Last issue we discussed some of the many things we can learn from the Circle of 4ths, and I asked some questions which you ostensibly have been thinking about during the interim.

In this issue, I would like to go over each of those questions and see if we can squeeze a glass of insight out of them.

The first question was: "What are the primary chords in the Key of E?" Looking at the Circle of 4ths, we simply select E and the chord to the left and to the right of E -- those are the primary chords -- E, A, and B.

Second: "What chord would normally follow E?" Since we know that the natural inclination of chords is to move up a 4th, we simply take the next chord to the right of E -- which is A -- and that A is a 4th higher than E, and the most likely target for a move from E.

Third: "Which chords are the most unlikely in the Key of E?" Look straight across the Circle of 4ths from E. What do you see? F and Bb. They are the least likely chords to occur in the key of E, because they are "a world away" from E.

Fourth: "What are the secondary chords in the Key of E?" Look left from E past B around the circle and you come to F#, C#, and G#.

Fifth: "What is the order of the flats?" There are 7 possible flats, and they always occur in the same order in a key signature. The first flat is always Bb, then just continue around the Circle of 4th clockwise until you have all 7 flats -- Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Fb, and Cb.

Sixth: "What is the order of the sharps?" Same idea, only go counter-clockwise around the circle. F# is always the first sharp in a key signature, so: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#.

Seventh: "How many sharps are there in the key of E?" Count the number of keys E is beyond C, and you have your answer! (G, D, A, E = 4).

Eighth: "How many sharps or flats does each key contain?" Easy. Just count how far the key is from C, and you have your answer. For example, F is one key away from C, isn't it? So the key of F has one flat. How far is G away from C? Right. One key. So the key of G has one sharp. Db is 5 keys away from C, so it has 5 flats. B is five keys away from C the other way, so it has 5 sharps. Get the idea? If not, hang in there and think about it. You'll get it.

Ninth: Which chords are enharmonic ? (enharmonic means that there is more than one name for the same pitch) Easy again. Db is the same as C#, isn't it? Same place on the circle, same sound -- so it has to be enharmonic.

Tenth: Which keys are enharmonic? Same idea exactly. Since Bb and A# are the same note, same pitch, same place on the circle, they are enharmonic keys as well.

Eleventh: "What is the relative minor key of each major key?" Just count 4 keys counter-clockwise, and you have the relative minor key. For example, C major is relative to A minor, because A is four keys counter-clockwise around the circle. Dm is relative to F major for the same reason, and so on.

We're up to eleven things the Circle of 4th can reveal to us, and we've barely scratched the surface.

But that's enough for this time. More next issue.

Meanwhile, check out the nifty and helpful piano courses on CD and DVD at www.playpiano.com