0:54 1:33 Perfect cycle vs Diatonic 4:36 Major/minor 6:28 Diatonic examples 7:45 Advantages 8:55 Writing melodies 9:33 2-5-1 10:25 Use in jazz piano 12:20 Thinking beyond the cycle
Chris, this means so much to me, one of the nicest comments ever. I have been putting more and more thought into the planning of my lessons and it means a lot that you noticed.
"Good God man" that was the most complete circle of 5ths tutorial I've ever witnessed. I don't understand why no one else could explain it that way now. Mostly you broke it down clearly without running over and washing out what was just understood.Very much appreciated and looking forward to your videos.
Haha thanks Toye! I don't like leaving things out - if I'm going to cover something, I want to make the definitive explanation, in one organized video. Really pleased this one helped you - my recommended videos to follow this are called: - Church modes - Jazz Scales - Altered Scale All should show up on a youtube search.
Dear Julian. So many times one has been lectured about the circle of 5ths, but none as clear, direct, explicative and fun as this. As usual. Thanks is not enough.
Excellence,creativity,simplicity,imagination,knowlegge,innovation,friendlyness ,make your teaching videos #1 ranking in jazz . Cheers and congratulations for your GREAT WORK!!!
Exactly - that's exactly the sort of thing he's doing. He's taking the idea of a circle of 5ths progression, which the ear is familiar with. The strong bassline is still there as normal, playing the roots of circle of 5ths. But then he's shifting scales with each chord. For this kind of sound, try to shift the harmony with every chord. By 'harmony' I mean 'implied scale'. So each chord outlines a scale, Cm7 = C minor or C dorian, Cmaj7 = C major, etc. Try to build chords that shift the scale
Thanks so much Derek, I put a lot of thought into this one and it's nice to hear you learned a lot from it. I'm really trying to up the quality of these teaching videos now, got some good ones on the way too. Thanks again!
This is without doubt the best practical explanation of the circle of fifths/ii V I progression (without reference to the diagrams and key sigs) that I have yet seen or heard. A genuine shortcut to a deeper understanding especially given your explanation of major/minor and diatonic vs perfect applications and practical composition. Heartfelt thanks! :)
Great question - I can tell the B section is major because I look out for the repeating I chord, and sure enough there are two Gb major 7 chords in a row, preceded by a Db dominant 7 chord. It also makes sense (you can predict these things) because the A section was in Eb minor, and a logical choice if the composer wants to change to a major key is to go to the relative major, which is always a minor 3rd up from the minor key.That's a great idea to cover harmonic analysis. I'll do that for sure!
Bravo, I finally found an accurate explanation of the CIRCLE OF FIFTHS (Diatonic) and why it cannot modulate outside it's respective key! So very few people understand that basic concept and insist on using the circle of fifths to find all accidentals (12 notes) and miss the whole point of chord movement or the function of that magic Diminished VII chord. Keep it up, great job…
Excellent question - I know what you mean - the verse of 'Hotel California' has a similar sound to the circle of 5ths, but it's actually closer to a circle of 4ths. I think it goes something like Am - E - G - D - F - C - Dm - E So you can see those resolutions down a 4th keep coming up. Kind of like doing a circle of 5ths backwards.
Thanks Matt - yes you can go up in 5ths - this is actually called a circle of 4ths, because you're going down a 4th (Going up a 5th gives you the same chord as going down a 4th). Circle of 4ths chord progressions are less common, but you will probably be reminded of some pop songs when you play a circle of 4ths at your instrument: Cm - Gm - Dm - Ab - Eb - Bb - Fm - Cm
You're right - that's a lovely chord progression, and the chords you list are mostly in Bb minor (the altered chords come out of scale). So if you want it in C minor, just transpose all of those chords up a whole step. That will give you Dm9 - G7alt - Cm9 - F7alt. (F7alt is another way of saying F7 #5 #9 pretty much). And you're welcome, glad this helps you out, anytime!
