but you give a thorough analysis of what rock is from every angle. The ideal musician.
I learned the Circle of 5ths at the same time the Lion King was released, so everyone in band class went around belting out, "It's the Circle of FIIIIIIFTHS and it moves us aaaaall."
A bit on a tangent, but my joke-singing of that song was "It's the ciiircle of liiife, and every point on the circle is equally distant from the center!" You wouldn't think it would fit the meter, but I made it work.
This year I've been focusing on relearning guitar, but this time with a heavier focus on actually understanding the theory. Just learning the circle of fifths alone has helped me immensely. You don't have to be a music theory wizard, but learning just the fundamentals will do leaps and bounds for your progression. As always, thank you Rick for putting this info out there and helping to educate the masses.
The order of sharps and flats is the same order as the circle of fifths and fourths respectively. To me, that is much easier to remember than by a phrase. If you have the circle memorized, you are done. If not, you just need to know that the first sharp is F# and the first flat is Bb, and then you go up a fifth for sharps, or up a fourth for flats.
I was going to make the same comment. It seems strange to have a video talking about the importance of the circle of fifths but then provide mnemonics for key signature sharps/flats when they are exactly in the order of the circle of fifths.
I just remember the first two, and then it's easy to figure out the rest. Going through the sharps, or through the keys from flat to sharp, you have F and C, and then you alternate between the two going up a letter each time, one up from F is G, one up from C is D, one up from G is (loop around) A, etc. Same with the flats but you go down a letter instead of up. There's B and E, then one down from B is A, one down from E is D, etc. It's easier to visualize it if you play the piano, too.
Cats get drunk and eat butter flies. The s on the flies stands for sharp. Then walk backwards flattening each note for the left hand side. Duplicate the outer circle to the inner and rotate the inner counter clockwise by three hours for the minor keys.
This reminds me of something my Music Theory professor in college told me. I was a Computer Science major and was really only taking Music Theory to fill an elective, yet I picked it up very very quickly and got really good at it. She told me Music Theory at it's core is very mathematical and that the same skills that made me proficient in my major were also serving me in Music Theory. It's really beautiful :) I always learn something from your vids Rick. Thank you!
Many moons ago, my second guitar teacher would preach the Circle of 5ths to me. At first, I called it the Circle of Hell, but eventually fell in love with how chord progressions opened up song writing for guitar.
Rick, I know nothing about writing/playing music, but am nonetheless in awe of your expertise. Keep it up as you make me appreciate musicians and the art of music more and more.
I really appreciate your videos. I was a music major and taught band and choir 6th through 9th grade. Just thought I'd add that we learned the sharps as, "Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle", then for the flats, "Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father".
A lot of people show you the circle if fifths on a board like in your last tutorial, but don't show you how to apply it like this video does. It's awesome that you show it on both the piano and guitar as well! Great video!
The plagal cadence is known as the plagal cadence in Norwegian too. The diappointing cadence is V7 -> vi (for example G7 -> Am if we're in C major), and is known is English as a "deceptive cadence." It also has a few other flavours like V7 -> VI (G7 -> A) or in minor V7 -> bVI (G7 -> Ab).
I went from knowing very littile about music theory and how it relates to music composition to knowing far more than I did in just 4 hours by just understanding the circle of fourths and fifths. This particular video took me to that next level; challenging me to actually putting it into practice. So thank you.
I've been playing for more than 20 years. I'm slightly dyslexic and have the absolute hardest time understanding any of this. Thanks for these videos, anything that can help me visualize is really useful.
I wrote an instrumental in which the circle of 4ths was used, but I added a twist. I linked ii-V-I progressions together, where each I chord was the next chord in the circle of 4ths. This worked surprisingly well and ended up being sufficient for me to write a basic melody over it. My music is on all the streaming sites. The name of the tune is Angel Glide. Give it a listen, if you're interested.
This is mind-blowing. Thank you so much. I play the guitar for over 20 years but never really studied theory. I can understand the circle of fifths and how each step relates to each other in the harmonic progression (say, I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-viidim for major), but never saw an explanation of how it behaves in CADENCES. That's really amazing, less than 5 minutes of this video opened a whole new understanding for me (even for me to get some of my own songs haha). I can't thank you enough, Rick!
Guitars might help. Most strings are tuned in 4ths So play each each string top down is 4ths. Play the g string up to the E string and that would be 5ths. The way Jimi Hendrix played “Hey Joe” is circle of 5ths
I am no expert but I have been learning basic music theory lately and the 5ths are 7 semitones away from your root, also the other end of a triad I believe
I have HUGE respect for Rick and all that he's done for the RUclips music community. I want to start off by making that clear. I've learned so much by watching his videos. He is a super smart guy, and really good at breaking things apart and helping you to think about things in different ways. That said, he is not the place to start when you want to learn music theory. He teaches at an intermediate and advanced level. If you're anything like I was and you're just a guitar player with almost zero formal musical training, you have to start with the stupidly simple baby basics. Like the names of the notes on the clefs, scales, how to make triads, etc. Then work up from there. Then eventually you can watch Rick's videos and actually get something out of it. The truth is that this stuff isn't complicated. It's very simple, but it takes time and practicing the basics to work toward the more advanced stuff. And there are so many resources here on RUclips to help you with those basics. Hope that helps. Stick with it, you'll get it.
my mind gets a little blown whenever I really listen to one of Rick's lectures. I was wondering about how to count the tones (half steps/whole steps) then I realized these are FIFTHS (of the major scale), so it's whole step - half step - whole step - whole step going down a perfect fifth and whole step - whole step - half step going up a perfect 4th - I thiink.
