http://www.hearandplay.com/products

Wow, what can I say…

I think I’ve started something here…

The last few weeks, I’ve been trying out a new format by taking really good questions from students and not only answering them personally, but sending them to our entire mailing list.

This has resulted in a lot of love — and even MORE questions from dedicated students all around the world. I’ve received at least a good couple hundred questions that could easily keep me busy sending responses like this for years…

But here’s one that made the top of the list. I think you’ll really be helped by my reply to Tyler. It’s long but packed with details. About 5 lessons in one.

PRINT THIS OUT because it really is *that* important.

——————–

***Comment From Tyler N***

Hi Jermaine,

Dude, you are incredible. Your knowledge of theory is on another planet. Thanks for what you do man, for real.

I’m trying to learn all 12 keys and I happen to be a member of the Gospel Music Training Center where you talked about using the circle of fifths to learn every key.

I do know the circle of fifths but I don’t think I totally understand how to use it to learn every key. Do you mind shedding some light on this in the next Q&A teleclass?

Again, thanks man. Tell JP and all the staff they are doing an awesome job.

Tyler

——————–

>>> My Comments and explanations to Tyler (Lots of good info… read carefully)

Yo Tyler!

Thanks for the e-mail! Glad to hear you’re enjoying the material!

I believe you’re referring to our last Gospel Music Training Call that just past, where Jon and I talked about the circle of fifths and how it can help you to learn any song in all 12 keys…

I can definitely help you with that.

But before we delve in, let’s back up a bit and talk about the ‘circle of fifths’ concept itself.

The circle of fifths is a very powerful discovery in music because it pretty much describes HOW MUSIC WORKS in one simple chart.

If you want to see an example of the circle, here’s an example: http://www.musiccirclechart.com

You see, music moves in fifths and fourths. And if you really think about it, there’s a fine line between “fifths” and “fourths.” (that’s why you hear some people calling it the “circle of fifths” and other folks calling it the “circle of fourths.” Let me demystify this first.

Both names are correct. Here’s why:

If I ask you to go up a fourth interval, that essentially means to move up 5 half steps from whatever note you’re on. (There are many ways to think about it but this is the most straightforward…)

And for folks that don’t know what half steps are, remember this poem:

“Half steps are from key to key with no keys in between, Whole steps always skip a key with one key in between.”

So basically, if you’re going from one key directly up or down to the key directly next door, that’s a half step. Doesn’t matter if it’s a white key, a black key, a purple key, a broken key (some of you haven’t fixed your piano in years)… if it goes from one key right next door, it’s a half step. [C to C#], [E to F], [G to Ab], [Bb to B]… all of these pairs are half steps. [C to D], [E to F#], [Ab to Bb]… these are whole steps because they are skipping one key. Easy.

Back to fourths. So if I start on C and want to go up a fourth, I simply count 5 half steps up…

C to Db is 1 half step… Db to D is another… D to Eb is the 3rd half step, Eb to E is 4, and finally E to F. So “C” to “F” is a fourth.

Now, on the other hand, a fifth uses 7 half steps. So if you do the same thing starting at C — except, this time using 7 half steps — you’ll arrive at G.

So “C” to “G” is a fifth.

“C” UP to “F” is a fourth. “C” UP to “G” is a fifth.

Here’s the tricky part. Notice I used the word “UP” because if you count the same number of half steps down, you’ll get different answers.

If you count 5 half steps DOWN from C, you’ll get G. And if you count 7 half steps DOWN from the same C, you’ll get F.

In other words, C up to F is a fourth. C down to F is a fifth.

And in the same way, C up to G is a fifth but C down to G is a fourth.

Basically, they are ‘inverses’ of each other. Opposites. One does one thing going up and another going down. The other does the exact opposite.

Any time you take a fourth interval and “flip” it, you’ll get a fifth. If you do the same to a fifth, you’ll get a fourth.

Try it. Hold down C and the higher G together. That’s a fifth. C is the lowest note and there are 7 half steps between C and G. But if you take the C off the bottom and put it on the top (and now “G” on the bottom), now you’ve got yourself a fourth interval. Just that easy.