First I play a ii-V-I in C major - I use advanced voicings: Dm7 - D A C F. G dominant 7 - G F B E A. C major 7 - C B D E G. Then I play a ii-V-I in C minor: Dm7b5 - D Ab C F. G7altered - G B Eb F Bb (going to Ab). Cm7 - C Bb D Eb G. If you want to know about the altered chord - I did a video on the altered scale / chords (just take out the spaces): youtube . com/watch?v=K-V0k8D_Ojo I think you're using '+9' to mean 'added 9'. You only have to say '9', the '+' means #. Hope this answer helps!
My oh my, what a great instructional video! I thought I understood the circle of fifths, but now I actually understand the circle of fifths. Thank you from North Carolina (USA).
Exactly - I'm not at my piano but here's what I might try. For that vi - ii - v - i in C. Play A minor 9, D minor 9, G7alt, Cminor 9 To start with I'm making the minor 7 chords minor 9's. Those will give you part of the Neo Soul sound you're after. I use major, minor, dom chords that are outside the C minor scale, although the bass notes stay in. And then I really change the scale when I throw in the altered chord. Did you see my video on the altered scale? That one will also be relevant.
Your youtube channel is such a superb resource of information Julian! I'm purely a guitarist, but the way you explain all these concepts are worth gold to any musician, regardless of instrument. Thanks a lot, I'll probably go through all your videos when I've got the time!
Thanks so much! Really pleased to hear this, piano makes it easy to demonstrate things visually, but my hope is that all instruments will benefit. Really pleased you've found them helpful!
In the years of piano lessons I took, I saw the chart with the circle of fifths for learning key signatures but nobody ever explained this. What a rich sound! Thanks. I'll have to come back and study this some more.
I agree, it's not as strong in the major key. The 'Take 5' A section is in Eb minor. Then the B section goes to the relative major of Eb minor, which is Gb major, and it goes through a cycle of 5ths in Gb major - so all major for the B section, no switching between major or minor. Hope that makes sense!
Great example! Yes, 'I will survive''. I had a mind blank while trying to think of a pop music example to include, and had to settle for Shakira. But the older pop songs used cycle of 5ths a lot more, I know there are plenty of Beatles songs that use it
Yes I chose those pieces carefully, trying to pick a piece from classical, jazz and pop music. My mind went blank on the pop tunes though so had to settle for Shakira! I love the take 5 though, that's why I picked it for the interlude music over the others
Thanks Yessir! That means a lot, and I never thought of it like that. Glad these keep you from losing interest in the piano, I guess that's why a lot of people do drop playing at some point - they don't have someone opening new doors for them to explore. Well I have a large batch now of videos, posting once a week (Saturdays), so there should be plenty of concepts for you to try out! Thanks again so much, Julian
I know the feeling... that's inspiration! So glad to read this - thank you for posting.I don't know how I'd make things clear without adding the chords in text underneath. Glad you noticed! Not sure if I covered it in the video, but you can also make every chord in the cycle a dominant 7 chord.
Sure - you could play the V chord as minor - G minor, if that's the sound you're going for. But if you want a strong resolution to signify the end of the circle of fifths, the dominant 7 has a stronger resolution.
Yep, this is the one and only video - or indeed anything - to make me understand the use of the cycle of fifths. Perfectly organised and informative. Thanks!
Perfect day, Lou Reed (in answer to more compositions using the cycle of fifths). This is THE vid I come back to repeatedly to drill the subtleties and variations of the cycle into my brain. Easily the best explanation and set of demonstrations I have seen. Bravo Julian.