So I’ve decided to learn music theory…….that being said every video I watch is over my head. I know the basics but dont know where to begin. This channel is amazing. Everything about it makes it far better than what Ive found on youtube. There is just so much here I have no idea where to begin. 😂 for someone who knows where the notes are on the neck and what the basic notes are when reading but not a clue regarding terminology or how any of this connects or interacts with the other is there a starting point? Perhaps someone here will read this and take pity on me. 😅
This is great. With no music education available as a kid, I used to think people were just magically gifted. Fascinated with sound and music, what music theory I learned, I had to teach to myself. You make it all make sense. Thanks for being the music professor I never had!
Hope to be here someday. Just beginning to learn piano from my wife. I use Rick's ear training program and so far it is helping. You are so encouraging Rick, thank you from your virtual friend in Seattle.
After years of following this channel and learning so much theory, this video is just a good repetition and a quick test that I still remember. Learning theory changed my musical life in many, many ways.
Im not new to the circle of fifths or its explanation or this channel. I can say when I learned what all of this means and its practical application (20 years after picking my first guitar up) I realized I dont utilize this is my compositions or half written songs. I started writing with a midi keyboard paying attention to staying in key and making things rhythmically interesting for the genre I write for. This is way too long of a way to say I really like the way this information is presented and I am trying currently to use this to understand tension building as well as resolution. I think im going to try to test myself by drawing the chart out or using note cards. my biggest problem is retention and not jumping to leads or riffs that are no where close to fitting. this is information I need to find a way to retain
I got the Beato book last year and it would be great to continue to teach lessons from the book for reference and to help me advance more rapidly, the book by itself can be a bit of a beast....
And....I'm already confused 25 seconds in....a new record. Continue... Edit: Briefly studied my Dad's 1960's Mel Bay books but never took a lesson and self taught by ear.
It's so interseting that the tritone interval is symmetrical so C is the tritone of F# and F# is the tritone of C for example. This fact initially maked me think it should be a very nice and stable interval but it actually makes a hard dissonance.
Yes, only the minor 2nd is more dissonant -- to me, at least. But it's actually fun to play around with the tritone in terms of chord structure. For example, it's the leading tone to the root of the V chord, and can drop down a half-step to resolve with the root of the IV chord. Even more interesting, you can have the path split, where the tritone both ascends and descends -- to the V chord, in this case. The tritone resolves up to the V's root, and resolves down to the V's 5th. Just scratching the surface -- I'll leave all the chord wizardry to Rick -- but this gives a hint of what's possible.
I grew up playing guitar with my best friend DB who was a great guitar player who was assisted by his accordion playing, harmonica playing, guitar playing and I think, banjo playing mother who damn it Rick, had perfect pitch ! Sometimes life isn't easy !
I’ve sometimes heard the plagal cadence referred to as the “amen chord”, given its use in a lot of gospel songs and hymns. (Prime example: the ending of “Christ The Lord is Risen Today”)
I learned Circle of 5ths playing Pachabel's Cannon in D. By raising the last cadence a half step, the circle goes the next key, making the logical progression through all the keys.
I am a teacher and had a replacement music class today as the teacher was away. Of course todays lessons was going to be 'Just watch Mr Beato!". I thought this circle of fifths lesson was the one the kids should watch.
what should I do when I have kinda no idea what you are talking about and wanna start learning music theory? Can anyone recommend me a online course (udemy or so?)
Pianote is a good one to start with. There are tons of online courses, so it would be difficult to pick one over another. What I would do if I were you is try different ones and see if you can find one where the TEACHER is getting through to you and you feel comfortable studying the work. Many online courses offer the same content, but the teacher sucks. If you find a course where you feel like you're actually learning something, stick with that one.
Thanks Rick since I got the Beato book in July I have memorized the circle of 5ths sharp rotation as well as Flat. I still pick up my guitars but I've been spending more time with the piano this stuff is really helpful where I can go with a chord progression. Thanks again Dain Huston Portland Oregon
I always thought of the order of sharps and flats as: Sharps gets added on the VII of each key (G gets F#, D gets C#...) Flats gets the flat from one step further down the circle of fourths (F gets Bb, Bb gets Eb...) The flats get a bit finicky at the end since it's technically a Cb but could be interpreted as a B natural. Still helped me immensely with remembering the order of sharps and flats.
