How To Predict Which Chord Comes Next -- Part Six

The last few issues have covered the primary chords and some of the secondary chords. I call them "the fam", and "the cousins". Later we'll meet "the neighbors' and "the strangers", but in this issue I would like for you to learn the "Circle of 4ths".

The "Circle of 4ths" is also sometimes known as the "Circle of 5th", or the "Circle of Keys", or the "Chord Progression Circle". All of these titles are accurate -- they are just looking at reality from a different angle.

I have a theory, but I can't prove it. It think it's because when you add a 7th to any of these chords, the 7th "wants to go home" to it's natural-born key. For example, the G7 chord is made up of 4 notes -- G, B, D, and F. All of them are members of the G scale except one -- the 7th, F. F is out of it's natural surroundings, and wants to go home to a key that it's a part of, and the closest key is C. So G7 "wants" to move to C, because the F is homesick.

If that idea confuses you, forget it. It's not important that you understand WHY, just that you understand that it DOES.

So here's the "Circle of 4ths" -- the way chords want to move:

C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G

Unfortunately a text-based newsletter can't show circles. But if you'll use your imagaination, and position these 12 chords around an imaginary circle at equal distances, you'll have the circle of 4ths.

But more important is to get this circle in your brain, so you can visualize it.

We'll continue learning more about the circle of 4th next issue.