Hi Aidan, there are several types of minor scale - the harmonic minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab B), the melodic minor scale (C D Eb F G A B), and the natural minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab Bb). Both the harmonic minor and melodic minor have major 7ths (B naturals) and are used in classical music - Beethoven, Mozart etc. In this video I was talking about C natural minor scale, which does have a minor 7th (Bb). Does this make sense? J
Thanks Pablo, means a lot! Maybe one day I'll get organized and put these on a DVD for people who want it. Got some good ones I'll be posting in the next few weeks too
Good lesson! .I also use as an example these songs: .Fly Me To The Moon, I Will Survive, Telkens Weer (Dutch by Willeke Alberti), De Dromen Zijn Bedrog (Dutch - Marco Borsato)
Thanks for the question, the intro tune is one of my compositions called 'Venice Beach in Winter'. The sheet music is in my ebook at the JazzHeroBooks website. It basically uses Kenny Barron voicings for minor 11 chords, which I talk about in a video called 'SWEET JAZZ PIANO CHORDS'
this is an awesome lesson, one that makes you think and discover things by yourself with a piano, pencil and the brain. Thank you for your contribution!
Hey PlanBeatz, listened to the video. He's correct when he says that he is not playing in one key - however when he says 'it's about playing in modes' - that's not what he means. That makes it sound like all the chords he's playing are from one single mode (scale), but pretty much each chord he plays is outlining a different scale. He's moving some of those chord voicings in parallel - sounded like minor 9's to me. But then I heard some major chords which means they weren't all moved in parallel
Spotting circle of fiths songs is a bit of a hobby of mine. Recent discoveries include Early In The Morning by Vanity Fare, Stranger in Paradise, Perfect Day and Fly Me To The Moon
I know what you mean with Take 5, there's enough to focus on with the key signature and 5/4. It's a nice example of a major key cycle of 5ths though for the B section
Very,very good lesson..I love what you"re doing...I,myself, would like to thank you for your knowledge and the good heart of sharing..May God bless you..I've been playing for over 30yrs. by ear and always wanted to learn the theory..I am learning and I thank you..
this is EXCELENT. thank you so much. I am hardly a musician and I got it. I am just a passionate lifelong music fan who really wants to make his musical dreams come true ( I just write music on my computer) , and you've helped me a lot. Thanks Again. Cheers
Thanks Eduardo! I'm so pleased you enjoyed this lesson, and thanks for the comment. If you wanted some follow up material along these lines, you might also like my video on the modes The 7 CHURCH MODES: Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, Lydian, & more!, and maybe my video on the 4 types of minor scale too: THE 4 TYPES OF MINOR SCALE Best wishes, Julian
Hi Johnny, yes - this applies to all instruments. This is music theory, which applies to all instruments. I just use piano because you can see everything clearly on the piano.
At last I understand! Thank you Julian. I was confused but took a few seconds to listen to you properly then I saw it was the minor scale which you were working in so the intervals are dictated by that minor scale. Makes sense now. I think having watched your piece on modes actually made the penny drop or gave it a push at least. You have a brilliant personality and method in your teaching which works for me.
Well spotted - thats the one thing I missed out. Yes you can have major circles - I hear the minor cycles more often. But the 'Take 5' example that plays in-between in a major circle. Major circle of 5ths in C major would be: Fmaj - Bdim - Emin - Amin - Dmin - G7 - Cmaj - C maj I think the minor cycles are a stronger progression though. Thanks for asking!
I heard it also and had a good laugh! But im not sure if he meant it in a „funny“ way, because the licc wasn’t as memed out 5 years ago. Thanks Adam Neely I guess.
Thank you sooo much for all this free information. #1 Reason why i never get bored of playing the piano: So much to learn and soo entertaining!!!. Could you play Take Five...all of it and post a tutorial on it? I love the way you play it!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Xpirimint, really pleased you enjoyed this one. In my experience, both a good ear and an understanding of theory are really essential - but the ear training side is more challenging to learn, the theory I think is easy to grasp with the right teacher. I've got some good videos ready to upload I think you'll like. Thanks for the comment!
20th century and beyond = most music is still in the major / minor scales (diatonic). But some classical composers started going off into 'post-tonal' music, atonal music, and serialism - composers like Shoenberg & Bartok - they started labelling notes with numbers, and making music based on number patterns, rather than how the music sounds. Do a search for Shoenberg if you're interested in how this music sounds. I'm going to be covering this type of music soon, because it's really interesting.