Damn I fell for it again! Eleven minutes my arse it is! Watch, pause, rewind, take notes, do it until you get to the end of the video. Watch again, pause less, take some more notes. Repeat until you can watch without pausing or taking notes. That's almost an hour gone, but it certainly has been time well spent, bloody well spent to be honest. Thank you Rick for yet another piece of inspiration.
“Cascading effect” great way to describe it. See Awaken by Yes (Workings of man part) for counterclockwise trip around the circle, starting with E major: E > A > D > G etc all the way back.
Pick it up and play only one note, even an open string. Keep playing that one note, then two, three, four and more. Keep the guitar handy and learn one chord in the first position, then two, three, four and more. It really is never too late !
@@isaacfoster3992 No, that’s a real background. It’s funny tho... a lot of people have mentioned that. Rick did a video where he walked back there and picked up stuff. He really has all that gear.
@@marcswanson9507 no, the lighting looks wrong. watch those other videos; he's lit differently in them. I think he is away from his studio and used a photo for this video; I know he is usually in his studio, but I don't think he is here
You are the greatest guitar teacher there is. You were made for music. I found you after your video with synyster gates and I have loved your content ever since. Buying your book this week.
This will forever be my favorite channel on RUclips. I think it’s cool we both live in Georgia as well. You have really helped me understand music in such a short amount of time and I’m thankful for that.
SOoooo... This dummy was given a Peavey T-60 45 years ago for a birthday, and took some very basic lessons, and learned some simple songs over time. Once my boys started showing some interest in music, they also took some basic lessons with minimal theory, and we played some simple music store jams on a few songs. It was fun, but none of us have any theory other than knowing very basic chords. I would actually go Dexter on somebody to have this video 40 years ago. I've got some serious studying in my future. Great video and I love the mnemonics! They got me through meteorology, and I still remember Every Good Boy Does Fine (or Deserves Fudge) from 3rd great music class.
Im glad im getting to watch this before someone copyright claims the circle of fifths.
Lmao
Don Henley owns that.
I was totally kidding. But the fact he had to change the title shows how ridiculous things have gotten.
🤣
Someone tried to copyright a C chord so it's not really a joke...
I was completely lost after you said "Hi, everyone. I'm Rick Beato."
😂
Fantastic!
I bought the Beato Bundle ad its great, but im so lost lol
😂
Best comment. Legit. Same here. I'm really trying to learn music theory but I find it way too complex.
My wife gave it to my son 20 years ago. Now at age 66 you have caused me to desire to learn guitar. Will look for your videos on beginners. Thoroughly enjoy your "What makes this song great" vids.
@@JackFalltrades I purchased a new guitar. The maker is Art & Lutherie. 6 string acoustic w/ built in LED tuner and mic jack. Reddish brown cedar veneer. Now I need to find an instructor in the very very rural hills of Kentucky where I live.
@@JackFalltrades How far along are you with learning it? Do you have any background with other instruments or reading music? Or self taught? I know just the basics of 2 years piano in the 5th grade and play a little by ear.
@@curtesamoangelos5995 You could lessons with someone remote. Display them on a TV. I a a year younger than you two. So naturally more technically astute. lol.
@@JackFalltrades Thanks much!
Such an inspiring thread!
Finally! Someone explained why I’m a mechanic and NOT a musician....
I love Rick. I have the Beato Book; but I’m possibly going to be in the minority here nevertheless. I just watched 4 videos explaining the cycle of 5ths and Rick’s was the most difficult to follow. Rick is brilliant, but I wish he was a more systematic teacher. I spend a lot of time with his videos; they are worth it and chock full of gems. But his lessons are best if you already understand most of the subject, then you can crack the gems out of each nut.
I agree with this 100%
Haha i just had the opposite experience! Brains are all different I guess. It’s kind of fun when you think about it like that
I hear you. It is so fluent to him that he barrels ahead a little too quickly at times, given he is presumably teaching people who don't already know the content. I imagine it helps to take notes and repeat the videos
WORD.
I think for me I like watching ricks video because typically before I even get to the 5 minute mark there’s already 3 or 4 things I need to work on
Rick, when I first started watching your channel, I was just getting into music theory. I felt like everything was going over my head. Now, 1 year later, I can hold my own thanks to you. I've become a better song writer and music producer because of your teachings....so, thank you for all that you do. FYI...even though publishing companies and some artist give you a hard time....I completely love your "What makes this song great." It is such a great segment and I learn a lot from them.
Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle, Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles's Father!
Right! Easier to memorize one thing than two
This is what I always use, as well
You beat me to it
@@OpenWoodShop The best one and the cleverest!
Read an article in Guitar Player way back in the 80's by Rik Emmett of Triumph, and he used your two mnemonic devices as well. That's what sticks in my mind.
Fabulous. The best description I have ever seen. When I started Music 6 years ago I found the so called adult books ridiculous. I was 74. Hunted and found the Circle that I called the Rosetta Stone of Music. Then I saw more rubbish than one can imagine - even my clarinet teacher was shocked when I showed her that the ABRSM books were in the order of fIfths. It appears that in 30 years of teaching juniors she had never got past Twinkle Twinkle in theory. She just ignored what she called the chromatic keys on the clarinet. I found The Lydian Chromatic of George Russell and hunted in dictionaries for a definition of Plagal. Now I hear often referred to as the Amen cadence. I got lost with people saying harmony is all maths (it isn't) and for a while thought 2 5 1 was the only answer Until I found the magical Lisa on Pianote who shows that progressions are not carved in stone.
