Harmonic Circles

Alberto Betancourt (albetan)

There are two kind of Harmonic circles: Diatonic Circle and Chromatic Circle.

Diatonic Circle is a chord progression whose bass line goes by fourths

through Diatonic Scale: C goes to F (perfect fourth) ; F goes to B (diatonic fourth) ; B to E (perfect fourth) ; E to A (perfect fourth) ; A to D (perfect fourth) ; D to G (perfect fourth ; G to C (perfect fourth).

Three voices Circle:

By adding a third and a seventh over Root we have a three voices Circle. Left hand plays Root and seventh or third. Right plays third or seventh.

& .. ? ..
I M7

IV M7

VII m7-5

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

&

VII m7-5

IV M7

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

w w w

.. b .. b

Same exercise in F:

&b ?b
I M7

IV M7

VII m7-5

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

Harmonic Circles

&b ?b
IV M7

VII m7-5

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

w
I M7

w w

Perform this exercise in all tonalities. Begin each one on next fourth: ; C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, ....

Four voices Circle:

By adding first or fifth upwards we have a four voices Circle:

& ? & ?
IV M7 I M7

IV M7

VII m7-5

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

VII m7-5

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

w w w w

Do it in all tonalities.

By adding fifth in third voice we have other Four voices Circle.

Harmonic Circles

& ? & ?
IV M7 I M7

IV M7

VII m7-5

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

w w w w

VII m7-5

III m7

VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

Practice it in all keys.

# 12 When your are performing these diatonic circles you are sounding as Bach, 8
Vivaldi, Corelli, Handel... All Great classical composers used this kind of chord progressions. This is a Bach's fragment in bars 57-60 of Fugue in G (Giga):
Diatonic Circle

# 12 8 J j J

j j # 12 & 8 J J J J ? # 12 J J J 8 J
I M7 IV M7

j j & J ?#
VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7

j J J

j J

j J

Harmonic Circles

Minor Diatonic Circle:

In a minor circle we take the minor tonic chord as a VI grade of its correspondent major correlative chord. So Am is VI of C. Dominant chord of Am will be E7. In minor circles we have two dominant chords: G7 (V7) dominant of C (I), and E7 (III7) dominant of Am (VI).

c c

& c .. ? c .. & ?
II m7 VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

IV M7

VII m7-5

#
III 7

VI m7

V7

I M7

IV M7

VII m7-5

w
VI m

.. ..

III 7

w w

EXAMPLE: First theme of Autumn Leaves in three voices:

w &
VI m7

II m7

V7

I M7

IV M7

w w

VII m7-5

III 7

w # # w

VI m

w ?

w w

w #w