Thank you, I really appreciate it. I find if I put that bit of extra time into planning a video, it turns out so much better. You might like my video on 'Church modes' as well, it's similar to this one
Thanks Kevin! Glad to hear you use the word 'complete' - I just chose to incorporate that word with my new music theory website, which I'll be announcing soon. Glad the video helped you! A good follow up to this one would be my video called 'Church Modes'. Best wishes, Julian
Hey man this is awesome!!!! It has helped me understand much better of how to work the circle of fifths. Thank you so much for taking the time out!!! This alone takes weeks in music school and I learned in 30 mins. Thanx bro!!!
Thank you for this I am trying to under stand chord progressions from a sax players perspective in jazz I found this very helpful in my struggle to applying theory to my playing.
Thanks for this! I'm just now getting into jazz after years of everything else. This helped a lot, especially when I was trying to figure out some of my favorite tunes!
Thank you soooooo much for this wonderful (mathematical) explanation of the circle of fifths. By far the best I've seen. I've put this in my favorites and will dissect it many times until I fully understand it... God Bless
really enjoyed your video my dad plays wind instruments and he loved your videos i play guitar. you explain everything so well and its not dificult to understand..
Circle of fifths isn't a simple topic. I presented this video at an intermediate level, which is what circle of fifths is. I would like to break every single thing down, but then it gets annoying for more advanced musicians watching. It's impossible to please advanced, intermediate and beginner viewers in the same video. Maybe you would like my video on 'Church Modes' instead. Thanks for the feedback
Only video I found on YT that mentions (and explains) the diatonic cycle. Dense in information but I understand it's meant to be watched over and over, great lesson!
Great idea on the harmonic analysis, that's one of my favorite things, I just never heard anyone request it. I will look at the Chopin prelude, let me plan something out. Glad this video explained things!
0:54
1:33 Perfect cycle vs Diatonic
4:36 Major/minor
6:28 Diatonic examples
7:45 Advantages
8:55 Writing melodies
9:33 2-5-1
10:25 Use in jazz piano
12:20 Thinking beyond the cycle
Kei. I'm sure you've gotten this dozens of times before, but at 9:33 it should read 2-5-1 that is ii-V-l. (not 2-4-1)
@@gravitywell6350 My Apologies, Thank you for pointing that out!
Chris, this means so much to me, one of the nicest comments ever. I have been putting more and more thought into the planning of my lessons and it means a lot that you noticed.
"Good God man" that was the most complete circle of 5ths tutorial I've ever witnessed. I don't understand why no one else could explain it that way now. Mostly you broke it down clearly without running over and washing out what was just understood.Very much appreciated and looking forward to your videos.
after so many years of music school, never learned so much about jazz sounds like in your videos, music teachers should see this!
🔴 JazzTutorial.com/licks - Click Here to get my '23 SWEET CHORD PROGRESSIONS' sheet music.
Haha thanks Toye! I don't like leaving things out - if I'm going to cover something, I want to make the definitive explanation, in one organized video. Really pleased this one helped you - my recommended videos to follow this are called:
- Church modes
- Jazz Scales
- Altered Scale
All should show up on a youtube search.
Dear Julian. So many times one has been lectured about the circle of 5ths, but none as clear, direct, explicative and fun as this. As usual. Thanks is not enough.
Wow - thanks so much Jose. Really means a lot for me to receive heart felt comments like this one. I really appreciate it :)
Excellence,creativity,simplicity,imagination,knowlegge,innovation,friendlyness ,make your teaching videos #1 ranking in jazz .
Cheers and congratulations for your GREAT WORK!!!
Exactly - that's exactly the sort of thing he's doing. He's taking the idea of a circle of 5ths progression, which the ear is familiar with. The strong bassline is still there as normal, playing the roots of circle of 5ths. But then he's shifting scales with each chord. For this kind of sound, try to shift the harmony with every chord. By 'harmony' I mean 'implied scale'. So each chord outlines a scale, Cm7 = C minor or C dorian, Cmaj7 = C major, etc. Try to build chords that shift the scale
Thanks so much Derek, I put a lot of thought into this one and it's nice to hear you learned a lot from it. I'm really trying to up the quality of these teaching videos now, got some good ones on the way too.