All made as simple as it is with this magnificent exposition.
My thanks also go to the 90 year old lady who described the order of flats as "sew a BEAD on my G string" that I can never forget :-)
In England I learned this:
Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket
Blanket Exploded And Dad Got Charred Feet
Also in England I learned this: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. Say it backwards for flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father.
@@HALman1973 That's what I learned
Four Cows Got Drunk At Eddies Bar. "BEAD" "Greatest Common Factor"
I just learned "C G D A E F# C# G# D# A# E# B#" one way and "C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb" the other.
in France I simply learned "fa do sol ré la mi si" for the sharps... as these notes were commonly put in that order for many reading exercises, I just had to repeat it some times, week after week, to never forget it.
As for the flats... backward, and that was it.
For the circle of fifths, I only had to replace my sharps at the good place (C at noon), and everything went naturally.
mnemonics are sometimes overrated (and I'm a big user of mnemonics, but I avoid using it for absolutely everything)
Your work is highly appreciated Rick.
This is essential viewing imo
This video was the single most effective video on the Circle of Fifth's I've seen yet. I think I got it now actually. Let's see if that holds up by tomorrow morning LOL
@@AutoRiff I'm glad I'm not the only one with a head like a sieve!
@@JTCGuitar Both of you guys are giving me some hope .
While I try to explain things in class, it always helps to have others explain the same thing I do. I know that I have students that watch your videos. This is going into a playlist of Circle of fifths, and the students will choose two videos to watch. This video seems to have more of a conversational aspect, and the on-screen pictures that pop up will be beneficial for my visual learners.
I remember all this stuff from first-year theory as a music Major. What I realized very early on was that the tests were all built on this stuff, and as things got more advanced the questions were all based on this information, but you couldn't bring that into class when you were taking tests. My solution was to take a single page right out the circle of fifths and you know the dominants and all that stuff, so basically I memorized a cheat sheet, so when test time came I pull out of blank piece of paper and I'd write it all out and then I'd work from that. Now in a sense that might be considered a shortcut to memorization but on the other hand what it did was cement the information into my brain. Whatever you got to do, the thing is you enter all that stuff into your subconscious and then you forget it and just take your solo.
Thanks Rick. Very timely piece. Played self-taught acoustic for 54 years. Just started practicing scales and modes on electric. It's so new to me. I'm having a great time. Thanks to you, I'm gonna' be a rock star!
The circle of 5ths is the single most important tool I use to learn songs on the fly. As a dueling piano player in an all-request format, we have to know hundreds of songs.
This video is one of the reasons I dropped my music major in college. Too complicated for me. Sing all day. Harmonize, improvise. But music theory is truly rocket science. I congratulate the people who can figure this stuff out.
@Kit Duguay I think it is greatly useful as well, but the learning curve is very steep, even for those of us with very musical ears. I think watching Beato is as good a way as any to learn such things.
Music theory is not rocket science. I’ve done rocket science, it’s easier than music theory
@@alangrill1172 😂😂🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤘
It's pretty hard. You have to count up all the way from 1 to 8 and you have to know the ABCs from A all the way to G. I gave up after the first 20 seconds.
Just another language...!?
I live in Nashville and thought I knew some stuff because of Nashville “number system”. 🤣🤣🤣 I don’t know $hit. I was lost by 2:41 in this video. I just stick to 1 4 5 6m and every mixture thereof. It’s clear I need to learn a whole lot more. This guy is a genius. Just opened my whole world.
You have conquered the first step! Keep at it!
The number system is a good shortcut - real music theory fits on top of it and fills in gaps. And then there are diminished chords.
@@maclindavis8404 been hammering some of this stuff out on my guitar since watching this. Yes. I see you are absolutely right.
Get yourself a Bass Guitar. Bass players have to learn and understand theory, otherwise they will bore themselves to death when they practice. Rick Beato started off as a bass player, Adam Neely is a bass player. Bass players just keep the band together and get ignored by the audience because they tend to think that as a bass only has four strings it must be an easy instrument to play. Learning a second instrument will also help you to understand music better too, then a third, and before you know it you will be suffering from multi-instrumentalism, an ailment that has no cure and will stay with you for life. Get some keyboards too, they are laid out in a very logical way to understand music theory, I wish that I'd realized that twenty years before I actually did.
@@GeorgeSPAMTindle Cool and correct. I did take up the bass and also play the drums as a 12 year old. The 2 years of violin when I was about 9ish didn't hurt either. Rick Beato is a really good music resource.
I first learned to play guitar in church. The music director kept going on about the "circle of fifths" the way he described it was each song was specifically picked because it moved through the circle and helped the congregation get a sense of completion when all the songs were done. Can say that I know anymore what he was trying to say after watching this. I think I need the Cof5th for dummies video.