Oh and I should add… these are called “PERFECT 4ths” and “PERFECT 5ths.” Sometimes, for short, folks leave off the “perfect” part but if you want to be very specific, add that.

Why did I choose to tell you all this?

Because, there are two ways to look at the circle of fifths chart. Go to http://www.circlemusicchart.com and print it out…

If you thought of this circle as a clock, “C” would be at 12 o’ clock.

G is at 1 o’ clock. D is at 2 o’ clock.

Get it?

That means on the other side, F is at 11 o’ clock, Bb is at 10 o’ clock, Eb is at 9 o’ clock and so forth…

And like I said, there are 2 ways to look at this circle. You can look at it going clockwise from C to G to D to A… and so forth.

Or you can look at this chart going counter-clockwise, from C to F to Bb to Eb… and so forth.

Some people say when you go counter-clockwise from C to F to Bb to Eb… that you’re going in “fourths.” But, of course, now you know better. You’re going in fourths only if you’re looking at this as going UP from C to F. And UP from F to Bb… and UP from Bb to Eb.

But as you just learned, going from C down to F is a fifth too! That’s why some people still choose to look at this WHOLE circle as a relationship of fifths because if you go clockwise, C up to G is a fifth. And if you go counter-clockwise, C down to F is also a fifth.

Put another way, “G” is the fifth of C. And “C” is the fifth of “F” — and so on.

But either way, here’s the golden nugget.

Go counter-clockwise! This is the flow of music. This is how 80% of songs move.

What do I mean?

THAT’S WHAT I MEAN!

If you analyze the chord patterns of songs, you’ll find them moving like this:

Some kinda “C” chord to some kinda “F” chord to some kinda “Bb” chord to some kinda “Eb” chord, depending on the key you’re in.

If you’re in a key like “G” major, you’ll find the same counter-clockwise movement at work — just at the other end of the circle with chords moving from some kind of “A” chord to some kind of “D” chord to some kind of “G” chord to some kind of “C” chord (just to give an example).

I say “some kind of chord” because depending on your key, some chords will be major, some minor, some dominant, some diminished, etc… and we really don’t have time to talk about that right here. Easily another 5 pages if I go there.

So the circle really explains the flow of music.

Ever heard of a “2-5-1″ progression? Guess what? Highlight any 3 notes on the circle that are neighbors and there are the keynotes of your “2-5-1″ progression! BAM!

Don’t believe me? What’s a 2-5-1 progression in the key of C? Well, the 2 is “D”… the 5 is “G” and the 1 is “C.” Where do those notes just “happen” to appear on the circle of fifths chart?

D is at 2 o clock. G is at 1 o clock. C is at 12 o clock. Counter-clockwise! Neighbors too!

Like pulling back time (ever wish you could pull back time, counter-clockwise???) Lol, get out of the past!!!!!!!!!!!! Except in music, that is! Cuz moving against the clock, when it comes to the circle, is how you will find most of your songs arranged. Counter-clockwise…

EXERCISE: Take songs you already know and compare them to the circle of fifths. For example, if the song you know goes from C major to A minor to D minor to G major to C major, then compare where those notes C, A, D, G, C appear on the circle and the type of movement you notice.

So, here’s the entire circle but in a counter-clockwise arrangement:

C > F > Bb > Eb > Ab > Db > Gb > B > E > A > D > G (repeat)

WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO LEARN THIS, DO IT!

Memorize it, chunk it, tape it to your dashboard. If you can say this in one breath really fast, you won’t believe how helpful it can be to you.

Why? Because all songs move in this direction. You can literally highlight any 3 or 4 notes straight off this circle and find many chord progressions that use those same exact notes in the same exact order. You can find entire songs using this order of notes… and just repeating over and over. Wash, rinse, repeat.

And since chords and patterns move like this, it makes sense to learn and practice chords in this same order. When you learn chords in this order, you further reinforce the circle.

Plus, when it comes time to play real songs that move in fourths anyway, you’ve already done it so much in your own practicing so it’s not that hard to apply it when needed.