Thanks again!
This is without doubt the best practical explanation of the circle of fifths/ii V I progression (without reference to the diagrams and key sigs) that I have yet seen or heard. A genuine shortcut to a deeper understanding especially given your explanation of major/minor and diatonic vs perfect applications and practical composition. Heartfelt thanks! :)
Great question - I can tell the B section is major because I look out for the repeating I chord, and sure enough there are two Gb major 7 chords in a row, preceded by a Db dominant 7 chord. It also makes sense (you can predict these things) because the A section was in Eb minor, and a logical choice if the composer wants to change to a major key is to go to the relative major, which is always a minor 3rd up from the minor key.That's a great idea to cover harmonic analysis. I'll do that for sure!
Bravo, I finally found an accurate explanation of the CIRCLE OF FIFTHS (Diatonic) and why it cannot modulate outside it's respective key! So very few people understand that basic concept and insist on using the circle of fifths to find all accidentals (12 notes) and miss the whole point of chord movement or the function of that magic Diminished VII chord. Keep it up, great job…
You're welcome Christophe! I love hearing the word 'inspiring'.
Excellent question - I know what you mean - the verse of 'Hotel California' has a similar sound to the circle of 5ths, but it's actually closer to a circle of 4ths.
I think it goes something like Am - E - G - D - F - C - Dm - E
So you can see those resolutions down a 4th keep coming up. Kind of like doing a circle of 5ths backwards.
You are such a marvelous teacher Julian. Thank you.
Agreed
Thanks Matt - yes you can go up in 5ths - this is actually called a circle of 4ths, because you're going down a 4th (Going up a 5th gives you the same chord as going down a 4th). Circle of 4ths chord progressions are less common, but you will probably be reminded of some pop songs when you play a circle of 4ths at your instrument:
Cm - Gm - Dm - Ab - Eb - Bb - Fm - Cm
You're right - that's a lovely chord progression, and the chords you list are mostly in Bb minor (the altered chords come out of scale). So if you want it in C minor, just transpose all of those chords up a whole step. That will give you Dm9 - G7alt - Cm9 - F7alt. (F7alt is another way of saying F7 #5 #9 pretty much).
And you're welcome, glad this helps you out, anytime!
Thanks so much Chris, this means a lot. So glad you enjoyed this one! Got some great new ones in the pipeline too, just finishing the editing
You're very welcome Yaroslav, very pleased to hear this, thank you :)
Thanks Zsigmond, so glad to hear you liked this one!!
First I play a ii-V-I in C major - I use advanced voicings:
Dm7 - D A C F.
G dominant 7 - G F B E A.
C major 7 - C B D E G.
Then I play a ii-V-I in C minor:
Dm7b5 - D Ab C F.
G7altered - G B Eb F Bb (going to Ab).
Cm7 - C Bb D Eb G.
If you want to know about the altered chord - I did a video on the altered scale / chords (just take out the spaces):
youtube . com/watch?v=K-V0k8D_Ojo
I think you're using '+9' to mean 'added 9'. You only have to say '9', the '+' means #.
Hope this answer helps!
My oh my, what a great instructional video! I thought I understood the circle of fifths, but now I actually understand the circle of fifths. Thank you from North Carolina (USA).
Exactly - I'm not at my piano but here's what I might try. For that vi - ii - v - i in C. Play A minor 9, D minor 9, G7alt, Cminor 9
To start with I'm making the minor 7 chords minor 9's. Those will give you part of the Neo Soul sound you're after. I use major, minor, dom chords that are outside the C minor scale, although the bass notes stay in. And then I really change the scale when I throw in the altered chord. Did you see my video on the altered scale? That one will also be relevant.
