Something About the Circle of Fifths

[Sahand]

I just don't get what these lines are trying to say:

Another interesting thing about the circle is that it's possible to write songs that use part or all of the circle as a progression. For example, you could start with a C chord, move to F, follow that with Bb, and keep going until you get back to C. Or you could write a song using the progressions we explored in the maps, and somewhere in the middle of the song use a part of the circle. For example, you could use B - E - A - D - G - C.
http://mugglinworks.com/chordmaps/part9.htm

any help?

[Monster Boy]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Basically, chord progressions that move by fifth down "flow" particularly well, for lack of a better word. Classical music, jazz, pop songs all use lots of fifths progressions. In hard rock, chord movement by step in a pentatonic scale is just as common, if not more so, than fifths progressions. In more hardcore metal genres, power chord motions by minor second and tritone are more common. What they suggest here is kind of silly and sounds kind of dull actually, just moving by fifth over and over. It happens sometimes, like in the Lionel Ritchie song "Hello", but generally, songs use fifths, thirds, seconds, hmmm, that covers everything, in interesting combinations.

[MH1986]

I think your over thinking things. Monster Boy knows his stuff. Only thing I've ever used the circle of fifths for was for tests in music theory classes. Just a tool to help you figure scales out, kind of the same idea as a multiplication chart in a math class.

[Sahand]

I want to learn it...
the thing is that I still don't understand!...
Hello chords are > Am | G | F | G F | Am | G | F | G F
what's the relation of this and fifths?...
I pre lessons it presented me a table of chords in different keys
http://mugglinworks.com/chordmaps/part3.htm

ad a map for moving on with chords
http://mugglinworks.com/chordmaps/part5.htm

what's the role of circle of 5ths here?... are these off Key chords?

does it mean like while we are playing in C key,we are playing C Dm C Dm suddenly we can play C G D A E B ?!... D E and A are not in the C key... I'm so confused... :S

[Monster Boy]

I was talking about the chorus to Hello that goes: Dm - G- C - F - Bb - E - Am. That's a circle of fifths, as is the main progression to "I will survive" - Am- Dm - G - C - F - Bhalf dim - E, just with the end in both songs modified to fit in the key (you get a diminshed fifth in there instead of perfect fifth). The best way to study how one chord goes to the next is to listen to music I say!

[Billy Underdog]

Best way to find out about it is to don't give a shit about these rules, and just do what sounds good to your ears.

I learned this stuff way back, i've gone to several music-schools in different contexts, but i've never used this knowledge in any way. Subconscious, maybe, but that must've been because it sounded nice. Never trust rules, trust your ear!

[MH1986]

Best way to find out about it is to don't give a shit about these rules, and just do what sounds good to your ears.

I learned this stuff way back, i've gone to several music-schools in different contexts, but i've never used this knowledge in any way. Subconscious, maybe, but that must've been because it sounded nice. Never trust rules, trust your ear!

This, I agree wholeheartedly with this.