The Circle of Fifths Part 2 - isn’t it the same as the circle of fourths?
The Circle of Fifths is our main focus.
Categorically, absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt.
We are here to learn about and consider the Circle of Fifths.
Yet it would be remiss of me not to mention that it has two names and can be viewed in two ways. Many musicians know it and refer to it as the Circle of Fourths.
We saw how the overlapping four-note clusters, when read from left-to-right, connected to a matching partner, and then transformed to leading around a circular arrangement in a clockwise direction yielded the 12 notes of the Circle of Fifths.
The 5th notes were seen where the next major scale in the clockwise direction started. The 5ths were where the four-note clusters joined together. Consider that when two things connect and a join is made, there are two sides to the join. Two parts that meet up, that connect and are bonded. On one side of our join we have the 5ths. On the other side, self evidently, we have the 4ths.
Let us suppose then that it was the 4ths that determined the order of successive major scales. Just as C major led to G major which in turn led to D major when reading clockwise from the 5ths, we will now consider what would result if the successive major scales were rooted on the 4ths not the 5ths.