Thanks Montana! This means a lot for me to hear, I never expected this video to be so popular! Glad it helped you :)
Thank you so much Jose! This makes me so happy to hear. Really pleased you liked this one. Got some more like this I'm just editing now
You are a very good teacher. You don't complicate things.
Your youtube channel is such a superb resource of information Julian! I'm purely a guitarist, but the way you explain all these concepts are worth gold to any musician, regardless of instrument. Thanks a lot, I'll probably go through all your videos when I've got the time!
Thanks so much! Really pleased to hear this, piano makes it easy to demonstrate things visually, but my hope is that all instruments will benefit. Really pleased you've found them helpful!
I Fully agree+ you are a great teacher Julian. thanks for it
In the years of piano lessons I took, I saw the chart with the circle of fifths for learning key signatures but nobody ever explained this. What a rich sound! Thanks. I'll have to come back and study this some more.
I agree, it's not as strong in the major key.
The 'Take 5' A section is in Eb minor. Then the B section goes to the relative major of Eb minor, which is Gb major, and it goes through a cycle of 5ths in Gb major - so all major for the B section, no switching between major or minor.
Hope that makes sense!
Great example! Yes, 'I will survive''. I had a mind blank while trying to think of a pop music example to include, and had to settle for Shakira. But the older pop songs used cycle of 5ths a lot more, I know there are plenty of Beatles songs that use it
Thanks Yesha! So glad this one helped you!
Yes I chose those pieces carefully, trying to pick a piece from classical, jazz and pop music. My mind went blank on the pop tunes though so had to settle for Shakira! I love the take 5 though, that's why I picked it for the interlude music over the others
You're welcome, thanks for saying so!
The guy is extremely and incontrovertibly great in teaching.
Glad to hear this - that's my goal - to explain something once and for all.
Thanks Yessir! That means a lot, and I never thought of it like that. Glad these keep you from losing interest in the piano, I guess that's why a lot of people do drop playing at some point - they don't have someone opening new doors for them to explore.
Well I have a large batch now of videos, posting once a week (Saturdays), so there should be plenty of concepts for you to try out!
Thanks again so much, Julian
I know the feeling... that's inspiration! So glad to read this - thank you for posting.I don't know how I'd make things clear without adding the chords in text underneath. Glad you noticed!
Not sure if I covered it in the video, but you can also make every chord in the cycle a dominant 7 chord.
Sure - you could play the V chord as minor - G minor, if that's the sound you're going for. But if you want a strong resolution to signify the end of the circle of fifths, the dominant 7 has a stronger resolution.
Thank you LKMUCHIK! I appreciate the comment, really nice to hear from you!
Thanks KR - this means a lot for me to hear. Glad these videos help you!
Finally a video where the chords are played! Thank you!
I wondered about that for years. Finally you explained it in a way that's understandable.
Yep, this is the one and only video - or indeed anything - to make me understand the use of the cycle of fifths. Perfectly organised and informative. Thanks!
Love reading this comment - thanks so much I'm really pleased this was for you!
Glad to help Fasun, thanks for the comment!
my jazz hero :D no one would ever do this for free ,but you did ,i owe you so much :')
Perfect day, Lou Reed (in answer to more compositions using the cycle of fifths). This is THE vid I come back to repeatedly to drill the subtleties and variations of the cycle into my brain. Easily the best explanation and set of demonstrations I have seen. Bravo Julian.
Hi Aidan, there are several types of minor scale - the harmonic minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab B), the melodic minor scale (C D Eb F G A B), and the natural minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab Bb). Both the harmonic minor and melodic minor have major 7ths (B naturals) and are used in classical music - Beethoven, Mozart etc. In this video I was talking about C natural minor scale, which does have a minor 7th (Bb). Does this make sense?