(Oh, by the way, I’ve been saying ‘circle of fifths’ AND ‘circle of fourths’ up until this point. But now, I’m going to choose to call this “fourths” since most people consider C to F a fourth, unless you tell them C “DOWN” to F. But from now on, to keep things consistent, I will mainly say FOURTHS to represent the counter-clockwise direction of the circle.)

I realize this could still be over some folks’ head so let me break it down. (My fingers are getting tired but I’ll keep going, as long as you’ll keep reading)…

You can either learn chords by fourths like I’m advocating, or you can learn them chromatically in half steps.

Let’s talk about the latter method first.

To learn chords chromatically means to master chords one half-step at a time. In other words, you learn a “C” major chord first, then you take every note up a half step to learn the “C#” or “Db” major chord. Then once you learn that chord, you take every note of your chord up another half step to learn the “D” major chord. And so on…

In real life, this looks like this:

CHORD = G + B + C + E (which is a C major 7 chord in 2nd inversion by the way).

Say I wanted to learn this chord chromatically. All I gotta do is take every finger up a half step and that will give me the SAME chord in the next key up.

A half step up from C is Db so by taking EVERY tone of the chord up a half step, I’m essentially learning that SAME chord in the key a half step up. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck… it’s a duck.

So let’s do it…

G + B + C + E.

Move G up a half step to Ab.

Move B up a half step to C.

Move C up a half step up to Db.

Move E a half step up to F.

The new chord is Ab + C + Db + F. And since the old chord was a “major 7″ chord in 2nd inversion, that means THIS IS ALSO A MAJOR 7 CHORD IN 2ND INVERSION.

Nothing changes about the quality or quantity of the chord. If it’s major, the quality will be the same. If it’s a seventh, the quantity will also be the same. So, if the first chord was a C major 7, this new chord up a half step is simply a Db major 7. Got it?

So you could essentially learn every chord this way. It’s the easiest because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to move every finger up one note. But it’s limiting because music doesn’t move chromatically like that. I mean it CAN, but it isn’t commonplace like fourths and fifths.

FOURTHS and FIFTHS are everywhere. They are the most common movement.

So remember the circle of fifths order I told you to memorize?

C > F > Bb > Eb > Ab > Db > Gb > B > E > A > D > G (repeat)

If you want to really get the “flow of music,” learn chords in fourths and also practice them in fourths.

Let’s take this same example:

G + B + C + E.

This is a C major 7 chord in 2nd inversion. If I were taking my own advice and learning this same chord in fourths, I would seek to learn an “F major 7″ chord next…

Why? Because it’s a fourth up from C when using the circle order above.

So it’s simple… let’s take each of these notes and determine what’s a fourth up from each one.

G + B + C + E.

This is easy because a fourth up is whatever note is “NEXT” in the circle. Just do this with EACH note.

A fourth up from “G” is “C” A fourth up from “B” is “E” A fourth up from “C” is “F” A fourth up from “E” is “A”

We’ve just learned the F major 7 chord by taking each note up a fourth.

So essentially, the same circle we use to play chord patterns is the same circle we use to learn CHORDS. That’s why I said to do whatever it takes to memorize the circle. These shortcuts are everywhere.

C + E + F + A is an F major 7 chord in 2nd inversion.

(for my beginners, yes, I know C is on the bottom but when you invert a chord, you basically change the order of notes.)

This same chord is F + A + C + E in the normal “root” inversion. If you take the “F” off the bottom and put it on the top, you get “A + C + E + F,” which is 1st inversion. If you then take the “A” off the bottom and put it on the top, you get “C + E + F + A,” which is 2nd inversion — the one we just learned.

So here’s your homework.

Take these chords below and learn them in fourths using the same steps I took above. You can also start all over and learn them chromatically too but the real “connection” comes in learning them in fourths.

C major = C + E + G

C major 7 = C + E + G + B

C minor = C + Eb + G

C minor 7 = C + Eb + G + Bb

EXTRA CREDIT: Invert the chords by taking the current note off the bottom and putting it on the top. Do this again to get the next inversion. If the chord has 4 notes, do this AGAIN to get the final inversion.

