![]() Other keys appear inside the circle, but they are marked with small letters. Although they look completely different, they sound exactly the same. Here you can see the scales F sharp and G flat major. Once you’ve mastered it, you won’t need to look at it anymore to determine the keys or the notes of a scale. But as we’ve already mentioned, it’s important to understand how this overview works. The number of accidentals increases steadily on both sides – on each step away from C, one more sharp or flat appears.īasically, the Circle of Fifths is an overview that shows you how many and which accidentals are in each key. Their spacing is also always a fifth in both directions, left and right. The inner circle shows the parallel minor key associated with the major key at the same position, which uses the same number and type of accidentals as the major key. If you move from the same C counterclockwise to the left, the distance to the next scale is also a fifth, and a flat accidental is used. In this direction, the accidental ♯ is used. If you start at the C at the top and move in a clockwise direction, the interval to the next scale is a perfect fifth. The outer circle of the Circle of Fifths shows the major scales. Looking at the Circle of Fifths, it becomes clear that pitches can also have two names, depending on whether they are part of a sharp or flat key. In its most common layout, it shows not only the major keys but also the associated parallel minor keys, which have the same accidentals. Moving counterclockwise from C, you get the flat (♭) keys. If you move from the C at the top clockwise in intervals of fifths, you get the keys with a ♯ (sharp accidental) with an increasing number of accidentals. In music theory, the Circle of Fifths is a series of twelve notes arranged in a circle at intervals of perfect fifths. In this excerpt, composed in the main key of B flat minor you will notice the use of double flats (measure 7), the use of the uncommon 6/4 time signature, and the use of tuplets (measures 3, 4 and 11) and eighth note triplets (measure 12).Circle of Fifths What is the Circle of Fifths? (Royalty free sample performed by pianist Samson François in 1964, Creative Commons Zero 1.0 license, source) Three-quarter-tone flat (or flat and a half) lowers a note by three quarter tones and can be written in different ways:įrédéric Chopin's Nocturne opus 9 n☁ has a key signature with 5 flats: ![]() Half flats lowers a note by a quarter tone and can be written in different ways: The double flat can be found in some scales, such as in the F flat major scale.ĭon't worry, triple flats do not exist, but half flats do exist! Quarter tone accidentals are not frequently used and are used in contemporary music or to transcribe the melodies of Western music. The double flat lowers the sound of the note in front of which it is writen by two half steps (semitones), that is to say, it lowers the sound by one whole step (tone). And of course it is the same for C flat which is played with the B key of the piano.ĭon't worry, the double flat concept is very simple, here's a double flat: We have learn that there is only one half step between E and F, and that flats lowers the sound by a half step, so a F flat is played with the E key on a piano keyboard. This key signature with five flats tells you that B, E, A, D, and G are lowered by one half step: But on a staff (stave ), the flat, like all the other accidentals, is written before the note, and here is a B flat:Īnd here are flats in the key signature of D flat major scale: With letters, we write "E flat" or "E♭" for short. The position of the flat: The flat can be placed in front of a note (it is an accidental) or next to the clef in the key signature. This does not mean that it is impossible to play an F flat or an C flat, but we will see it later. You will also notice that there are no black keys between the E and F notes and between the B and C notes, because as you just understood there is only one half step between E and F and between B and C. Here are all flat notes (this is the descending chromatic scale): We will be able to play these black keys with accidentals and in particular with flat notes (notes lowered by one half step). You will notice that there are black keys between the keys C and D, D and E, F and G, G and A, A and B. And off course, one whole step equals two half steps. The smallest distance between two notes is a half step, and in the C major scale, there is one whole step between two consecutive notes except between E and F and between B and C where there is only one half step. The white keys on the piano keyboard correspond to the notes of the C Major scale, that are: C D E F G A B. Little reminder of the half step and whole step concept: The flat in front of a music note, lowers the sound of the note by a half step (semitone ). In music theory, flat is a musical sign from the family of symbols called accidentals.
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