Order of sharps: Frederick Charles Goes Down And Enters Battle - Order of flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Frederick. I remembered this from the book "How To Read Music" by Roger Evans, or it could have been from somewhere else. Enjoy.
Lol all music teachers have their own phrases to memorize... I can't remember what mine was, it was a while ago.
The sharps just go up in 5ths. F to C is a 5th, C to G is a 5th and so on. The flats are in 4ths. No need for these silly phrases :p
@@Anders2112 Silly they may be, though Mnemonic Devices/memory triggers have a place. Especially for beginners in Music.
ie: Every Athelete Deserves Greens, for standard Bass open tuning. Helps alot with erratic Children lol.
Slightly different but, like yours, a very good mnemonic.
Ascending: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle.
Descending: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father.
Why isn’t there a mnemonic for a mnemonic?
Every Rick Beato video is like a master class. Even for the basics, it's like a 'master class of the basics.' His knowledge, experience, and communication is truly top notch.
One thing I almost never see in discussions of the Circle of Fifths is that it's easy to see which chords are in a major or minor key by looking at the group of chords right around the root. For instance, C is surrounded by F (IV) and G (V) on the outer circle, and Dm (ii), Am (vi), and Em (iii) on the inner circle. Those are the chords in C major (minus the B dim; just have to memorize that one). Same method can be used for minor keys. Neat-o.
Thank you for pointing this out! I had noticed this for the outer circle (IV and V) but not for the minor ones. This gives more motivation to try to remember the circle of fifths visually.
Love music, have played most of my life. Knew the circle if 5ths from my piano teacher in 82, but have never heard any of this other info. Thank you for taking the time to teach this ole country boy something new! Have a GrEAt DAy!!!
Circle of 5ths and 4ths really helped my playing and understanding. It's so interesting and rewarding to see them in action.
Thanks Rick. I have the Beato book and this video brings me back to my 1967 college days as a music major. I never completed my degree, but now in retirement I am endeavoring to excavate my lost knowledge of music theory. I have had a few truly excellent teachers in my life and you certainly have the gift!
Why wasn’t the internet around forty years ago! Beautifully explained and demystified Rick.🥶🙏🇬🇧🥶
All my music theory from college shakes off it's dust when you speak. Rick you are full of surprises. You not only rock with the best of them, but you give a thorough analysis of what rock is from every angle. The ideal musician.
I learned the Circle of 5ths at the same time the Lion King was released, so everyone in band class went around belting out, "It's the Circle of FIIIIIIFTHS and it moves us aaaaall."
A bit on a tangent, but my joke-singing of that song was "It's the ciiircle of liiife, and every point on the circle is equally distant from the center!" You wouldn't think it would fit the meter, but I made it work.
This year I've been focusing on relearning guitar, but this time with a heavier focus on actually understanding the theory. Just learning the circle of fifths alone has helped me immensely. You don't have to be a music theory wizard, but learning just the fundamentals will do leaps and bounds for your progression. As always, thank you Rick for putting this info out there and helping to educate the masses.
The order of sharps and flats is the same order as the circle of fifths and fourths respectively. To me, that is much easier to remember than by a phrase. If you have the circle memorized, you are done. If not, you just need to know that the first sharp is F# and the first flat is Bb, and then you go up a fifth for sharps, or up a fourth for flats.
I was going to make the same comment. It seems strange to have a video talking about the importance of the circle of fifths but then provide mnemonics for key signature sharps/flats when they are exactly in the order of the circle of fifths.
I just remember the first two, and then it's easy to figure out the rest. Going through the sharps, or through the keys from flat to sharp, you have F and C, and then you alternate between the two going up a letter each time, one up from F is G, one up from C is D, one up from G is (loop around) A, etc. Same with the flats but you go down a letter instead of up. There's B and E, then one down from B is A, one down from E is D, etc. It's easier to visualize it if you play the piano, too.
Of course, but the phrase is to help remember the circle of fifths and fourths
Cats get drunk and eat butter flies. The s on the flies stands for sharp. Then walk backwards flattening each note for the left hand side. Duplicate the outer circle to the inner and rotate the inner counter clockwise by three hours for the minor keys.
What?
This reminds me of something my Music Theory professor in college told me. I was a Computer Science major and was really only taking Music Theory to fill an elective, yet I picked it up very very quickly and got really good at it. She told me Music Theory at it's core is very mathematical and that the same skills that made me proficient in my major were also serving me in Music Theory. It's really beautiful :) I always learn something from your vids Rick. Thank you!
Thanks so much for all your work. Bringing real music and education to everyone.
Many moons ago, my second guitar teacher would preach the Circle of 5ths to me. At first, I called it the Circle of Hell, but eventually fell in love with how chord progressions opened up song writing for guitar.
Rick, I know nothing about writing/playing music, but am nonetheless in awe of your expertise. Keep it up as you make me appreciate musicians and the art of music more and more.
