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6.7.6
How the Circle of Fifths Works, Compared with the Circular Harmonic Scale

You might have noticed a vague resemblance between the circle of fifths and the circular harmonic scale. However, except for their shape, the two are very different. Different in structure, different in function. Table 44 (A) summarizes the differences.

TABLE 44 (A) Summary of Differences Between the Circle of Fifths and the Circular Harmonic Scale

	Circle of Fifths	Circular Harmonic Scale
Shape	Circular arrangement of key signatures.	Circular arrangement of chords.
Other Names for the Same Thing	Heinichen’s Circle of Fifths Modulatory Circle of Fifths	Modified Circle Progression
Constituent Elements	Key signatures and letter names of keys.	Chords
Number of Constituent Elements	12 key signatures representing 2 keys each.	7 chords.
Number of Keys Represented	24 keys—12 major keys and 12 relative minor keys.	2 keys—1 major and 1 relative minor key. (There are 12 different circular harmonic scales, one for each pair of keys—major and relative minor.)
Natural Direction of Motion	Clockwise or counterclockwise.	Clockwise is the “natural” direction.
Visual Representation of Major and Minor Keys	Represented in parallel. Major and minor keys form concentric circles.	Represented in series. Chords of one major key and one minor key form part of the same circle.
Main Purposes	To show key signature formation. Proceeding clockwise, sharps increase by one. Proceeding counterclockwise, flats increase by one. To show degree of relatedness of keys to each other. Keys adjacent to each other share all the same scale notes but one, so are musically closely related. Keys across the circle from each other share few of the same scale notes, so are musically remote.	To show the natural direction of harmonic scale neighbours within a single pair of “relative” keys. Proceeding clockwise resolves harmonic imbalance and tension. Proceeding counterclockwise creates harmonic imbalance and tension. To provide an easy way to identify third and second progressions. Second progressions are separated by one position on the circular scale. Third progressions are separated by two positions. To show how dominant and subdominant chords relate to tonic chords. To show secondary dominant chords. To show how the chords of major and relative minor keys relate to each other.