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194 | Circle of FIFTHS and THIRDS
The ultimate ChordMap for songwriting
February 28, 2023
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Most people don't understand the Circle of Fifths or the Circle of Thirds ... which is crazy because both patterns are fundamental to songwriting. And what's more, these two patterns are intricately connected. And once you see how they work, you have superpowers as a songwriter.

As this video explains, the Circles of Fifths and Thirds each provide important insights into chords.

  • The Circle of FIFTHS is more like a 10,000-foot view of all keys and modes -- helping you navigate parallel modes, using borrowed chords, and exploring modal mixture.
  • The Circle of THIRDS highlights the connections between chords in a specific key and mode -- and also shows how to build extended chords.

Together, these patterns provide amazing insights into harmony.

Below are several key images from this video, for you to soak in at your own pace....

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345a | Theory Course LIVE - heads up

Hey! Join Sunday's stream for the first in the Theory Course LIVE series.

We'll be going through the course lessons page-by-page, playing the exercises, etc. -- with questions, answers, and sidebars along the way. It's a new and insightful look into music theory.

(The live stream link referenced in this video is actually in the NEXT post.)

00:00:58
341a | How Modes Change a Song (video)

Why do modes seem confusing? There are a couple of reasons:

1) Because they're often depicted using traditional notation. This is a problem because the linear structure of notation distorts the inherently cyclical nature of music. So the way modes are typically pictured is warped.

2) Because different song examples are commonly used to illustrate the sonic qualities of the respective modes. But that's like comparing apples to oranges, in a way. So the point of the comparison gets lost.

So this video demonstrates how the various modes alter the sound of a single song -- using the ChordMap to visualize the changes.

The accompanying chord diagrams are in the follow-up post (341b). Cheers.

00:06:54
332a | Wear Your Love Like Heaven (video)

This Donovan song feels like spring to me. Here's how to play it.
(Chord diagrams are attached to post 332b)

00:03:46
346 | Is notation theory?

TRUE OR FALSE: Growing up, you thought that "music theory" and "music notation" were essentially the same thing.

Has anyone ever tried using Grok 3 AI to explain how modes work? It does not do a good job at it all. Watch Mike's video because humans rock! Lol.

It would be super cool to do a breakdown with the circle of fifths of Radiohead’s - exit music (for a film). I can’t figure out which mode it is and which sections are using borrowed chords or if it’s using modal mixture.

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345b | Theory Course LIVE - Session 1

This is the first session of the music theory course - LIVE.

Time: Sunday, April 13 at 10:00 a.m. (UTC-6)

Link to join:

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342 | Live Stream - 6 April 2025

Hello -- join the live stream Sunday, April 6 @ 10:00 a.m. MDT (UTC-6).
We're talking about music theory, songwriting, and more.

Here's the link to join:

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338 | Sunday Stream - 30 March 2025

Hey, join the live stream Sunday, March 30 @ 10:00 a.m. MDT (UTC-6).
We're talking about the circles of thirds & fifths, the modal spectrum, and more -- see you there.

LINK TO JOIN:

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