Re: [Harp-L] Circle of Fifths (Circle of Fourths) and Positions

[Michael Rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

In my op[inion, the Circle of Fiths has 3 really goo0d applications:

1.  It helps you remember the notes in a major scale if you cannot.
2.  It quickly can tell you the I,IV and V chord in any key.
3.  It will help you choose the right harp for the position and key you
want to play in.

Again and again, my students who have memorized the circle and know how to
use it for these applications save us loads of time.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com


On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 2:58 PM, Music Cal <macaroni9999@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> The circle of fifths is a topic that comes up in music frequently. I have
> never found a use for it. Have any of you? (Reading music notation is not
> my focus. Not presently.)
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:36 PM, harp <harp@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Hi Doug,
> >
> > I saw posts about organizing harps this way from several people, so I am
> > giving it a try.  I have not really put my mind to the Circle yet.  Long
> > story - I played piano and Spanish classical guitar years ago - very
> > technical approach and read music 100% of the time, but never played what
> > I felt.  Got close with Spanish guitar, but never was technically good
> > enough to just lose myself in the music.  When I started playing blues
> > harp, I swore I would not look at a single piece of theory - I would just
> > play what I felt.  The approach has been much more satisfying (much
> > yielded better results too!).  But as I get deeper into playing different
> > positions and visualizing in my mind the tonal relationships, I keep
> > coming back to the Circle.  There is a lot of Œthere¹ there.
> >
> > Anyway, this is a very long-winded way of asking you why you arrange your
> > harps that way.  Is it because you can quickly step through different
> > positions as you work on figuring out a tune?  Is it because if you are
> > playing harp you ask for the key and then grab the harp next door for
> > second position blues?  Just curious why this arrangement works for you.
> > I have been choosing a key and then mentally calculating or consulting a
> > Circle before grabbing a harp.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Brad
> >
> > On 12/17/13, 12:15 PM, "Doug Schroer" <dougharps@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > >Certainly it can be useful to have a Circle of Fifths for reference.
> > >
> > >However, years ago I started arranging my harps in order of the Circle
> of
> > >Fifths, and without any mnemonics or deliberate effort I soon had
> > >memorized
> > >the Circle of Fifths.  I still have them organized this way.
> > >
> > >It was an easy way to commit a lot of theory to memory.
> >
> >
> >
>