©2014 Peter J. Clements

Jazz Theory and Practice

Module 4 a, b, c The Turnaround, Circles of 5ths, Blues

B. Circles of 5ths

Both the (II � V � I) progression, from Module 2, and its turnaround extension: (VI � II � V � I) are circles of 5ths, or, more precisely, incomplete circles of 5ths. The term arises from the fact that the roots of the chords (not necessarily the bass notes) are all a fifth apart; remember that a rising 4th or a falling 5th are the same root progression:

4b1

These are strong, “forward-directed” chord progressions, because every chord is basically the dominant of the next one. It doesn’t really matter whether the chord is a dominant-7th chord or not: other seventh chords, and even simple triads still pull towards the following chord when there is a downward fifth between the roots.

One more backward extension produces the sequence: (III � VI � II � V � I), a progression that appears quite often. It may be used in the familiar old English folksong Aura Lee (aka Love Me Tender) as a string of dominant-7th chords leading from the bridge to the end of the piece:

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Identical dominant-7th chord strings are found in the old popular standards Five foot two and Sweet Georgia Brown.

One more backwards extension produces a six-chord progression of 5ths: VII�III�VI�II�V�I. Look at this wonderful example, Irving Berlin’s Just in Time, where the melody hardly moves away from the same two notes, but it maintains musical interest because of the strong harmonic progression under the melody:

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One further extension backwards will produce a complete circle, seven chords. If the tonic chord is added at the beginning, it will begin and end on the tonic chord. Here is the basic circle, in both the major and minor scales:

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In this example 7th chords are used to avoid the thin sound of a diminished triad. In the minor version (see also the next example) the “natural” 7th step is used until the end, where it is raised to produce a stronger cadence. In both major and minor circles, above, one root progression is a diminished 5th or augmented 4th, and all the other progressions are perfect 5ths. The diminished 5th (tritone) guarantees that the circle of 5ths will stay within the scale, and return to the tonic chord in seven steps. We often call this a diatonic (7-note scale) circle of 5ths.

The following musical example, Handel: Passacaille from the Suite no. 7 in G minor, follows the diatonic circle of 5ths with a mixture of triads and 7th chords. Notice, just as in the previous example, that the harmony stays in the natural minor scale, until the V � I at the end.

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4b5

The jazz standard Autumn Leaves uses the identical chord sequence:

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The following example, How High the Moon, shows just one of the many variations on a circle of 5ths, by including chromatic chords:

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The example continues II7 � V7 � I7. There are a number of interesting aspects to this harmonic sequence. It drives forward because it is the basic circle of fifths, but sometimes there are two versions of the same chord function: I7 appears first as Gmaj7, followed by Gm7. VII7 appears in both major and minor versions as well. These chromatic changes introduce clear tonicizations, first to F

major, then to Ebmajor; each articulated with it’s own II�V�I.

This piece also contains a perfect example of a sequence, a common compositional technique used for the past several hundred years. Look at the music again, and imagine “cutting” from the opening upbeat to the first beat of measure 4 (C7), then “pasting” that music down a major second: melody, and chords.

Sequences may have two or more parts, but seldom have more than four or five. A harmonic pattern built on the circle of fifths already has built-in harmonic sequences, so melodic sequence can easily be included. Look at the opening measures of Fly Me to the Moon:

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This piece really is in C major, but has a distinct minor character, with a complete cycle of fifths from Am7 to Am7 in the first 8 measures. Notice that the second line is the first line transposed down a third, producing a two part sequence, but at the same time there is a partial sequence descending in seconds (C � B � A – G#) with the same rhythmic pattern and descending melody every two measures.

Technically this is a diatonic cycle of fifths, with only one chromatic note, the G# in the second line. That E7 chord also strongly suggests a tonicization of A minor.

Tritone substitutions can be introduced at various places in the diatonic circle of 5ths, especially effective as interpolations:

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This example, from Strayhorn’s Chelsea Bridge shows how a common cadence progression: VI7 � II7 � V7 � I6 can be enriched by inserting (interpolating) the tritone substitute after each of the first three chords. This doesn’t change the basic circle of fifths harmonic movement, since both chords of the pair have a dominant relationship to the following chord.

Another circle of 5ths is the chromatic circle of 5ths; a sequence of twelve chords, all with roots a perfect 5th apart. This means that the progression doesn’t stay in one key, and will return to the chord that it started on. Here is an example using major-7th chords:

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The chromatic circle of 5ths doesn’t belong to any particular key; every dominant � tonic progression is equally important to every other one. Notice, in the example above, that there must be an enharmonic

change somewhere; in this case from the end of the first line to the beginning of the second-- the first chord in the second line could also be a Gbmaj7. A useful application of the chromatic circle of 5ths is as an template to practice every chord of a certain type; such exercises appeared in Module 2, for both dominant-7th and minor-7th chords. More patterns will be found in the PLAY/SING exercises to follow.

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The basic circle of fifths progression is the “meat and potatoes” of the harmonic language of jazz, pop, folk, and a lot of traditional classical music, so it’s not hard to find musical examples. Here are some recordings of examples mentioned in the text:

Folksong: Aura Lee (aka “Love Me Tender”) sung by Elvis Presley. There are many versions available, listen to one by the Robert Shaw Chorale to hear the original text.

Autumn Leaves: There are dozens of performances available. Try Diana Krall for a “straight ahead” version.

Fly Me to the Moon: The Frank Sinatra version is legendary…listen to the wonderful backup arrangement.

Just in Time: There is a great duet by Tony Bennett and Michael Bublé, also with a wonderful backup arrangement.

Sweet Georgia Brown: Many possibilities; check out the Wynton Marsalis Quintet version.

Examples of the chromatic circle of fifths are rare; here is an example that is almost complete (11 steps):

Bluesette: There are about a dozen different performances by the harmonic player Toots Thielemans (who wrote the tune). Find the one where he plays a harmonica duet with Stevie Wonder (who only appears halfway through).

Return to the menu, and try the PLAY/SING and WRITE exercises for Module 4b.