Looking at the C major scale again. This time in a slightly redrawn circle with all other notes and the colour scheme removed.
The IV, I and V (F, C and G) are in their positions.
What if we were to dislodge the other four notes (now being considered as minor or diminished chord root notes)?
What if we gave them a little shove to displace them and make them float free for a while?
Like so.
What then if we were to give those four a small push anticlockwise so they began to nestle together with the fixed IV, I and V?
As the four move around, we clearly see that there are seven notes in total. If we wish to organise and tidy and store these, they would naturally fit together as three pairs with one left over.
Think of having seven eggs and a box that only takes half-a-dozen. We need to house our clutch but we must leave one exposed, alone, separated from its eggy-mates.
On the Circle of Fifths we can accommodate our minor chord root notes by creating three new little homes and slotting them right into place.
All that remains, given that we are considering these are root notes of chords, is to complete the labels.
On the outer wheel are the IV, I and V major chords we ascribed as being ‘fixed in position’ earlier.
On the newly created inner we have the ii, vi and iii minor chords.
Plus the diminished chord.
Aww.
Poor unhappy chappy.
Billy no mates.
The lone soul with no place to call home.
Even its name suggests its deprived status – diminished. 
1 Like
Turning our attention to the now familiar Ab and E notes around the Circle of Fifths and completing the exact same process would produce similar results – the major IV, I and V on the outer wheel, the minor ii, vi and iii within and the solitary, outlying diminished having no place to call home.
Ab major scale and chords;
…
E major scale and chords:
…
Combining all three of these results would now produce a Circle of Fifths that looks like this:
Note that for the sake of simplicity and clarity, I have removed the diminished chords from this view.
From just three start points, from the three major scales of C, Ab and E respectively, we have almost created a complete set of outer and inner wheels. When the outer wheel is considered to be major chords, then the inner wheel can be labelled as minor chords.
The three major chords in C major, clockwise around the Circle of Fifths, are F, C and G (IV, I and V) and the three minor chords are Dm, Am and Em (ii, vi and iii).
We can view these as three pairs:
F ← → Dm
C ← → Am
G ← → Em
The three major chords in Ab major, clockwise around the Circle of Fifths, are Db, Ab and Eb (IV, I and V) and the three minor chords are Bbm, Fm and Cm (ii, vi and iii).
We can view these as three pairs:
Db ← → Bbm
Ab ← → Fm
Eb ← → Cm
The three major chords in E major, clockwise around the Circle of Fifths, are A, E and B (IV, I and V) and the three minor chords are F#m, C#m and G#m (ii, vi and iii).
We can view these as three pairs:
A ← → F#m
E ← → C#m
B ← → G#m
These pairings may have seemed to have happened randomly and brought about simply by displacing the notes from the outer wheel then pushing them around anticlockwise in their existing sequence (which left the diminished with no partner). But perhaps the pairs belong together with ties that are stronger than mere random pairings. Perhaps these are marriages made in heaven.
A quick analysis of the chord notes may allow us to take a sneaky peek into these marital homes.
We agreed that the IV, I and V major chords would remain fixed in the positions on the outer wheel.
We did agree that didn’t we?
We then dislodged four notes, taken as the root notes of three minor chords and one diminished chord. These could, potentially have floated around and landed in one of many places. Meaning that each of the three already-fixed major chords could, potentially, have found itself married to any of four other chords. But that did not happen - random pairings did not occur. Instead, the 2, 3, 6, 7 ordering was maintained. Thus the 2, 3 and 6 aligned with the 4, 1 and 5 already placed.
To get a clear view as to whether our efforts at ‘match-making’ have been successful, we can see most easily through the windows of the home of the harmonised C major scale.
Starting with the pairing of the IV chord F major and the ii chord D minor
- F Major = F A C
- D minor = D F A
Wow.
Look at that.
Of the three notes, they have two in common.
Marital bliss.
Next, let us take a wee sneaky peek in to the private affairs of the pairing of the I chord C major and the vi chord A minor.
- C major = C E G
- A minor = A C E
You beauty!
Two notes in common again.
Another happy couple.
Two notes in common to help secure a harmonious and fulfilling relationship.
Finally the pairing of the V chord G major and the iii chord E minor.
- G major = G B D
- E minor = E G B
Another wonderful match.
Another pair with two shared notes.
What marvelous compatibility.
We do indeed have some happy pairings. All chords comprise three notes - they are triads of course. Viewed together as pairs, all major-minor chordal relationships have many aspects in common. As Meatloaf once song – two out of three ain’t bad.
Analysis of the Ab and E pairs would reveal equally joyous couples all enjoying a blessed togetherness.
All is good and harmonious in the world.
Our examples have created a new aspect to the Circle of Fifths – an inner wheel. That inner wheel will be used to depict minor chords when the notes around the outer wheel are considered as depicting major chords.
