“Two, then three.”
W W H · W W W H
Two whole steps, then a half. Three whole steps, then a half. Start on any tonic. The half steps land at 3–4 and 7–8.
Hear the pattern →LESS GUESSWORK. MORE MUSIC.
Less memorizing. More noticing.
A few useful patterns, a circle you can hear, and a little retrieval practice.
One, four, five shine.
I · ii · iii · IV · V · vi · vii°
I, IV and V are major. ii, iii and vi are minor. vii° is diminished. Capitals mean major; lowercase means minor; ° means diminished.
Build each triad by choosing a scale note, skipping one, taking one, skipping one, taking one.
Same notes? Start on six.
Degree 6 of major starts its relative natural minor: C major → A minor. They share notes and a key signature.
Parallel keys share a tonic: C major → C minor. Lower major’s 3, 6 and 7 to get parallel natural minor.
Explore A minor →Give the letters a story.
Guitar, thick to thin: E A D G B E. “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie.” Tune to the actual pitches before practicing.
Piano: find two black keys; C is the white key just to their left. Find three black keys; F is just to their left.
THE CIRCLE OF FIFTHS
A map of related keys.
Move clockwise by a perfect fifth: seven semitones. Neighboring major keys share six of their seven notes. Tap a key to see its signature and relative minor.
SELECTED MAJOR KEY
C major
Explore this key →Sharp order: F C G D A E B
“Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle.”
Flat order: B E A D G C F
The same letters in reverse.
For sharp major keys, the last sharp is degree 7; go up a half step to find the tonic. For flat major keys with at least two flats, the next-to-last flat names the tonic. Remember F major has one flat: B♭.