Circle Of Fifths Chart printable pdf download

Circle Of Fifths Chart

PENTACHORD SCALE --

a musical pattern containing 5 notes.

We usually play the scale up, then down, like this:

There are 5 notes in the pattern, and we use one finger per note. This scale fits nicely in our hands!

The first note (called Tonic) determines what key the scale is in. The kind of pattern determines what mode the

scale is in.

MAJOR (mode) --

a musical mode with a certain pattern of whole and half steps as described

below. Major is the most commonly used mode in Western music.

To practice a pentachord scale in the major mode, use C as the tonic, then play the next four white notes. Notice

that these notes follow the pattern of whole steps and half steps described above. Not all scales use only white

notes, though. Can you transpose the major scale to a D tonic? How about a Bb tonic? Remember to follow the

pattern of whole and half steps.

MinoR (mode) --

a musical mode with a certain pattern of whole and half steps as described

below. Minor is the second most commonly used mode in Western music. Notice that for pentachord scales, the

only difference between major and minor is the 3

note.

To practice a pentachord scale in the minor mode, use A as the tonic, then play the next four white notes. Notice

that these notes follow the pattern of whole steps and half steps described above. Not all scales use only white

notes, though. Can you transpose the minor scale to a G tonic? How about an F# tonic?

Triad --

A chord containing three notes, each note an interval of a third higher than the

previous note.

We often finish a scale by playing the triad. If your fingers are in the right position, playing the triad is

simply a matter of pressing fingers 1, 3, 5 at the same time. One pentachord scale exercise with the

triad sounds like this:

Circle Of Fifths Chart