AKA “Linear Circle of 5ths”
(Magic Wand is a much cooler name, don’t you think?)
My students take the annual theory exam offered by Texas Music Teachers Association. The information I describe in this podcast coincides with the concepts students need to know for the Level 3 and Level 4 theory exam.
One of the primary concepts students need to know for this test, and musicians need to be familiar with in general, is key signatures.
Listen to the full episode here:
It all starts with a goofy sentence about a Fat Cat:
Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Bacon
Third Graders taking the TMTA theory test only need to know the first three letters: F, C, G.
Students can remember:
“F uses the Flat” meaning the F major scale uses a black key B.
“C is Clear” meaning the C major scale has no black keys (no sharps or flats)
“G uses the Sharp” meaning the G major scale uses a black key F.
I tell my students to say, “C is Clear, F has the Flat, and G is the other one.”
Fourth Graders taking the TMTA theory test are responsible for the keys of F, C, G, D, A, and E (I still teach them B to complete the sentence, though they won’t be tested over the B major scale)
Students build on the information they learned in third grade.
Order of Sharps (♯): FCGDAEB
Order of Flats (♭): BEADGCF
Use the Magic Wand to play major scales:
D scale
- Put pinkies on two D piano keys.
- Place your other fingers (not your thumbs) on the white keys in-between the two D’s
- On your Magic Wand, notice that there is a number 2 above the letter D. This means the D scale uses 2 sharps (♯).
- Looking at the Order of Sharps, you will notice that the first two sharps are F and C
- Now we know that we need to use a black key F and a black key C to play the D major scale correctly.
- Play the piano keys in order starting with your left pinkie going up to your right pinkie.
E scale
- Put pinkies on two E piano keys.
- Place your other fingers (not your thumbs) on the white keys in-between the two E’s
- On the Magic Wand, notice that there is a number 4 above the letter E. This means the E major scale uses 4 sharps (♯).
- Looking at the Order of Sharps, you will notice that the first four sharps are F C G and D
- Now we know that we need to use black keys on F, C, G, and D to play the E major scale correctly.
- Play the piano keys in order starting with your left pinkie going up to your right pinkie.
Use the Magic Wand to identify major key signatures:
Just like we can use the Magic Wand to know the correct notes to play in a scale, we can go in reverse and identify a key name by studying the key signature.
- Notice the number of sharps listed at the beginning of a piece.
- For example, three sharps (♯) listed after a treble clef sign.
- Look on your Magic Wand to find the number three. Be sure to look to the right of C because sharps go to the right.
- The letter below the number three is A. This is the key of A Major.
- The order of sharps will tell you that the sharps in the key of A are F, C, and G.
- What if there is one flat (♭) listed after a treble clef sign?
- Look on your Magic Wand to find the number one. There are two number ones on the Magic Wand, we want the one to the left of C because flats go to the left.
- The letter below the number one is F. This is the key of F Major.
- The order of flats will tell you that the flat in the key of F is B.
Thanks Shelley for these informative podcasts. I enjoy listening to them. Just a suggestion. The sentence I like to use when referring to the circle of 5th is:
Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
Reading as is, gives you the sharps. Reading in reverse gives you the flats.
Regards
Sue (Australia)
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for listening, I really appreciate it! Thanks, too, for the handy palindromic sentence. 🙂 I love giving my students a variety of tools from which to choose. What doesn’t work for one might well work for another.
Keep up the great work,
Shelly