What then of the three gaps on the inner wheel?
What should go there?
The lonely diminished chords that have been left floating in limbo since being kicked out of their former homes?
No, to put it bluntly.
They will fill with other minor chords, of course.
They could be filled by selecting from several starting major scales around the outer wheel. Remember, the process we have just witnessed housed three minor chords for every one major scale. There are many overlaps.
There is a temptation to set this as a next quiz but temptation shall be resisted. All will be revealed.
Soon.
For, coming up next, is the other story, the more theoretical one, the one that has less flight of fancy and more nitty-gritty. Once it is told, we will have a complete inner wheel.
This alternate tale makes use of brevity and relies on remembering the little trick of using right-angled pointers to identify relative major and minor scales.
Let us start on comfortable and familiar ground before we venture to new territories.
We have previously seen three major-minor relatives namely:
- C major and A minor
- Ab major and F minor
- E major and C# minor
Using this new concept of an inner wheel, we could depict those relatives thus:
Those are just three examples of relative major-minor scale pairings. There are, of course, twelve major scales each having its own relative minor. Using the right angle pointers we can quickly identify all at once.
Starting at the 12 o’clock position with C major & A minor and moving clockwise each time, the following diagram has right-angled pointers which show all twelve major scale - minor scale relative pairings.
- C major - A minor
- G major - E minor
- D major - B minor
- A major - F# minor
- E major - C# minor
- B major - G# minor
- Gb major - Eb minor
- Db major - Bb minor
- Ab major - F minor
- Eb major - C minor
- Bb major - G minor
- F major - D minor
The outer wheel remains fixed. For our purposes here, the outer wheel represents major chords, tonic chords, I chords. The inner wheel can now be completed and populated with relative minor chords. Every major chord will have its relative minor housed within.
We reach a swift conclusion to this story and a happy ending for all.
A picture of domestic bliss, joyful unions, harmonious homes.
And they all lived happily ever after.
The complete Circle of Fifths with both outer and inner wheels.
1 Like
Comment, questions, discussion …
Topic continues with part 6 here.
Chuffed to be tagged in one of my favourite bits of theory 
another minor victory 
2 Likes
And I’m chuffed that you dropped by and brought your wit with you.
1 Like
The Circle of Fifths Part 6 - where does it go? [d] finding all major & minor chords in any key
We have now established several crucial aspects to our Circle of Fifths.
The notes reading clockwise are the 5ths that give rise to its name.
Those notes, taken as a seven-note consecutive group will give the notes of any major scale – with the root of the major scale being the second note clockwise.
From there it is an easy leap to being able to view those notes as scale degrees. And the order, as we saw earlier, of scale degrees clockwise is 4, 1, 5, 2, 6, 3, 7.
We then can make another small and obvious leap that those scale degrees can represent the root notes of the diatonic chords of the major scale being viewed. The first three in order clockwise can be taken as the root notes of the IV, I and V chords – diatonic major chords that form the basis of pretty much all rock ‘n’ roll and blues). The subsequent three in order are the root notes of the ii, vi and iii minor chords. The diminished comes last.
We then created an inner wheel in two ways, both with the same net result. The inner wheel was labelled with (minor) chord symbols rather than just alphabetical note names as its purpose is to group minor chords on the inner wheel with major chords on the outer wheel.
The means by which we did this illustrates the main functionality of having the inner wheel also.
And it is that we shall look at next.
2 Likes
The first stop off is so obvious as to require little introduction or exposition.
For any single given position on the outer wheel, when taken as a major chord, the exact same position on the inner wheel shows the minor chord that is the relative minor to that major chord. Two matching positions on the two wheels show the major I and the minor vi chords of any major key.
To use the same keys as we have throughout, namely C, Ab and E we have:
- C major and A minor
- Ab major and F minor
- E major and C# minor
What of the other minor chords?
What can we do with the grouping of three majors and three minors on the outer and inner wheels respectively?
1 Like
Let us begin by, once again, considering the C major scale and the diatonic chords of C major.
To repeat, when viewed as major chords, the outer wheel orders those as the IV, I and V major chords diatonic to the key of C. The order of the minor chords on the inner wheel is Dm, Am then Em reading clockwise. Those match with the ii, vi and iii chords from the harmonised C major scale.
The most commonly used diatonic chords (the majors and minors) are all grouped together as a cluster of six.
This is a main point of emphasis.
Major chords IV, I and V on the outer wheel, minor chords ii, vi and iii on the inner wheel.
…
We have a IV, I, V sequence on the outer wheel (F, C, G) and we have a ii, vi, iii sequence on the inner wheel (Dm, Am, Em).
We can see also that C major and Am, the I and the vi, the relative major and minor, are in alignment, in matching positions.
