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....