Post your answers below as a comment.

Again, you’re taking all 4 chords above and learning each one in all 12 keys USING the circle I talked about above. If you can’t do this, you need to print out this lesson and re-read it. This will result in you knowing 48 chords by the end of this exercise. If you’re serious, you’ll do it. If you get this one concept, you’ll skip at least 6-8 months worth of lessons… and that’s only if your teacher knows how important the circle is to playing BY EAR. Sight readers use this to figure out key signatures and ’sharps & flats’ but all that stuff is NOTHING compared to the real value of the circle. The real value of the circle involves patterns, song movement, and stuff like that, if you’re an “ear” player.

If you want to get a real good introduction to all this, my $17 course is a steal. If you’re a reader, you have everything here. I sure didn’t hold back. If I wanted to hold back, I would have stopped 4 pages ago. The $17 starter course just takes it further by giving you 2 hours of instruction in my own voice with live demonstrations and examples.

So if my written words are cool for you, then I can promise you my voice is easily 3 times better. And at $17, you have nothing to lose. Check it out at:

http://www.hearandplay.com/17dollarcourse

If you were a bit helped by the words I’ve written here, then this audio course will REALLY be helpful because you’ll hear me talking about all this stuff for 2 whole hours, reinforcing every little concept over and over. You’ll like it.

Go to:

http://www.hearandplay.com/17dollarcourse

(You can even get the downloadable digital version and start learning right away).

Talk soon,

Jermaine

P.S. - Got questions? Comment below and I’ll answer right away:

P.P.S - If your budget allows, my 300pg course is your next best bet. It has 20 chapters, tons of exercises, and covers everything, step by step:

http://www.hearandplay.com/core

http://www.hearandplay.com/products

After last week’s e-mail, I received a host of replies. Here’s one that I think will really help you (VERY IMPORTANT STRATEGIES).

***Comment From Kelly W.***

Hi Jermaine,

Thanks for sending such an informative e-mail. I feel like you give so much through your website, blog, and e-mails (maybe too much). Do you ever sleep?

Well, here’s another e-mail to add to your insomnia. :-)

You mentioned the number system and how it is key when it comes to playing music by ear. I totally get that now. But towards the end, you started talking about numbers and patterns but you quickly ended. Kinda left me hanging as I was hanging on your every word up until that point and didn’t want the e-mail to end.

Do you mind expounding on how the number system works with patterns?

A passionate fan, Kelly W.

>>> My Comments (and explanations):

Kelly, first off, thanks so much for your kind words. Yes, I DO sleep (but not nearly as much as I should). My wife says I should be getting in as much sleep as possible RIGHT NOW before our 2nd daughter is born in December. But I’m hard-headed. So enjoy these personal replies while they last :-)!

To recap, YES, the number system is absolutely pivitol in playing music by ear without sheet music. There’s just so much you can do with it. (And it’s so easy to grasp — you just take every major scale you know and NUMBER each of them from 1 to 7… BAMMM! There’s the number system).

But let’s talk about chord patterns for a second…

In playing by ear, you’ll notice that a lot of songs use the same chord patterns over and over again. One popular chord pattern is the 1-4-5 chord progression. (Let me stop — for my beginners, “chord patterns,” “chord progressions,” “chord changes,” “chord ___whatever___” pretty much all mean the same thing).

When I say “1-4-5″ in this sense, I’m literally talking about a chord built off the first tone of the scale “moving” (or progressing) to a chord off the fourth tone of the scale… and finally to a chord off the fifth tone of the scale. There are countless possibilities.

In the key of C (ahhhh, amazing how the number system stands on its own two feet… but now let’s move into a specific key)…

In the key of C, a 1-4-5 chord pattern would be some kind of chord on C moving to some kind of chord on F, and finally ending on some type of chord on G. Those notes - C, F, & G - are the 1st, 4th, and 5th degrees of the scale, respectively. In other words, the “root” or “bass” of the chord will determine the number that gets attached to it.

