Acoustic Instrument
Primers

What Kind of Guitar
Should I Start On?

What Kind of Banjo
Do I Want?

Evaluating and
Buying Used
Guitars

Setting Up
Fretted Instruments

Whatever Happened
to the Banjo?

Beginning Five-
String Banjo

6-String Banjos
Banjo Pickups
What is a
Bluegrass Banjo?

What is a
Tenor Guitar?

Dean "Backwoods
Six" Shootout

Axes in my Life


Music Theory
Primers

Introduction
to Scales

Introduction
to Chords

Circle of Fifths

Other Articles
About Music

How to Give
Guitar Lessons

Musician or
Wannabe?

Did God Really
Give Rock &
Roll to You?

Are You a
"Brand Bigot"?

Who Owns Folk Songs?

Historical Links
About the
National Road

The Story Behind
the Story - Real
People, Places,
and Events


About the Play
Play Home
What's New
Overview
About the
Music

About the
History

About the
Logistics

About the
Cast

Synopsis
About the
Set

About the
Author

Contact Us
Home





Click to visit the CreekDontRise Discussion Forums
Click to visit the CreekDontRise Discussion Forums












Click to sign up for our newsletter about Folk, Roots, and Americana music.


















Click to visit RiverBoatMusic.com's banjo buyers' guides

























Click to visit RiverBoatMusic.com's Hammered Dulcimer buyers' guide.

Click to go to home page.The Circle of Fifths Part 2: Beyond Three-Chord Harmonies

Written by Paul Race for
Creek Don't RiseTM
and School Of The RockTM

Our article Circle of Fifths, Part 1 outlines the basic relationships among chords in a given key, focusing on the I, IV, V or 1, 4, 5 chords in the typical 3-chord song. Internalizing such relationships is critical to being considered a guitar player in any contemporary sense.

This page should help you see the relationships among the other commonly used chords.

Remember:

  • The "Tonic" or "Root" chord, sometimes shown as I or 1, is the chord that shares a name with the key of the song and on which the song is most likely to end. In a song in the key of C, the tonic chord is C.

  • The Dominant, or 5th chord is the chord that is based on the fifth note of the scale that the song uses. In a song in the key of C, the dominant cord is G.

  • The Dominant Seventh is the 5th chord with another note added that is a whole step down from the name of the chord. The added seventh provides more tension to the dominant - in a sense it makes the chord "want" to resolve to the tonic. In a song in the key of C, the dominant seventh is G7, which is a G chord with an F natural added.

  • The Subdominant, or 4th chord is the chord that is based on the fourth note of the scale that the song uses. In a song in the key of C the subDominant is F.

Most songs in modern music use at least those three chords. Many only use those. Many of those songs COULD use other chords to make things more interesting. But there are many songs that REQUIRE other chords.

In any key there are probably something like 48 possible chords. We will only focus on the chords you're most likely to encounter in most modern music. We also recommend that you read this page with a guitar in hand, so you can HEAR how these chords work in relationship to each other.

Besides, the tonic, dominant, dominant 7th, and subdominant, you are likely to encounter (or find useful) the following chords:

  • The "Relative Minor" or 6th chord is the minor cord based on the sixth note of the scale that the song is in. Sometimes it's easier to think of it as three half-steps down from the tonic. In the key of C, the relative minor is Am (A minor). A relative minor is often useful as a substitute for the tonic, to add more variety. As an example, in "Amazing Grace" (shown in part 1), the G (tonic) may go down to an Em (relative minor) on the words "saved" and "blind." The melody stays the same, but the extra harmonic motion adds interest.

    Some songs, like "Greensleeves" ("What Child is This"), go back and forth between the minor and the relative major (for "Greensleeves" it's usually Em and G). One very common use of the relative minor in 50s and early 60s pop music is in songs like "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" that go C, Am, F, G7 (or G, Em, C, D7, if you're in the key of G).

  • The "Second" (2nd) is the minor chord based on the second note of the scale that the song is in. In the key of C, the Second is Dm. A second may be used as a passing chord in songs like "Lean on Me." It is often used as a substitute for a subdominant chord, especially when you want to add variety or when you want to soften the transition between chords. A progression like C, F, Dm, G7 uses the second (Dm) both as a substitute for the subdominant (F) and to smooth the transition to the dominant seventh (G7).