I love watching competent people at work, it's oddly satisfying and inspiring
I really appreciate your videos. I was a music major and taught band and choir 6th through 9th grade. Just thought I'd add that we learned the sharps as, "Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle", then for the flats, "Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father".
“Fat Cat Go Dead After Eating Burritos” is going to be the name of my first album.
It’s gonna be fusion, isn’t it?
It’ll have to be.
At least Rick said it and not Don Henley. Otherwise you’d get a copyright strike.
I was in a band called Fat Cat Got Dead After Eating Burritos
This one is how I memorized them "Fat Cats Get Dirty After Every Bath"
Hey Rick - Jens from Denmark here. Elementary School Music teacher. Just bought your book - more should do so 😊🎶
just great stuff. real teaching for free. couldn't appreciate more.
he is earning a lot of money from youtube ..its free for us which is a good thing but he is getting paid which is good for him
A lot of people show you the circle if fifths on a board like in your last tutorial, but don't show you how to apply it like this video does. It's awesome that you show it on both the piano and guitar as well! Great video!
Fun fact: The plagal cadence is known as a "disappointing cadence" in Norwegain. And that's not even a joke!
Pretty much sums up my opinion of pop hahaha
You must be George Harrison to know where to use it
@@antonioblanco2217 haha well said
That wasn't disappointing at all(in Count Floyd voice)
The plagal cadence is known as the plagal cadence in Norwegian too. The diappointing cadence is V7 -> vi (for example G7 -> Am if we're in C major), and is known is English as a "deceptive cadence." It also has a few other flavours like V7 -> VI (G7 -> A) or in minor V7 -> bVI (G7 -> Ab).
I went from knowing very littile about music theory and how it relates to music composition to knowing far more than I did in just 4 hours by just understanding the circle of fourths and fifths. This particular video took me to that next level; challenging me to actually putting it into practice. So thank you.
I sincerely wish I understood what you were talking about
"Hunter MacDermut" has some EXCELLENT beginning lessons on this topic.
And "The Guitar Doctor" also has a fairly decent lesson as well.
Same
me too
I've been playing for more than 20 years. I'm slightly dyslexic and have the absolute hardest time understanding any of this. Thanks for these videos, anything that can help me visualize is really useful.
Man, I kept almost hearing "Let's do the time warp again!" Now I've gotta listen to that song...
You beat me to it I def heard the chord progression.
Best music teacher on earth for the western music !
I wrote an instrumental in which the circle of 4ths was used, but I added a twist. I linked ii-V-I progressions together, where each I chord was the next chord in the circle of 4ths. This worked surprisingly well and ended up being sufficient for me to write a basic melody over it. My music is on all the streaming sites. The name of the tune is Angel Glide. Give it a listen, if you're interested.
That is exactly like Jamey Aebersold handles it as it IS the way it is heard! 2-5-1’s... ? Much more understandable to the ear. Listen Down!
This is mind-blowing. Thank you so much. I play the guitar for over 20 years but never really studied theory. I can understand the circle of fifths and how each step relates to each other in the harmonic progression (say, I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-viidim for major), but never saw an explanation of how it behaves in CADENCES. That's really amazing, less than 5 minutes of this video opened a whole new understanding for me (even for me to get some of my own songs haha). I can't thank you enough, Rick!
Now I understand how other people feel when I explain automotive concepts to them: "huh?" 😄
You are a sincere and helpful dude, Rick Beato.
"This stuff is not that complicated...." Me looking for a mallet to beat myself over the head with, REPEATEDLY. One day it will click I hope.
Just one step at a time champ. Memorize the circle and then come back and watch the rest of the video
@@sagetmaster4 I'll have to do that. A lot went over my head there. I was never taught this stuff.
Guitars might help. Most strings are tuned in 4ths
So play each each string top down is 4ths.
Play the g string up to the E string and that would be 5ths.
The way Jimi Hendrix played “Hey Joe” is circle of 5ths
I am no expert but I have been learning basic music theory lately and the 5ths are 7 semitones away from your root, also the other end of a triad I believe
I have HUGE respect for Rick and all that he's done for the RUclips music community. I want to start off by making that clear. I've learned so much by watching his videos. He is a super smart guy, and really good at breaking things apart and helping you to think about things in different ways. That said, he is not the place to start when you want to learn music theory. He teaches at an intermediate and advanced level. If you're anything like I was and you're just a guitar player with almost zero formal musical training, you have to start with the stupidly simple baby basics. Like the names of the notes on the clefs, scales, how to make triads, etc. Then work up from there. Then eventually you can watch Rick's videos and actually get something out of it. The truth is that this stuff isn't complicated. It's very simple, but it takes time and practicing the basics to work toward the more advanced stuff. And there are so many resources here on RUclips to help you with those basics. Hope that helps. Stick with it, you'll get it.
He’s a perfect teacher because he’s very clear and uses a calm and friendly manner. Great.
How often do you want to change the thumbnail?
Rick: Yes
It doesn’t matter how many times you go over this, I’m still going to watch every video. I really need to learn this.