C major. Root (or bass) is C. And C is the first tone of the scale. Therefore, C major is on “the 1.”

Now the reason NUMBERS are important is that I can express tons of patterns like this without being in any particular key. That is why I made the statement above about “coming” into a specific key. See, numbers are like a universal language. I can sit here and chat with a fellow musician all day long and if he or she knows about numbers, our conversation could actually make sense just saying stuff like “1-4-5″ or “6-2-5-1″ or “2-5-1″ or “b5-7-3″ (b5 = “flatted 5″ and you get it by literally taking the 5th tone of the scale and flatting it a half step).

So that’s why I mentioned how important numbers are when it comes to chord patterns.

Here’s my advice to any musician who wants to get the most out of NUMBERS…

First, master your scales as numbers and be able to call out any number fast. Like if I asked you, “what is the 2nd tone of F,” you should answer within seconds, “G.” If I say “the 7th tone of B,” you should answer “A#” within seconds. I’ve created a free 28-pg report about this very strategy and you can download at: http://www.hearandplay.com/numbers (Enjoy!)

Second, once you’ve mastered numbers and they are second nature to you, start “THINKING” about them as you play songs. For example, if someone taught you these chords in the key of C:

C major > F major > G7 > G/F > E minor > A7 > D minor > G7 > C major

(Believe it or not, this is a very common string of chords). Oh yeah, since I hate for people to be lost, the “G7″ is the quick way to write “G dominant 7.” The “G/F” is what we call a slash chord. It means play a G major chord over F bass. Whenever you see a letter without “major” or “minor” or something like that, assume “major.” And if you see a slash, the note on the right of the slash is to be played on your left hand as the bass.

I get carried away, excuse me! :-)

So back to this chord pattern. Once you’ve mastered numbers, you need to be thinking “NUMBERS.” See, if you’re just playing this progression and thinking these are random chords, you’re cheating yourself. But if you think of this string of chords as numbers progressing from one to the other, then you’ll be opened up to a whole new world. Let me explain…

Because there are 12 distinct keys that you can possibly be playing a song in, most people don’t know they are playing the SAME exact thing in other keys. I mean, how can you? Everything feels different. The notes are different, the letters are different, the titles are different. The chords feel different to your hands. etc…

Numbers standardize everything. There can only be a single number per chord. So it doesn’t matter what key you’re in, if you’re thinking in terms of numbers, you have just brought that key into a neutral world.

Example:

F major: ———–

F major > Bb major > C7 > C/Bb > A minor > D7 > G minor > C7 > F major

Did you realize right off the bat that this was the same exact pattern I displayed above in C? Most WOULDN’T because the notes are different. It throws most people off so they continue playing these two separate chord progressions in different keys NOT KNOWING they are playing the same thing!

Let’s analyze:

C major ———–

C major > F major > G7 > G/F > E minor > A7 > D minor > G7 > C major

1 > 4 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 6 > 2 > 5 > 1

(I just took the keynotes of each chord and figured out their “numbers.”)

For example, in the C major chord, C is the keynote (the title). It is the first tone of C major (duhh!). F major is the next chord. It’s the 4th tone of C major. G7 is the next chord. It’s the 5th tone of C major. (You just keep doing this until you’ve analyzed each chord). At the end, you have this chord pattern in numbers:

1 > 4 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 6 > 2 > 5 > 1

Now, if you do the same thing to the “F major” chord progression I posted above, you’ll get these numbers:

F major: ———–

F major > Bb major > C7 > C/Bb > A minor > D7 > G minor > C7 > F major

1 > 4 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 6 > 2 > 5 > 1

Lightbulb yet?

It’s the SAME pattern but you probably didn’t know that if you don’t already think in terms of numbers. Most musicians would have treated these progressions as two separate “things” because they look different.

But at the core, when you strip all the letters away, they are the same. Hmmm, “MESSAGE!” Everyone comes in different shapes, colors, and sizes. But when you strip all that away, we are all the same! :-)

The third thing to do is to just get fast at being able to figure this out WHILE you’re playing. That’s all. After you do it so much, you’ll just ‘think’ that way. It’s a paradigm shift from the standard way of playing. You’ll be there soon.

