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
˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙
˙ ˙ ˙

& .. b
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w
IV M7 VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7 V7 I M7

?˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙ .. b
˙ ˙ ˙˙ w
˙ w
Same exercise in F:

&b ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ I M7
˙˙
IV M7
˙
VII m7-5
˙˙
III m7
˙
VI m7
˙˙
II m7
˙
V7
˙˙
I M7

?b ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
 Harmonic Circles
2

&b ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w

? b ˙˙
IV M7 VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7 V7 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:

& ˙˙ ˙
˙ ˙
˙
˙
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

? ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙
I M7 IV M7 VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7 V7 I M7
˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙
˙ ˙ ˙

&˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w
IV M7 VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7 V7 I M7

?˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ w
˙ ˙ ˙ w

Do it in all tonalities.
 Harmonic Circles
By adding fifth in third voice we have other Four voices Circle. 3

& ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙
˙
˙˙ ˙˙ ˙
I M7 IV M7 VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7 V7 I M7

? ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙˙
˙

&˙ ˙˙ ˙
˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ww
IV M7 VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7 V7 I M7

?˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙˙
˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ w
w
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.
# 12
This is a Bach's fragment in bars 57-60 of Fugue in G (Giga): 8
Diatonic Circle

# 12 j œ j
I M7 IV M7

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
& 8 œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œœ œ
œ œœ
œ J J J J J
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
? # 12
8 J J J J œ œ

# j j
VII m7-5 III m7 VI m7 II m7 V I
j j j j
& œœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ
œ œ œœ
J J J J J J
?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
œ
œ
 Harmonic Circles
4

Minor Diatonic Circle:

In a minor circle we take the minor tonic chord as a VI grade of its c
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), c
and E7 (III7) dominant of Am (VI).

& c .. ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙
? c .. ˙ ˙˙ ˙
VI m7 II m7 V7 I M7 IV M7 VII m7-5 III 7 VI m7

˙ # ˙˙ n˙
˙ ˙ ˙

&˙ ..
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ #˙ w
II m7 V7 I M7 IV M7 VII m7-5 III 7 VI m

? ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙ ww ..
˙ ˙ ˙

EXAMPLE: First theme of Autumn Leaves in three voices:

w
VIm7 IIm7 V7 IM7 IV M7 VII m7-5 III7 VIm

& Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ Œœœœ w Œ w
œ #œ #œ

ẇ ˙ w ẇ ˙ w ẇ ˙ w # w˙ w
? ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