Circle of 4ths and 5ths - Writing Songs Part 3

       

In this article we'll discuss further ways you can use the circle of 4ths and 5ths to help you in your song-writing. This time we'll look at how you can write a song that shifts between a Major and minor key.

As you learned in the previous article we use Roman numerals to indicate the relationship between chords within a key. For a Major key we use the following numerals: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°. For a minor key the Major and minor chords are switched around: i - II° - III - iv - v - VI - VII. So the i, iv and v are minor chords. While the III, VI and VII are Major chords. The II° is a half-diminished seventh chord.

Now in the same way as you found the chords for each Major key using these Roman numerals you can do so for any minor key. If you want to know which chords go in C minor you place the numerals above the corresponding letters around the circle in the same way as you did with the Major key. Remember the letters clockwise around the circle of 4ths and 5ths are C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, G#, D#, A# and F.

First you place the i over the C then move clockwise around the circle but skipping a letter to get the II° and the III. Then you go back to the letter before the C and fill in the gaps. You should get the following result:

i, v, II°, VI, III, VII, iv

C minor, G minor, D half-diminished seventh chord, A Major, E Major, B Major, F minor

Now if you want to write a song in the key of C minor, start playing the C minor chord and then choose some random chords from the key. They will all sound good together and will be a great starting point for any song.

One final thing to try when using the circle of 4ths and 5ths to write a song is to bring together a Major and a minor chord progression. To do this you need to create a progression in a Major key and then one in its relative minor key. To find the relative minor key of a Major key you draw a line on the circle of 4ths and 5ths from the Major key letter, say the C down towards the centre of the circle. Then you make a 90° angle with it and draw a line to the right. You should end up at the letter A. This means that the relative minor key for C Major is A minor. Now use your knowledge from the first part of this article to create a chord progression in the key of A minor that will go with a progression in C Major. Now you have a song that shifts between a Major key and a minor key.

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