"Hunter MacDermut" has some EXCELLENT beginning lessons on this topic.
And "The Guitar Doctor" also has a fairly decent lesson as well.
Rick teaches the Plagal Cadence ... during a pandemic. :-o
my mind gets a little blown whenever I really listen to one of Rick's lectures. I was wondering about how to count the tones (half steps/whole steps) then I realized these are FIFTHS (of the major scale), so it's whole step - half step - whole step - whole step going down a perfect fifth and whole step - whole step - half step going up a perfect 4th - I thiink.
I think I just like hearing Rick's voice lol
So I’ve decided to learn music theory…….that being said every video I watch is over my head. I know the basics but dont know where to begin. This channel is amazing. Everything about it makes it far better than what Ive found on youtube. There is just so much here I have no idea where to begin. 😂 for someone who knows where the notes are on the neck and what the basic notes are when reading but not a clue regarding terminology or how any of this connects or interacts with the other is there a starting point? Perhaps someone here will read this and take pity on me. 😅
I thought that he was gonna talk about Rosetta Stoned by Tool
That’s for a What Makes this Song Great 5 hour special.
@breme I thought that he was gonna talk about Rosetta Stoned band
Bring a pen for that episode
The world NEEDS Rick Beato, that's all I'm saying
When Rick plays round those 5 to 1s it sounds like that passage in Frank Zappa’s Peaches en Regalia 🍑
This is great. With no music education available as a kid, I used to think people were just magically gifted. Fascinated with sound and music, what music theory I learned, I had to teach to myself. You make it all make sense. Thanks for being the music professor I never had!
I've never been this early on a video, like, ever, hi Rick
Hope to be here someday. Just beginning to learn piano from my wife. I use Rick's ear training program and so far it is helping. You are so encouraging Rick, thank you from your virtual friend in Seattle.
Just realized that Rick kinda looks like Christopher Lloyd. He's the mad scientist of music!
"Back in (3/4) Time"...! 🏎
Great Scott!!
You watch the BTTF series on tv last night?
Maybe he sticks Plutonium in his guitar, plays it at >88 BPM to go back to 1997 and prevent single handed the decay of music.
@@OhMeOhMy77 I had no idea it was a show. What network/service?
After years of following this channel and learning so much theory, this video is just a good repetition and a quick test that I still remember. Learning theory changed my musical life in many, many ways.
“This stuffs not that complicated!” While smoke & sparks pour out of my ears . Lol
"Hunter MacDermut" has some EXCELLENT beginning lessons on this topic.
And "The Guitar Doctor" also has a fairly decent lesson as well.
Im not new to the circle of fifths or its explanation or this channel. I can say when I learned what all of this means and its practical application (20 years after picking my first guitar up) I realized I dont utilize this is my compositions or half written songs. I started writing with a midi keyboard paying attention to staying in key and making things rhythmically interesting for the genre I write for.
This is way too long of a way to say I really like the way this information is presented and I am trying currently to use this to understand tension building as well as resolution. I think im going to try to test myself by drawing the chart out or using note cards. my biggest problem is retention and not jumping to leads or riffs that are no where close to fitting.
this is information I need to find a way to retain
Rick,make a series on the most underrated songs,or artists
You should listen to “the contortionist” because they’re pretty damn good
I got the Beato book last year and it would be great to continue to teach lessons from the book for reference and to help me advance more rapidly, the book by itself can be a bit of a beast....
And....I'm already confused 25 seconds in....a new record. Continue...
Edit: Briefly studied my Dad's 1960's Mel Bay books but never took a lesson and self taught by ear.
You really get into the movement of chord cadences in a great and very teachable way, Rick - I think this is one area you really really shine.
It's so interseting that the tritone interval is symmetrical so C is the tritone of F# and F# is the tritone of C for example. This fact initially maked me think it should be a very nice and stable interval but it actually makes a hard dissonance.
Yes, only the minor 2nd is more dissonant -- to me, at least. But it's actually fun to play around with the tritone in terms of chord structure. For example, it's the leading tone to the root of the V chord, and can drop down a half-step to resolve with the root of the IV chord. Even more interesting, you can have the path split, where the tritone both ascends and descends -- to the V chord, in this case. The tritone resolves up to the V's root, and resolves down to the V's 5th. Just scratching the surface -- I'll leave all the chord wizardry to Rick -- but this gives a hint of what's possible.
I grew up playing guitar with my best friend DB who was a great guitar player who was assisted by his accordion playing, harmonica playing, guitar playing and I think, banjo playing mother who damn it Rick, had perfect pitch ! Sometimes life isn't easy !
I’ve sometimes heard the plagal cadence referred to as the “amen chord”, given its use in a lot of gospel songs and hymns. (Prime example: the ending of “Christ The Lord is Risen Today”)
I learned Circle of 5ths playing Pachabel's Cannon in D. By raising the last cadence a half step, the circle goes the next key, making the logical progression through all the keys.
CIRCLE OF FISTS ✊🏼
LOL ok
Fuck yeah!
Great song title for mosh pit, if they still do such a thing.