  • Secondary Dominant - Sometimes, when a line in a song is going to end on the dominant seventh, a second may be changed to major, with a flatted seventh added. This is called a Secondary Dominant, because it acts as a dominant seventh to the true dominant. A song in the key of C might incorporate a relative minor and secondary dominant like so: C, Am, D7, G7. Though most people usually apply the term "secondary dominant" to a 2nd chord used this way, ANY chord in the scale can be used as a as a sort of secondary dominant, if it is made into (or remains) a major chord and adds the seventh. .

    • As an example of the most common kind of secondary dominant, on the "Amazing Grace" example in part one, the "second" (A) should be a minor chord, but it becomes a secondary dominant when you make it a major chord and add a seventh, right before it resolves to D7, the true dominant.

    • The G7 chords in the first and third lines serve a similar function by the way they add the seventh to lead into the C chord.

    • An example of using the third as a secondary dominant leading to a relative minor might be C, Em, E7, Am. The old Chicago song "Colour My World" is almost ALL secondary dominants, as the song spends most of its time beating the circle of fifths to death.

    That said, the most common secondary dominant progression is typically a major second (with flatted seventh) leading to the dominant (such as a C, F, D7, G7 progression).

  • A Third (3rd) is a minor chord based on the third note of the scale that the song is in. In the key of C, the third is Em. Like the relative minor (6th), a third may be used as a substitute for the tonic, especially when you want to soften the transition between the tonic and the subdominant. As an example, a chord progression like C, Em, F, Dm, G, G7 is much smoother than a straight C, F, G7.

  • A Diminished Seventh is one of the least used chords. A diminished chord like B, D, F (written as Bdim) is sort of like a minor chord with the top note flatted a half note. It may be used as a substitute for a dominant seventh. So instead of, say, C, G7, C, you might use C, Bdim, C. In this case, the Bdim acts something like a G7 without the G.

    In many cases, though, a fourth note is added, a sort of seventh. So, as often as not, a guitarist may play Bdim (B, D, F) as Bdim7 (B, D, F, Ab). Some composers use diminished sevenths to transition up a third. So a song in the key of C might go to a Bdim7, then go to Eb. Again, you won't see this often, but now you have some idea why it might be used.

    Augmented chords do not occur as part of normal harmonic progression, but we'll add them here in case you bump into one. An augmented chord sharpens the highest note of a triangle. So a C chord C, E, G, becomes an augment chord by sharpening the G - giving you C, E, G#. In Tin Pan Alley songs and some jazz standards, an augmented chord is used as a transtion between the tonic and subdominant. C, CAug, Eb.

    Showing the Circle of Fifths Sideways

    For simplicity's sake, the following chart shows ONLY the keys in which you can play the tonic in open chords on guitar. They are shown in fifths so you can see the relationships between the keys from F to E: F, C, G, D, A, E. If you pick the key in which you are playing, you can easily find the other chords that are mostly likely to be used in that key.

    Tonic (1st, Major)Dominant (5th, Major)Dominant 7thSubdominant (4th, Major)Relative Minor (6th, minor)Second (2nd, minor)Third (3rd, minor)Diminished Seventh (7th, Diminished)
    F
    C
    C7
    Bb
    Dm
    Gm
    Am
    Edim
    C
    G
    G7
    F
    Am
    Dm
    Em
    Bdim
    G
    D
    D7
    C
    Em
    Am
    Bm
    F#dim
    D
    A
    A7
    G
    Bm
    Em
    F#m
    C#dim
    A
    E
    E7
    D
    F#m
    Bm
    C#m
    G#dim
    E
    B
    B7
    A
    C#m
    F#m
    G#m
    D#dim

    Magic Circle of Fifths WheelOnce again, most of the information above is in the handy "Magic Circle of Fifths Wheel" from part one. Except it goes through all the sharps and flats, and not just the ones you're likely to play in Rock, Pop, Folk, Country, or Bluegrass bands.

