How to use The Circle of Fifths Progression in your music and songs.

A detailed look at how the Circle of Fifths Progression works, with examples.

What is it?

• This chord progression’s root notes are all the same distance apart.
• The root notes are all either separated by ascending perfect fourth intervals or by descending perfect fifth intervals.

Example of a Circle of Fifths Progression.

• In the key of G Major.
• D — G — C
• V — I — IV

How does the Circle of Fifths Progressions work?

This can be explained in the context of descending or ascending root notes. Whichever way you use it, the resulting progressions are still the same.

Descending fifths

• The D major chords root note ‘D’, descends by a perfect fifth interval to the G major chords root note ‘G’. The ‘D’ note is a perfect fifth interval above the ‘G’ note.
• The G major chords root note ‘G’, then descends by a perfect fifth interval to the C major chords root note ‘C’. The ‘G’ note is a perfect fifth interval above the ‘C’ note.

Ascending fourths

• The D major chords root note ‘D’, ascends by a perfect fourth interval to the G major chords root note ‘G’. The ‘G’ note is a perfect fourth interval above the ‘D’ note.
• The G major chords root note ‘G’, then ascends by a perfect fourth interval to the C major chords root note ‘C’. The ‘C’ note is a perfect fourth interval above the ‘G’ note.

Why should I use these progressions?

• Circle of Fifths chord progressions are very strong progressions.
• They are often used in choruses.

Examples of Circle of Fifths Progressions.

• Using the chords of the G Major scale: G — Am — Bm — C — D — Em — F#mb5.

The V — I — IV progression.

• D — G — C

The ii — V — I progression.

• Am — D — G

The vi — ii — V progression.

• Em — Am — D

The iii — vi — ii progression.

• Bm — Em — Am

The vii — iii — vi progression.

• F#mb5 — Bm — Em

The ii — V — I — IV progression.

• Am — D — G — C

The vi — ii — V — I progression.

• Em — Am — D — G

The iii — vi — ii — V progression.

• Bm — Em — Am — D

The vii — iii — vi — ii progression.

• F#mb5 — Bm — Em — Am

Can I use all 7 chords of the key?

• An example of using all 7 diatonic chords of the G major scale.
• F#mb5 — Bm — Em — Am — D — G — C
• vii — iii — vi — ii — V — I — IV

Do I always have to end on the subdominant chord (IV)?

• You choose where you start and end your progression from.
• To end your progression with a perfect cadence you need to finish on the Tonic chord (I).

Does each chord in a Circle of Fifths Progression need playing for the same duration?

• No, try experimenting with how long each chord lasts to get different effects. For example:
• Try using a 2-bar progression where the first bar has 1 chord and the second bar is shared by 2 chords.
• Try using a 4-bar progression with 1 chord in bars 1, 2, 4, and 2 chords in bar 3.
• These are just 2 examples, see how many other examples you can come up with.

Can I use extended chords?

Yes, for example, try using dominant chords or any other extended chords.

• This progression uses a dominant 7th chord on the scale's tonic chord.
• B — E7 — A — A
• V — I7 — IV — IV

Can I change the quality of the chords in these progressions?

Yes, for example, change a minor chord to a major chord.

Example 1.

• This progression changes the A minor chord to an A major chord.
• Am — D — G — G
• ii — V — I — I
• A — D — G — G
• II — V — I — I

Example 2.

• This progression changes the C major chord to an C minor chord.
• Am — D — G — C
• ii — V — I — IV
• Am — D — G — Cm
• ii — V — I — IVm

Are there drawbacks to using the Circle of Fifths Progressions?

• Overusing them could cause your progressions to become too similar to each other.

How can I stop my progressions from becoming too similar to each other?

• One solution is to use them sparingly, such as part of a single musical phrase. Then use other types of progressions for your other musical phrases.
• Another solution is to have a chord progression made up partly of the circle of fifths’ progressions and partly of other types of progressions.
• Another solution is to insert a Circle of Fifths progression into a larger section of music.
• Again the best way is to experiment.

How to construct a Circle of Fifths Progression that ends on a specific chord.

• One way to create a Circle of Fifths Progression is to choose the chord you want your musical phrase to end on.

Example 1.

• In the Key of G major, you might want to end your progression on its Tonic chord, G major.
• The next chord’s root note would be a perfect fifth interval higher than the G major chord's root note ‘G’. This is the ‘D’ note, so the next chord would be D major.
• The next chord’s root would be a perfect fifth interval higher than the D major chord’s root note ‘D’. This is the ‘A’ note, so the next chord would be A minor.
• The final chord’s root would be a perfect fifth interval higher than the A minor chord’s root note ‘A’. This is the ‘E’ note, so the final chord would be E minor.
• The progression would be:
• Em —Am — D — G
• vi — ii — V — I

The end.

Thank you for reading my article. I hope you enjoyed reading it and got something from it.