RICK!!! I am 20 and I needed this knowledge SO LONG AGO!!! I'm going to commit this to memory. Thank you so so so much!!!!
King Ptolemy V has listed a copyright stike against you. If you wish to dispute this claim please contact RUclips.
I am a teacher and had a replacement music class today as the teacher was away. Of course todays lessons was going to be 'Just watch Mr Beato!". I thought this circle of fifths lesson was the one the kids should watch.
what should I do when I have kinda no idea what you are talking about and wanna start learning music theory? Can anyone recommend me a online course (udemy or so?)
Pianote is a good one to start with. There are tons of online courses, so it would be difficult to pick one over another. What I would do if I were you is try different ones and see if you can find one where the TEACHER is getting through to you and you feel comfortable studying the work. Many online courses offer the same content, but the teacher sucks. If you find a course where you feel like you're actually learning something, stick with that one.
Buy Rick’s book
Thanks Rick since I got the Beato book in July I have memorized the circle of 5ths sharp rotation as well as Flat. I still pick up my guitars but I've been spending more time with the piano this stuff is really helpful where I can go with a chord progression. Thanks again Dain Huston Portland Oregon
When Rick finally goes mad, he will be in a straight jacket making the sounds he makes at 5:39. Sans guitar.
Then screaming “bob evans ate donuts and burritos and got fat!”
I always thought of the order of sharps and flats as:
Sharps gets added on the VII of each key (G gets F#, D gets C#...)
Flats gets the flat from one step further down the circle of fourths (F gets Bb, Bb gets Eb...)
The flats get a bit finicky at the end since it's technically a Cb but could be interpreted as a B natural. Still helped me immensely with remembering the order of sharps and flats.
The circle of 5iths: "Two there are always, a dominant and a tonic..."
Gin and ..
@@Happyheretic2308 - Quaigonn to be precise!
Darth Plagal the cadence...
Damn I fell for it again! Eleven minutes my arse it is! Watch, pause, rewind, take notes, do it until you get to the end of the video. Watch again, pause less, take some more notes. Repeat until you can watch without pausing or taking notes. That's almost an hour gone, but it certainly has been time well spent, bloody well spent to be honest. Thank you Rick for yet another piece of inspiration.
The way I remembered the order of sharps is "Fat cats get down and elephants boogie"
“Cascading effect” great way to describe it. See Awaken by Yes (Workings of man part) for counterclockwise trip around the circle, starting with E major: E > A > D > G etc all the way back.
I purchased a Yamaha guitar 45 years ago and to this day never learned to play it.
It’s never too late.
Better put the work in, once you learn you'll never put it down. Make it worth the money.
Pick it up and play only one note, even an open string. Keep playing that one note, then two, three, four and more. Keep the guitar handy and learn one chord in the first position, then two, three, four and more.
It really is never too late !
@@accuratealloys Thanks.
@@ProbablyTooLoud Thanks. Will try.
That endless 5's exercise is a beast! You just go everywhere there is to be.
Off-topic: Did you get a new camera, Rick? The video looks a bit crisper with a slight color difference.
looks like he's using a green screen
@@isaacfoster3992 No, that’s a real background. It’s funny tho... a lot of people have mentioned that. Rick did a video where he walked back there and picked up stuff. He really has all that gear.
I have to agree it looks like a green screen now....but I know it’s not.
@@marcswanson9507 no, the lighting looks wrong. watch those other videos; he's lit differently in them. I think he is away from his studio and used a photo for this video; I know he is usually in his studio, but I don't think he is here
Rick Beato videos are a GoD -- Glossary of Discourse
“Fancy Call Girls Dine At Eastern Bars”
You are the greatest guitar teacher there is. You were made for music. I found you after your video with synyster gates and I have loved your content ever since. Buying your book this week.
When people say that *quantum physics* is hard ... then I'll show them this video.
What the hell does all this mean ...? 😮
"Hunter MacDermut" has some EXCELLENT beginning lessons on this topic.
And "The Guitar Doctor" also has a fairly decent lesson as well.
This will forever be my favorite channel on RUclips. I think it’s cool we both live in Georgia as well. You have really helped me understand music in such a short amount of time and I’m thankful for that.
Four crows got drunk at Easter barbecue.
Love these lessons. Every one opens new doors and blows my mind.
This is core. Where’s the “really f***ing like” button?
SOoooo... This dummy was given a Peavey T-60 45 years ago for a birthday, and took some very basic lessons, and learned some simple songs over time. Once my boys started showing some interest in music, they also took some basic lessons with minimal theory, and we played some simple music store jams on a few songs. It was fun, but none of us have any theory other than knowing very basic chords. I would actually go Dexter on somebody to have this video 40 years ago. I've got some serious studying in my future. Great video and I love the mnemonics! They got me through meteorology, and I still remember Every Good Boy Does Fine (or Deserves Fudge) from 3rd great music class.
This is basic knowledge for every accordeon player in the world.
Bravo Beato!!!
I learned Authentic and Plagal modes from Gregorian Chant but you presented it so quickly and clearly