Erasmus

Note shapes

Every chord and scale is a shape on the circle of twelve notes. Click notes to add them, see the shape they make, hear it, and find out what it's called. The same shape in another key is the same chord or scale, just turned.

C: degree 1. Click to take it out. C1D♭: click to add it D♭D: click to add it DE♭: click to add it E♭E: degree 3. Click to take it out. E3F: click to add it FF♯: click to add it F♯G: degree 5. Click to take it out. G5A♭: click to add it A♭A: click to add it AB♭: click to add it B♭B: click to add it B

Round in half steps, like a clock: each step clockwise is one fret up.

Turn moves the whole shape to another key. Flip mirrors it (a major triad flips into a minor one). Next mode keeps the notes and counts from the next one round.

C major

Chord symbol C · 3 notes · R 3 5.

NotesC E G
Degrees1 3 5
Gaps4 · 3 · 5 half steps between the notes, round to the root
As a chord One at a time The scale Sound

Root:

What the shape says

  • Not mirrored. Flip it and you get a different shape (try it: that's how major becomes minor).
  • Intervals inside it:½ ×0W ×0m3 ×1M3 ×14th ×1♯4 ×0
    Every pair of notes in the shape, counted by how far apart they are. Lots of fifths and fourths sound open; lots of half steps sound tense.
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙
Reconnecting…