Music is geometry. The patterns of any song are built on a hidden framework of organized sound. And in this video, we explore the circle of fifths to illustrate: https://youtube.com/live/AxhyAd8BD0c
Here are the accompanying diagrams to explore at your own pace.
In music, there are 6 fundamental symmetries that connect every note:
Laid out side-by-side like this, these patterns are impossible to miss. And in the full theory course, I explain the utility of these relationships in detail.
But at a glance, it may not be clear how to apply these geometric patterns in practice. So here’s a nice example that shows how they are far more than pretty little diagrams.
We can call this example the “Circle of Fifths Dorian Vamp.” (Thank you, @keanimusic for suggesting this cool chord progression.)
In any key, the Dorian Vamp is a simple “i-IV” pattern. So in E Dorian, for example, the progression just moves back and forth between Em and A.
If you played only this all day long, it would sound great. (Em-A-Em-A … etc.).
But to add more movement, let’s say you play Em-A — but then move to A’s “iv” chord (Dm). This would then start another Dorian Vamp of Dm-G (or “i-IV” in D Dorian). So by doing this, you extend the pattern to: Em-A ... Dm-G.
It sounds nice. And if you keep going, adding more mini vamps as you go, you eventually cycle back to Em where you started. Here's what it looks like....
