Use the Riptide Guitar’s Guitar Circle of Fourths to Get the Tones of Any Scale or Chords of Any Key

The Guitar Circle of Fourths rocks. It does. You can use the Guitar Circle of Fourths to work out the tones of any scale or chords of any key.

In Riptide Guitar’s Guitar Circle of Fourths, I showed you how you can find the Guitar Circle of Fourths on the fretboard.

MINOR 5 (MINOR PENTATONIC)

• The intervals of any minor pentatonic scale: m3 M2 M2 m3 M2
• The intervals of E Minor 5 from E: m3 P4 P5 m7 P8

The Visual Way:

1. Pick your tonic
2. The P5 is to the first left of your tonic
3. The P4 is to the first right of your tonic
4. The remaining two tones are to the right of the P4
5. The 2nd remaining chord is the 2 chord of the scale
6. The 1st remaining chord is the 4 chord of the scale

THE BLUES

• The Blues scale is the minor pentatonic scale with the TT added.
• The intervals of any minor pentatonic scale: m3 M2 m2 m2 m3 M2 
• The intervals of E Blues from E: m3 P4 TT P5 m7 P8
• The Blues splits the second M2 of the pentatonic scale into two m2.

The Visual Way:

1. Use the Riptide Guitar Circle of Fourths™
2. Use the Visual Way to get your tones for Minor 5.
3. Add the TT.
4. The TT is directly opposite of the tonic on the Guitar Circle of Fourths.

E MAJOR 5 (E MAJOR PENTATONIC)

• Any major 5 scale flattens the 2, 3 and 5 of the minor 5 scale.
• The intervals of any major pentatonic scale: M2 M2 m3 M2 m3
• The intervals of E Major 5 from E: M2 M3 P5 M6 P8
• The major 5 swaps the 1 and 3 and the 4 and 5 of a minor 5 scale.

The Visual Way:

1. Pick your tonic
2. The P5 is to the first left of your tonic
3. The rest of the tones are to the left of the P5
4. Two left from the tonic is the M2
5. Four left from the tonic is the M3
6. Three left from the tonic is the M6

E MAJOR 7 (E IONIAN)

• Any Major 7 scale adds the P4 and the M7 to the Major 5 scale.
• The intervals of any major 7 scale: M2 M2 m2 M2 M2 M2 m2
• The intervals of any major 7 scale from the tonic: M2 M3 P4 P5 M6 M7 P8
• Any Major 7 has two Major tetrachords (2-2-1) that hinge around a M2.
• The hinge is a P5 from the tonic and starts the second tetrachord.

1. Take the tones of the minor 5 and flatten the 2, 3 and 5.
2. Add the P4 and the M7.

The Visual Way:

1. Use the Visual Way to get your tones for Major 5.
2. Add the P4.
3. The P4 is to the first right of your tonic
4. Add the M7.
5. The M7 is right seven of your tonic
6. Another way: The M7 is left one of your TT and your TT is opposite your tonic.

CHORDS OF A MAJOR KEY

• The root of the chords of a major key match the tones of the Major 7 (Ionian) scale. 
• The intervals of Major 7: M2 M3 P4 P5 M6 M7 P8 
• The perfect tones root the major chords. 
• The major tones root the minor chords. 
• The M7 chord is a diminished chord. A diminished chord is like a minor chord with a flatted 5th. The intervals of a diminished chords: m3 m3. 

The Visual Way:

1. Pick your root
2. The P5 is to the first left of your root
3. The P4 is to the first right of your root
4. The remaining four chords are to the left of the P5 and before the TT
5. The 2 chord is first
6. The 4 chord is third
7. The 6 chord is second
8. The 7 chord is fourth

The Step Way:

1. Pick your root
2. The P5 is -1
3. The P4 is +1
4. The M2 is -2
5. The M3 is -4
6. The M6 is -3
7. The M7 is -5