    Again, right-clicking on the little picture to the right, and selecting "Save Target As" or however your browser phrases it, then opening it on your hard drive and printing it, will usually get you the best results, since some browsers don't display the thing properly, which means they usually won't print it properly either.

    Listen for the obvious uses of these chord relationships when you hear songs on the radio. Study the way they're used as you learn new songs to play.

    Conclusion

    I've had the privilege several times in my life of playing with people who knew this stuff. All somebody had to tell us was what key the next song was going to be in, and we never looked back. Not always easy keys, either. Friends would try to join in, then freak out when they learned there wasn't a sheet of music, or even a lead sheet or lyric/chord sheet among us. Was it magic? Was it divine inspiration? No, it was music theory, mostly knowing scales and chords. None of us were rocket scientists; only a few of us had studied music seriously, but we learned what we had to.

    I've also had friends ask me how I can play along confidently on songs I've never heard before. When I try to explain that all chords in a song are related, and they tend to work together in predictable ways, their eyes glaze over. When I give them a circle of fifths chart and try to explain how memorizing twelve - get it twelve - chord names in sequence can change their entire musical outlook, they shake their heads and say there "must be an easier way."

    Hopefully something we've said will stick with you, and, even if it doesn't make sense now, it will "click" at some point in the future. In the meantime, paying attention to how chords work together will take you a very long way toward becoming a good accompanist, improviser, performer, and possibly composer.

    Whatever you do enjoy your music!

    Paul Race, www.CreekDontRise.com











































Best-loved railroad songs and the stories behind them




























Musician's Friend Stupid Deal of the Day

All material, illustrations, and content of this web site is copyrighted © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 by Paul D. Race. All rights reserved.
Creek Dont' Rise(tm) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising
program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Note: Creek Don't Rise (tm) is Paul Race's name for his resources supporting the history and
music of the North American Heartland as well as additional kinds of acoustic and traditional music.

For questions, comments, suggestions, trouble reports, etc. about this play or about this web page, please contact us.


Visit related pages and affiliated sites:
- Music -
Heartland-inspired music, history, and acoustic instrument tips.
Best-loved railroad songs and the stories behind them.
Visit musings about music on our sister site, School of the Rock With a few tools and an hour or two of work, you can make your guitar, banjo, or mandolin much more responsive.  Instruments with movable bridges can have better-than-new intonation as well. New, used, or vintage - tips for whatever your needs and preferences. Check out our article on finding good used guitars.
Carols of many countries, including music, lyrics, and the story behind the songs. X and Y-generation Christians take Contemporary Christian music, including worship, for granted, but the first generation of Contemporary Christian musicians faced strong, and often bitter resistance. Wax recordings from the early 1900s, mostly collected by George Nelson.  Download them all for a 'period' album. Folks with Bb or Eb instruments can contribute to worship services, but the WAY they do depends on the way the worship leader approaches the music. Different kinds of music call for different kinds of banjos.  Just trying to steer you in the right direction. A page devoted to some of Paul's own music endeavors.
- Trains and Hobbies -
Free building projects for your vintage railroad or Christmas village.
Visit Lionel Trains. Click to see Thomas Kinkaded-inspired Holiday Trains and Villages. Big Christmas Train Primer: Choosing and using model trains with holiday themes Building temporary and permanent railroads with big model trains Click to see HO scale trains with your favorite team's colors.
- Christmas Memories and Collectibles -
Visit the FamilyChristmasOnline site. Visit Howard Lamey's glitterhouse gallery, with free project plans, graphics, and instructions. Click to return to the Old Christmas Tree Lights Table of Contents Page Click to sign up for Maria Cudequest's craft and collectibles blog.
Click to visit Fred's Noel-Kat store.
Visit Papa Ted Althof's extensive history and collection of putz houses, the largest and most complete such resource on the Internet..
- Family Activities and Crafts -
Click to see reviews of our favorite family-friendly Christmas movies. Free, Family-Friendly Christmas Stories Decorate your tree the old-fashioned way with these kid-friendly projects. Free plans and instructions for starting a hobby building vintage-style cardboard Christmas houses. Click to find free, family-friendly Christmas poems and - in some cases - their stories. Traditional Home-Made Ornaments