So, we’re full circle. Back to numbers and their importance.

You may be thinking, “Jermaine! How do I ‘think’ in terms of numbers?”

Well, it’s not something you overdo. It’s just something you’re “aware” of. As you’re playing, you force yourself to think: “Ok, I’m on the ____ tone of the scale.” That’s it! It’s simple! Over time, it will become second nature.

Then, you’ll see just how EVERYTHING YOU PLAY (or 80% of it) boils down to the same exact patterns. You can’t see it now because you’re thinking in terms of letters. “Letters” are sort of the enemy of playing in all 12 keys. Just two hard to memorize all the letters. But if you get good at memorizing the universal numbers for all the patterns and chords you play, you won’t go wrong.

To learn other unique techniques and strategies you can use to master the number system and take your playing to the next level, go to the link below. I recommend either my 300-pg course or my Starter 702 audio course (or BOTH). The Starter 702 course is cheap… a steal… $17 bucks and covers much of what I’ve talked about here… but with my VOICE and piano explaining everything. If you’re serious, check it out:

http://www.hearandplay.com/products

(It’s in the CORE ESSENTIALS section).

Talk soon,

Jermaine

P.S. - This old video I did several months ago will really help you with numbers as well…

I’ll lay out 2 ways to do it. One way, I learned about 16 years ago and still use at times.

The other way is more involved, but will help your understanding of music a lot better.

So the shortcut vs the long road (that’s worth the trip).

The shortcut

Ok, so you have four chords that you picked up online and you want to learn them in the other 11 keys.

The first way is pretty simple.

Just take out a notebook and reserve a few pages for each major key. Better yet, get a folder, 12 tabs, and label them according to the major keys.

Now, take the chord progression you just learned in one key, let’s say “C major,” and get to work with these steps below…

(Oops, before I present the steps, let’s lay out our basic chord progression)…

Chord progression:
C major - G major - A minor - F major (repeat)

(Again, this is in the key of “C major”).

Reference:
C major = C+E+G
G major = G+B+D
A minor = A+C+E
F major = F+A+C

1) First, we’re going to move this chord progression up a half step. Remember that half steps are from key to key with no keys in between. So a half step up from C is Db.

2) Literally, you just move EVERY finger you have held down up a note. It’s that simple. And because you’re moving everything equally, the chord names stay the same.

So the “C major” chord becomes “Db major”
The “G major chord” becomes “Ab major”
The “A minor chord” becomes “Bb minor”
The “F major chord” becomes “Gb major”

(Now, I chose to go to the key of Db rather than C#. Had I said “C#”, these chords would be C# major to G# major to A# minor to F# major… which looks just like the C major progression but with sharps. But Db major is much more common than C# so I went with Db.)

So again, C+E+G (C major) becomes Db+F+Ab (Db major)
G+B+D (G major) becomes Ab+C+Eb (Ab major)
A+C+E (A minor) becomes Bb+Db+F (Bb minor)
F+A+C (F major) becomes Gb+Bb+Db (Gb major)

3) Basically, you take this approach all the way up the piano. But don’t forget to write these chords down in your notebook under the appropriate major key. If you’ve separated the major keys by tabs, even better so you can flip back very quickly when you need it.

4) The key is to not only write them down (because it’s true, if you write something, you’ll remember it a lot more than just reading it)… but you also want to play it in the new key about 10 times. If you think writing helps you to remember, “doing” takes memorization to a whole new level.

For some, all it will take is writing and playing it a few times and you’ll remember the chords forever. Others may have to refer back to the notebook a few times to warm up the memory.

(For my more experienced players, obviously you’ll replace these simple major and minor chords with more intricate ones but the process and rules for memorization will apply to you as well.)

At the end of the day, you’ll end up with 12 pages of chords, all written out in their respective keys.

5) Go in this order and use the “flat names” for the black keys (trust me, it will be much easier. Later on, you’ll use the sharp names of the black keys when playing in minor keys):

C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C

The more involved way

The other way is to really understand “what’s going on,” as Marvin Gaye would say.

