Make Chord Practice Fun With the Circle of Fifths (Part 1)

To practise major chords around the Circle of Fifths, play all 12 triads moving clockwise (the plagal direction) and anticlockwise (the authentic direction), keeping the common note and sliding the other two notes, then turn it into a rhythm workout by shrinking the arpeggio cycle from 8 beats down to 3 while the metronome stays at the same tempo.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Advanced · 35 min

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This lesson by Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music turns chord drills into a complete piano workout. You take all 12 major triads around the Circle of Fifths in both directions, meet every inversion along the way, sing the chord roots to train your ear, and finish with changing time signatures. It is aimed at players who already know their major triads and want faster, smoother chord changes. Minor chords come in Part 2.

The Circle of Fifths in both directions

The circle is usually drawn like a clock with C at 12. Going clockwise you move up a perfect fifth each time: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, back to C. Going anticlockwise you move up a perfect fourth: C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb (F#), B, E, A, D, G, C.

A perfect fifth and a perfect fourth are inversions of each other. G is the fifth of C, and C is the fourth of G, so it does not matter whether you go up or down to reach the next note.

Why plagal and authentic?

• Clockwise (plagal direction): C to G is IV to I in G, the plagal or amen cadence often heard at the end of hymns.
• Anticlockwise (authentic direction): C to F is V to I in F, the authentic cadence or dominant resolution.

Naming the black-note chords

For major chords, use flat names: Bb, Eb, Ab and Db, because keys such as A# major have no key signature. F# and Gb are the one pair where either name works. For minor chords on black notes, sharps are more common because they are often relative minors of sharp keys: C# minor (from E major), F# minor (from A major) and G# minor (from B major).

Moving the chords smoothly

Always keep the note the two chords share and slide the other two fingers to the nearest notes.

1. Clockwise: the shared note is the root of the next chord. From C major (C E G) to G major, hold G and slide down to B D G. Your hands drift down the keyboard.
2. The anchor trick: starting from root position C, the held note moves from the top of the chord, to the middle, to the bottom, then repeats. After all 12 chords you land on the same C shape an octave lower. Starting on an inversion works the same way.
3. Anticlockwise: the shared note is the root of the current chord (C is common to C and F, F to F and Bb). Here your hands climb up the keyboard.

At first, play the same chord shape in both hands like a carbon copy. Another good left-hand option is to play just the root of each chord.

How to practise

• Work in groups of four chords (C G D A, then E B F# Db, then Ab Eb Bb F), then join them up.
• Keep a Circle of Fifths chart in front of you until it is memorised.
• Sing the true root of each chord, not the top note you hear. When a root goes out of your range, jump an octave. This is excellent ear training.
• Try each direction from root position, first inversion and second inversion. Go up the keyboard anticlockwise, then come back down clockwise.

The rhythm workout: shrinking the cycle

Set a metronome, around 80 BPM, and never change it. Make your own arpeggio pattern that lasts 8 beats per chord, accenting the top note while the left hand holds or hits the accents. Then reduce the cycle one beat at a time:

• 7 beats: group as 4+3 or 3+4.
• 6 beats: 4+2 or 2+4, rather than two groups of three.
• 5 beats: 3+2 or 2+3.
• 4 beats, then 3 beats (triplet groups).

For an extra challenge, change chord at every accent instead of every full cycle. The chords come faster even though the tempo is the same. Give it a week or two of steady practice.

Questions about this lesson

Why is clockwise on the Circle of Fifths called the plagal direction?

Moving from C to G means C is the IV chord of G, so each move forms a IV to I plagal cadence. Anticlockwise, C to F is V to I, the authentic cadence.

How do I know which inversion to play next?

Keep the note shared by both chords and move the other two notes to the closest positions. Going clockwise, the shared note is always the root of the next chord, and its position moves from top to middle to bottom of the chord.

Should I play the same chord in both hands?

In the early stages, yes. Copying the right-hand shape in the left hand builds both hands together, and playing just the roots in the left hand is a good alternative.

How can I make chord practice harder without speeding up the metronome?

Keep the tempo fixed and shorten the arpeggio cycle from 8 beats to 7, 6, 5, 4 and 3, using groupings such as 4+3 or 3+2. You can also change chord at every accent rather than every cycle.

Practise it

• Circle of FifthsExplore the Circle of Fifths through keys, scales, chords and intervals.
• Cadence LibraryCompare piano cadences across keys and listen to how different chord movements create closure, suspense or a turn in a new direction.
• Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
• All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.

Related lessons

• One Mammoth Lesson: Major Scales in All 12 Keys, Circle of Fifths and Chord InversionsYou can practise chord inversions in all 12 keys by moving triads around the Circle of Fifths: go counterclockwise in authentic (V–I) cadences with your right hand climbing up the keyboard, then clockwise in plagal (IV–I) cadences with the chords descending, always keeping common notes and moving the others by the smallest step.
• The Daily Piano Chord Exercise: Climbing Inversions With Many Rhythm PatternsThis daily piano drill moves three-note chord shapes up and down the keyboard in C major, then plays them as block chords, broken chords, arpeggios and a broken-arpeggio combo, across different speeds, time signatures, syncopated hand patterns and finally in the left hand.
• How to Practise Chord Inversions Using the Circle of Fifths (Piano)To practise chord inversions with the circle of fifths, pick a target chord, play its neighbour on the circle (IV for a plagal cadence, V for an authentic cadence), and choose the inversion that keeps the common note in the same position so the chords connect smoothly.
• 10 Rhythm Patterns That Make Chord Inversions EasyTo make chord inversions musical, play the root position, first inversion and second inversion of a triad such as Bb major or C major through real rhythm patterns like block chords, oom-pah, waltz, broken chords, arpeggios, the tresillo, the Charleston, dual-speed arpeggios and floating inversions.