J
Thanks Pablo, means a lot! Maybe one day I'll get organized and put these on a DVD for people who want it. Got some good ones I'll be posting in the next few weeks too
Guitar player...Self instructed thru GREAT persons like you
Good lesson! .I also use as an example these songs: .Fly Me To The Moon, I Will Survive, Telkens Weer (Dutch by Willeke Alberti), De Dromen Zijn Bedrog (Dutch - Marco Borsato)
Absolutely, thanks for the comment, glad you liked this one!
Thanks for the question, the intro tune is one of my compositions called 'Venice Beach in Winter'. The sheet music is in my ebook at the JazzHeroBooks website. It basically uses Kenny Barron voicings for minor 11 chords, which I talk about in a video called 'SWEET JAZZ PIANO CHORDS'
That talking crotch explained circle of fifths better than any of my professors!
this is an awesome lesson, one that makes you think and discover things by yourself with a piano, pencil and the brain. Thank you for your contribution!
Thanks Daniel! Wow, love that you're watching from Colombia!
Thanks so much Guiherme! So glad this helped!
Hey PlanBeatz, listened to the video. He's correct when he says that he is not playing in one key - however when he says 'it's about playing in modes' - that's not what he means. That makes it sound like all the chords he's playing are from one single mode (scale), but pretty much each chord he plays is outlining a different scale. He's moving some of those chord voicings in parallel - sounded like minor 9's to me. But then I heard some major chords which means they weren't all moved in parallel
Spotting circle of fiths songs is a bit of a hobby of mine. Recent discoveries include Early In The Morning by Vanity Fare, Stranger in Paradise, Perfect Day and Fly Me To The Moon
every song uses the circle of fifths... Its literally the base of everything music...
I know what you mean with Take 5, there's enough to focus on with the key signature and 5/4. It's a nice example of a major key cycle of 5ths though for the B section
Very,very good lesson..I love what you"re doing...I,myself, would like to thank you for your knowledge and the good heart of sharing..May God bless you..I've been playing for over 30yrs. by ear and always wanted to learn the theory..I am learning and I thank you..
this is EXCELENT.
thank you so much. I am hardly a musician and I got it.
I am just a passionate lifelong music fan who really wants to make his musical dreams come true ( I just write music on my computer) , and you've helped me a lot.
Thanks Again. Cheers
Thanks Eduardo! I'm so pleased you enjoyed this lesson, and thanks for the comment. If you wanted some follow up material along these lines, you might also like my video on the modes The 7 CHURCH MODES: Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, Lydian, & more!, and maybe my video on the 4 types of minor scale too: THE 4 TYPES OF MINOR SCALE
Best wishes, Julian
Hi Johnny, yes - this applies to all instruments. This is music theory, which applies to all instruments. I just use piano because you can see everything clearly on the piano.
You're welcome Shahid! I appreciate you telling me in a comment, really glad to help out!
Thank Muzik Man! Love your terminology! You're welcome
At last I understand! Thank you Julian. I was confused but took a few seconds to listen to you properly then I saw it was the minor scale which you were working in so the intervals are dictated by that minor scale. Makes sense now. I think having watched your piece on modes actually made the penny drop or gave it a push at least. You have a brilliant personality and method in your teaching which works for me.
It's the B section from 'Take 5', by Dave Brubeck
Well spotted - thats the one thing I missed out. Yes you can have major circles - I hear the minor cycles more often. But the 'Take 5' example that plays in-between in a major circle. Major circle of 5ths in C major would be:
Fmaj - Bdim - Emin - Amin - Dmin - G7 - Cmaj - C maj
I think the minor cycles are a stronger progression though. Thanks for asking!
You have really opened my mind to music in a different way. Thank you, sir for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for another ace lesson Jules!
I hope this channel gets the traffic it deserves.
I have just started to re-learn the guitar after 30 years. I am trying to absorb as much theory as possible. Thanks
I Will Survive is another example of the diatonic cycle of fifhs in harmony. Great video by the way, I learned a lot.
Thank you, I've been thought about the cycle of fifths but now I finally understand its use and connection with II-V-I
Dat lick in Autumn Leaves LOL :D
You playing '' the lick'' was so funny to hear.I actually started laughing it's geniously introduced in the melody !