The major IV and the minor ii (F and Dm) are aligned.
The major V and the minor iii (G and Em) are aligned.
We have a clear pattern, a notable sequence.
We have IV, I, V on the outer wheel and ii, vi, iii on the inner wheel.
Is this pattern exclusive to the key of C major or does it apply to other keys?
Let us discover more by revisiting our old friends Ab major and E major.
1 Like
The Ab major scale and the diatonic chords of Ab major.
We have a IV, I, V sequence on the outer wheel (Db, Ab, Eb.
We have a ii, vi, iii sequence on the inner wheel (Bbm, Fm, Cm).
The same sequencing of major and minor chords as seen with the key of C major.
We can see also that Ab major and Fm (the relative major and minor) are in alignment.
The major IV and the minor ii are aligned.
The major V and the minor iii are aligned.
The E major scale and the diatonic chords of E major.
Once again we have a IV, I, V sequence on the outer wheel and a ii, vi, iii sequence on the inner wheel.
Just as with the key of C major and Ab major.
We can see also that E major and C#m, the I and the vi, the relative major and minor, are in alignment.
The major IV and the minor ii, the A and the F#m, are aligned.
The major V and the minor iii, the B and the G#m are aligned.
1 Like
From these three examples we can, again, draw a conclusion that the patterns, the sequences we have discovered, apply to all twelve of the major scales, all twelve of the ‘root notes’ on the outer wheel, all twelve positions on the Circle of Fifths.
The IV, I, V on the outer and the ii, vi, iii on the inner is a fundamental arrangement that applies in all cases.
It can be thought of as a grid that can be laid over any cluster of six chords (three major / three minor) to identify not just the first six diatonic chords of a key, also, crucially, which is which in terms of their order.
…
…
1 Like
Here is the fully labelled Circle of Fifths again.
Remember that every note on the outer wheel, when taken as a major tonic, has its relative minor in a matching position on the inner wheel.
Take the note F at the 11 o’clock position on the outer wheel.
When viewed as the tonic, when considering the key of F major, it is the major I tonic chord and the D minor is its relative minor vi chord.
That same F note, when viewed from the perspective of the harmonised C major scale (above) was the major IV chord and the D minor within was the minor ii chord.
The position of the F on the wheel has not altered but its function within the key being considered, its diatonic role, has. So too has the function of the D minor within.
This is the result of all those overlapping scales we saw in the early stages of developing the Circle of Fifths. The function of the chords on the outer and inner wheel varies depending on which note is taken as the root of the tonic chord - hence which major key is being analysed.
There are other patterns and properties worth noting.
The major IV and the V chords for any of the twelve keys appear in alphabetical order. For example F and G (in the key of C major) or Db and Eb (in the key of Ab major). As we should expect from knowledge of the major scale and harmonising to find the diatonic chords. The IV and V will always follow each other alphabetically.
Note too that on the Circle of Fifths outer wheel, the IV and V chords have the tonic note positioned between them. They are situated two spaces apart. When reading clockwise, the V is always two places beyond the IV. This simple concept can easily be converted to a guitar fretboard to match the fact that the major V is always found two frets higher than (two semitones above) the major IV chord. (Excepting if played at fret 20 or higher.)
Similarly, the minor ii and the iii chords are two spaces apart on the inner wheel. On a guitar fretboard, the minor iii is two frets higher than the minor ii chord. And their letter names follow sequentially in alphabetical order.
1 Like
It is time for another quiz.
Using the outer wheel’s major IV, I, V sequence and the inner wheel’s ii, vi, iii sequence, try to answer these questions.
- What are the ii and the iii chords in the key of D major?
- Which key has Cm and Dm as its ii and iii chords?
- If you were to play a I, vi, IV, V progressions in the key of B, what chords would you play?
- A diatonic progression has the chords Em, D, A, G and F#m. What key is it in?
- Which Roman numerals would describe the diatonic chords Bbm, Ebm, Db, Fm and Ab and in which key would you find them?
- You play a I, iii, IV, ii, V chord progression in the key of G but want to transpose it to better suit your vocal range. You place a capo at fret 5 and play the same chord shapes. What key are you now playing in? What actual chords would you be playing?
Click here to read the hidden answers ...
- E minor and F# minor respectively.
- The key of Bb major.
- B, G#m, E, F#. NB: Gb is not an acceptable enharmonic equivalent for the V chord in the key of B
- The key of D. They are the ii, I, V, IV and ii chords respectively.
- vi, ii, I, iii, V in the key of Db
- The key of C with actual chords of C, Em, F, Dm, G
4 Likes
Bookmarking these for a September read, once the house gets back to normal and family are UK side. In the mean time thanks again for these really digestible and easy to swallow explanations !
1 Like
