We began tracking progressions on
the Circle of Fourths and Fifths in
our previous lesson [
“Running in Circles,”September 2011]. If you missed that installment
of Rhythm & Grooves—or simply
want to brush up on the theory behind the
cycle chart—take a moment to check it out
online at premierguitar.com.
The cycle chart is an invaluable tool:
As we saw last time around, it’s our secret
weapon for mastering all 12 keys on the
guitar. The simple diagram offers us a disciplined
and thorough way to map essential
progressions in keys we guitarists often
avoid—Eb, Db, and Ab, for instance.
But the cycle chart has many other uses,
and we’ll look at several of these right now.
So you won’t have to move back and forth
between this month’s and last month’s lesson,
we’ve again included this handy diagram.
(But in a new color, just for variety.
It looks pretty in pink, doesn’t it?) Okay,
let’s get busy.
Learning to name the notes on the fretboard
is a big deal. The goal is to be able to
press any string to any fret and immediately
identify the resulting note. Quick: 5th string,
11th fret is what? Or 3rd string, 8th fret? Or
2nd string, 14th fret? If you can name these
pitches, especially without a guitar in your
hand, well done. If not, it’s a great skill to
acquire because it allows you to communicate
with musicians who play other instruments
than guitar. A saxophonist won’t know what
to make of “play the note on the 3rd string,
10th fret.” Yet “play F” gets the point across.
To fluently speak this universal language,
however, you need to know where every F
is located ... along with each instance of the
Western music system’s other 11 notes.
One excellent way to learn all the note
names—even those lurking in little-used
nooks and crannies of the fretboard—is to
play two-octave patterns up and down the
fretboard and on various string sets.
Fig. 1
illustrates how to use the cycle chart to map
out a series of two-octave patterns while
moving in fifths around the wheel.
or Download Example Audio
We begin with C octaves, then take one
step clockwise (CW) to G, then another
CW step to D, to A, etc. Because the octave
pairs alternately ascend and descend, we get
a complete workout shifting back and forth
across the strings, as well as up and down the
fretboard. You’ll notice we’ve added a half-step
approach into the last note of each two-octave
figure. This chromatic approach tone gives us
four beats in each figure and also provides an
opportunity to identify yet another note as we
play the “name the octaves” game.
For space considerations, Fig. 1 ends
halfway around the wheel at F#, but if
you’re up for the challenge, move CW completely
around the wheel until you return
to C. For variety, begin with a descending
figure or try launching this exercise from
a different note (F, for example) and then
cycle CW around the wheel.
Want more variations? You can place the
half-step approach tone before the middle
octave note or even before the first one.
Also, you can move your two-octave pattern
counterclockwise (CCW) around the
circle in fourths. Practicing different versions
of this simple routine will pay huge
dividends in terms of learning the notes on
the fretboard.
Fig. 2 has us zigzagging CW between
major triads (represented by the letters on the
outside of the circle) and minor triads (shown
inside the circle). In this triad-mapping
exercise, we’re playing only eight chords, but
if you continue around the wheel until you
reach your starting point, you’ll hit 12 chords.
or Download Example Audio
By staying on one string set—as we’ve done
here—you’re forced to move up and down the
fretboard as you navigate the wheel. Great,
that’s one type of workout. Another excellent
option is to restrict yourself to a five-fret location
and find the triads on a variety of string
sets. Both approaches force you to think about
triad inversions, and that’s the point.
Fig. 3 is all about stacking fifths to create
quintal harmony—a cool, impressionistic
sound. If you scrutinize the notation, you’ll see
that each note is located one CW “click” from
its predecessor. Play slowly and observe the
let ring markings to create three-note quintal
voicings: C–G–D, A–E–B, Gb–Db–Ab, and
Eb–Bb–F. Once again, you can generate variations
by simply starting on a note other than C.
or Download Example Audio
For a real brainteaser, try
Fig. 4. Starting
on Bb, we’re moving CCW in fourths, mixing
arpeggios (composed of single notes
spaced a fourth apart) with four-note quartal
clusters and fourth intervals. Whether
we’re plucking notes one at a time (as in the
arpeggios and intervals) or in a cluster (the
half-note voicings), every note is spaced one
click away from its immediate neighbors.
By the time you’ve reached the end of this
exercise, you will have crawled CCW two-and-a-half times around the wheel.
or Download Example Audio
Compared to typical songs with their
keys and diatonic chords, an exercise
like this can sound alien. But it’s good
to stretch your ears in the privacy of a
practice session. (And if you like this edgy
sound, be sure to check out these Rhythm
& Grooves lessons on premierguitar.com:
“Exploring Quartal Harmony,” April 2011;
“Crazy Quartal Comping,” May 2011; and
“Stealth Quartal Colors,” June 2011.)
If you put your mind to it, there are virtually
endless ways to use the cycle chart as
a practice tool. For instance, take any scale
you know and play it CW or CCW around
the wheel. As you work through each scale,
name every note out loud. Another idea:
Take your favorite blues licks and move
them around the wheel. You’ll have to
change octaves in the process, but exploring
a familiar pattern in a new register is
an excellent way to expand your improvisational
bag of tricks.
The cycle chart is a demanding mistress—perfect for generating ideas that force
you into unfamiliar areas of the fretboard.
What are the odds you’d do this on your
own? Have fun spinning the wheel!
Andy Ellis is a veteran guitar journalist
and Senior Editor at
PG. Based
in Nashville, Andy backs singer-songwriters
on the baritone guitar, and also
hosts
The Guitar Show, a weekly on-air
and online broadcast. For the schedule,
links to the stations’ streams, archived audio
interviews with inspiring players, and more,
visit
theguitarshow.com.