Thank you for all of this.
I heard it also and had a good laugh!
But im not sure if he meant it in a „funny“ way, because the licc wasn’t as memed out 5 years ago.
Thanks Adam Neely I guess.
Thank you sooo much for all this free information. #1 Reason why i never get bored of playing the piano: So much to learn and soo entertaining!!!. Could you play Take Five...all of it and post a tutorial on it? I love the way you play it!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Xpirimint, really pleased you enjoyed this one. In my experience, both a good ear and an understanding of theory are really essential - but the ear training side is more challenging to learn, the theory I think is easy to grasp with the right teacher. I've got some good videos ready to upload I think you'll like.
Thanks for the comment!
It does, I almost used that one to demonstrate. Virtual Insanity uses a 7 bar phrase too so the i chord doesn't need to repeat
20th century and beyond = most music is still in the major / minor scales (diatonic). But some classical composers started going off into 'post-tonal' music, atonal music, and serialism - composers like Shoenberg & Bartok - they started labelling notes with numbers, and making music based on number patterns, rather than how the music sounds. Do a search for Shoenberg if you're interested in how this music sounds.
I'm going to be covering this type of music soon, because it's really interesting.
Thank you, I really appreciate it. I find if I put that bit of extra time into planning a video, it turns out so much better. You might like my video on 'Church modes' as well, it's similar to this one
You're welcome Vera, I appreciate your comment!
I mostly play guitar but this still helped me understand a lot more about jazz. I am still connecting the dots. Thanks!
Thanks Kevin! Glad to hear you use the word 'complete' - I just chose to incorporate that word with my new music theory website, which I'll be announcing soon. Glad the video helped you! A good follow up to this one would be my video called 'Church Modes'.
Best wishes,
Julian
MAN! You have a way of explaining very clearly Thanks for the lesson.
Thanks so much Bramani! Really appreciate that, make yourself at home!
WOW awesome!! That was the most complete circle of fifths tutorial I've seen.. AMAZING!! Thanks a lot! :)
I wish u make a full version of "take five" I really do ..you played it very well
I really love Take Five in your voice. The original is still the best but it's nice to hear someone else put their character in it.
Hey man this is awesome!!!! It has helped me understand much better of how to work the circle of fifths. Thank you so much for taking the time out!!! This alone takes weeks in music school and I learned in 30 mins. Thanx bro!!!
One of the best lessons out. Enjoyed the method.
Thank you for this I am trying to under stand chord progressions from a sax players perspective in jazz I found this very helpful in my struggle to applying theory to my playing.
Thanks for this! I'm just now getting into jazz after years of everything else. This helped a lot, especially when I was trying to figure out some of my favorite tunes!
Thank you soooooo much for this wonderful (mathematical) explanation of the circle of fifths. By far the best I've seen. I've put this in my favorites and will dissect it many times until I fully understand it... God Bless
You're welcome! Really pleased you got a lot from this one, I crammed in a lot of information so what it as many times as you need
Thank you, Julian -- this is the best explanation if the cycle of fifths I have found and I appreciate your sharing!
thank you for sharing. it's very overwhelming learning music theory by yourself
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your expertise!!
really enjoyed your video my dad plays wind instruments and he loved your videos i play guitar. you explain everything so well and its not dificult to understand..
Circle of fifths isn't a simple topic. I presented this video at an intermediate level, which is what circle of fifths is. I would like to break every single thing down, but then it gets annoying for more advanced musicians watching. It's impossible to please advanced, intermediate and beginner viewers in the same video. Maybe you would like my video on 'Church Modes' instead. Thanks for the feedback
Only video I found on YT that mentions (and explains) the diatonic cycle. Dense in information but I understand it's meant to be watched over and over, great lesson!
Great idea on the harmonic analysis, that's one of my favorite things, I just never heard anyone request it. I will look at the Chopin prelude, let me plan something out.
Glad this video explained things!