Web links Center Home - Main MenuArt & Music Musical Instruments Musical Periods Musical Forms Music Almanac Musical Humor Music Dictionary Music Jukebox Great Composers World Music
Help
previous Menu Next

Circle of fifth

Since the intervals of a scale are always the same (regardless of the note from which the scale starts from), we sometimes will have to play chromatic notes, that is sharps or flats.

Sharps or flats would then appear next to the clef, indicating that we are dealing with a scale that uses chromatic notes, such as F sharp (F#) or B flat (Bb).



The circle of fifths allows us to know what the key is by the number of signs, and vice-versa:


The flats' circle

How to tell a key from the number of flats next to the clef ?

Check the order of flats: "B-E-A-D-G-C-F", and stop at the number of flats that appears next to the clef, minus one.

Example: If you see 4 flats beside the clef, look at the third one (which is A flat) - that is the tonic of the major scale with these 4 flats (at this example - A flat major).


Student workTry to find which scales have got:
3 flats
5 flats
1 flat



The sharps' circle

How to tell a key from the number of sharps next to the clef?

The last sharp is the leading tone. Add a semitone to it and you have found the tonic of the scale.

If you get 3 sharps, for example, check with the sharps (the order of sharps: "F-C-G-D-A-E-B") what is the last one (G sharp, in this case), go up a semitone (G#--> A), and you have the tonic of the major scale (at this example - A major).

Student workTry to find which scales have got:
2 sharps
6 sharps




Here are all the possibilities of sharps and flats next to the clef, and the key to which they refer:



up

MusixCool© By Nadav Dafni