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Explore the Circle of Fifths

by The Sublime Perfect Masters

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1.
C to G 15:00
2.
G to D 15:00
3.
D to A 15:02
4.
A to E 15:02
5.
E to B 15:00
6.
B to F sharp 15:00
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
B flat to F 15:01
12.
F to C 15:00

about

The Circle of Fifths is a useful tool for organizing the twelve tones of the Western Scale. The notes are written around a circle. Clockwise from each is its fifth. Starting from any point, and following steps in fifths, you will return to where you began in twelve steps.

But, you may ask, what is a fifth? That is a very good question. A fifth is the halfway point between a note and the next occurrence of that note. For instance, the A in the middle of a piano is usually tuned to 440 Hz. At 880 Hz, the pitch has doubled, and you have reached A again. This is an octave. (In "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," the jump from "some" to "where" is an octave.) Right between 440 Hz and 880 Hz is 660 Hz, or the note we call E. This is a fifth. (The interval between the first "twinkle" and the second "twinkle" in "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is a fifth.)

Each song on The Sublime Perfect Masters Explore the Circle of Fifths only uses two notes—various iterations of a root and its fifth. The fifth from the previous song then becomes the root note in the next, and this pattern continues until we come back where we started. Each note in the Western Scale gets a starring moment as the root note. It was decided (somewhat arbitrarily) that it would take three hours to complete the cycle. And so it does.

credits

released October 23, 2021

Performed by Adam Krause, Shawn Stephany, Andy Eshbaugh, Erin Wolf, Marielle Allschwang, Michael Jantz, John Forgery, Zaq Lewis, Ken Palme, and Mark Waldoch.

Cover Art by Ethan Krause

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about

Adam Michael Krause Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Author and mugician Adam Michael Krause has appeared on more than thirty recordings and published numerous essays and books, including "The Revolution Will Be Hilarious & Other Essays" (New Compass, 2018). He is also a member of Marielle Allschwang and the Visitations. www.marielleallschwang.com and more of his writing is at adamkrause.substack.com ... more

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