Let’s look at this C major chord progression again.

Chord progression:
C major - G major - A minor - F major (repeat)

Now what’s really going on here?

Using numbers can really allow us to see what’s going on without confining us to one particular key. It’s the universal language.

1) Convert the major key into numbers. Take the scale and put a number under each tone.

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2) Figure out which numbers go with the chords you’re using in the progression

C major - G major - A minor - F major

C major = 1
G major = 5
A minor = 6
F major = 4

See where I got the numbers?

Straight from the scale. C is the first tone of the scale, G is the 5th tone of the scale, A is the 6th tone of the scale, and F is the 4th tone of the scale.

3) Write your progression out using numbers instead of letters. Letters help you to play in ONE key. Numbers help you to play in ALL keys.

1major - 5major - 6minor - 4major

All I did was replace the letters, not the chord type. The chords stay the same.

4) So now, before this can work like magic, you need to make sure that you know all your major and minor chords. You can learn them by following the lessons on this page.

5) Lastly, you just go to your new major key and apply the formula: 1major - 5major - 6minor - 4major. Of course, this requires that you also know your scales as numbers. But by doing it this way, you’re actually understanding how music works rather than just moving everything up a half step (which can work too, obviously).

6) Feel free to follow the circle of fifths pattern going counter-clockwise while learning your progressions in new keys. In other words, you learn your new keys in this order: C major, then F major, then Bb major, then Eb major (rather than in half steps like we did in the first method). See the circle of fifths chart for details.

Why? Because you’ll notice that by learning the chords in C major first, then moving to F major — you’ll actually play majority of the same chords because major keys that are neighbors on the circle are closely related and share majority of the same notes (in fact, the difference in the C major scale and the F major scale is actually just ONE note so it’s not surprising that playing the chord progression in F major almost feels the same as playing it in C major).

Let’s see…

C major:

C major - G major - A minor - F major

F major:

F major - C major - D minor - Bb major

(We actually already know 2 of the chords from our previous key. And truth be told, “D minor” is also in the key of C so had our chord progression been a little more intricate, we might’ve had that chord in common too)

Summary

So there you have it… two ways to learn your favorite chords and songs in all 12 keys.

Now, I only demonstrated this with 4 chords. Your songs will certainly have more chords. That’s why it’s important to take it step by step, chord by chord, and make sure to write and rehearse what you’re writing on the piano so you can ingrain it in your memory and you’ll be just fine! :)

Until next time,
Jermaine

In other words, if I were to play a chord progression like “C major — F major — G major” in the key of C major, by transposing it, I can play the same exact chord progression in 11 other keys.

Does that make sense to you?

There are two steps to “transposing”:

Step 1) Find out how many half steps separate the (a) key that you are currently playing the song in and the (b) key that you want to transpose the song to.

For example, if I was playing a song in the key of C major and wanted to move the song to the key of D, I’d first have to find out how many half steps are in between “C” and “D”

So by simply counting from C to C#, from C# to D, I come up with 2 half steps. So … 2 half steps (or 1 whole step) separate C major and D major.

Step 2) Since, I’ve figured out that “D major” is 2 half steps higher than “C major,” I must move every single chord up 2 half steps.

Are you still with me?

In other words, if I were playing a:

1a) C major chord
1b) D major chord
1c) E major chord

… I’d have to move each of those chords up two half steps to create this chord progression:

2a) D major
2b) E major
2c) F# major

3a) Notice, the D major is no longer C major (it is moved up 2 half steps)

3b) The E major replaces the previous D major (because “E” is two half steps higher than “D”).

3c)… and lastly, the F# major chord replaces the previous “E major” chord because F# is 2 half steps from E (remember, E to F is 1 half step and F to F# is another half step so that equals a total of 2 half steps).

This process is known as “transposition.” I’ve done one example for you … try it with one of the songs you already know! Try to transpose it to the next key (that is, 1 half step up). Let me know how you are doing.

I’d love to hear from you - call 1-877-856-4187 to speak with a piano specialist if you need help!