Make your own color wheel

Supplies:

• One (1) copy of the color wheel kit PDF printout
• Six (6) colored pencils (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
• One (1) regular pencil or pen
• Scissors
• One (1) paper clip (bigger is better, but any clip will work)

Vocabulary:

• color wheel
• square
• primary colors
• secondary colors
• complementary colors
• circle
• tertiary colors
• pattern
• piano keyboard

Activity:

Do you have a favorite color in the rainbow? The world is full of colors. The blue sky … green trees … yellow sun … orange cats … red cars … and purple flowers. Bright colors, dark colors, warm colors, and cool colors.

In the color wheel, there are 12 colors. Together, they look really good — like a rainbow. Have you seen a color wheel before?Artists use it all the time.

Let’s make our own color wheel! Check to make sure you have all your supplies.

1. We will start with our printout of the blank color wheel and scissors. Cut the paper in half so that you have a top half and a bottom half. Set the bottom half aside.

2. Before we put our color wheel together, we need to make sure we understand how the colors relate to each other. It’s time to color the top half of the paper, so grab the colored pencils.

First, color the square labeled “red.” It is at the very top. Don’t press too hard. Just be gentle.

3. Next, color the square labeled “yellow.” It is on the right, near the bottom. Can you see it?

4. Our next color is blue. Do you see it? Yep, it is the square on the left.

Hey, do you know what these colors are called? Artists say they are the primary colors — red, yellow, and blue.

Why are they called “primary colors?” It’s because we use them to make the other colors in the color wheel. To see what I mean, let’s make the secondary colors now.

5. What happens when we mix red and yellow? We make orange! find the square between red and yellow and color it orange.

6. What happens when we mix yellow with blue? Yep, we make green. Now, find the square between yellow and blue — color it green!

7. What color do you think comes from mixing blue and red? Purple is correct. Find the square between blue and red and color it purple.

These six (6) colors look like a rainbow. And do you want to know something cool? Each color has an opposite — called a complementary color. It is easy .

8. Red and green are complementary colors. So green is the opposite of red … and red is the opposite of green. On your color wheel, draw a straight line with your regular pencil. Connect these two colors, like this:

9. So, which color is the opposite of orange? Nice job! It is blue. Orange and blue are complementary colors. Now, draw a line between these two squares.

10. Okay, the last one is easy. Which color is the opposite of yellow? Yep, it is purple. Yellow and purple are complementary colors. So, draw a line between these two squares.

How does your color wheel look? Pretty good, huh? But wait … what about the circle shapes? They need colors, too. We call these last colors tertiary colors. And we make them by mixing the primary colors and secondary colors.

11. See that circle between red and orange? We will color it “red-orange.” It is just a mix of both red and orange. Get it?

First, color the circle with the darker color — your red pencil. (Don’t press too hard!) Next, add a layer of orange on top. These two colors will mix to make red-orange. Cool!

12. Now, let’s color the next circle orange-yellow. Remember, it is called “orange-yellow”  because it is between the orange square and the yellow square.

First, color this circle lightly with your orange pencil. Then add a layer of yellow on top. these two colors mix together to make orange-yellow. Awesome!

13. This is fun. Now, let’s color the other shapes in the same way. Remember to color the darker color first, and also not to press too hard.

When you are done, your wheel should look like this:

In music, we use these same 12 colors. They look like this:

But wait! These colors look different — like they got all mixed up. What happened? Well, we just use a simple new pattern from the color wheel. Let’s see how to make this new pattern.

Now you will need the scissors and the bottom half of your printout.

14. Use your scissors to cut out each shape on the gray lines. All the squares are on one side in the star shape. And all the circles are on the other side in the big round circle. When you finish cutting, your two pieces of paper should look like this:

15. Grab your paper clip. Bend it like this:

16. Using the paper clip, poke a hole through the piece of paper with circles. From the bottom, poke through the plus sign in the center.

17. Then, do the same with the piece of paper shaped like a star. Poke a hole through the plus sign at the center. When you are done, it will look like this:

18. Now, let’s spin the squares so we make the color wheel. Make sure that red is at the top.

Every color is right where it should be. But this color wheel does not look like the piano keyboard. No problem. We can easily make this pattern.

19. All we have to do is switch complementary colors. So, take the red square and have it trade places with the green square. Go ahead and spin the colors. Now, red is at the bottom … and green is at the top!

Hey, the other complementary colors traded places, too! Orange and blue switched and so did yellow and purple. Now, we have an “opposite” color wheel. Cool!

This is the color pattern we use in music. It is very simple. In Color Music, we learn all about this color pattern. It’s fun! And now that we know all 12 colors, we will learn super fast.

Quiz:

1. How many colors are in the color wheel?

2. Name the three primary colors.

3. What are the three secondary colors?

4. How many squares are in the color wheel?

5. What is red’s complementary color?

6. What is green’s complementary color?

7. How many circles are in the color wheel?

As musicians, our lives are built around the tonic chord (I) of a song. It’s like our home … which is a pleasant place to spend much of our time. But to keep things interesting, we also have to venture out every once in a while. Otherwise, life might start to get a little boring. So we need to put on our walking shoes and go for a stroll through the neighborhood.

Just like a bunch of friends and neighbors, the other chords are waiting for us to visit. We could drop in and say “hello” to any of them. But our closest friends are the subdominant chord (IV) and the dominant chord (V). That’s because, back in the day, they used to live right next to the tonic (I) in the circle of fifths. In fact, chords IV and V get along so well with the tonic chord (I), that they’re almost like family.

In every key, the tonic chord (I) and the dominant chord (V) are especially good friends. And so you’ll often see progressions that move back and forth between just these two chords. The motion between them is so smooth and natural that it feels like we’re floating along a nicely paved path.

To get a feel for this simple “I–V–I” progression, try moving back and forth between these two chords. Almost immediately, we can create a very smooth forward motion that sounds hypnotic. Like a pair of magnets, the dominant (V) naturally pulls away from, and easily leads back to, the tonic (I).

Starting at the tonic (I), it’s easy to move toward the dominant (V). But of course, we don’t want to wear out our welcome, so we stay only for a short time. Soon enough, we turn back and walk home to the tonic (I). The gradual flow between these chords sound great. And it keeps things fresh and interesting.

The effect is so pleasing that some songs use only these two chords. For example, check out the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in the key of C. Using only the C major chord (I) and the G major chord (V), we can form a complete progression. Like a Sunday stroll to our friend’s house, we start out at home and eventually return after a couple of short visits.

To help us keep track of which chords to play, chord symbols are also included above the staff lines. You might think of these labels as a kind of musical shorthand for each chord. Sometimes, musicians just follow these symbols as they play through a song. But honestly, you can do what you want. So if you prefer, you can simply keep an eye on the notes that are written on the grand staff. And remember it’s okay glance down at the keyboard every once in a while … just to make sure your hands are moving to the correct position. Like always, the more we practice, the better we’ll get.

After playing through each major scale progression, you might have noticed something cool. For some crazy reason, Mother Nature totally loves us. Instead of throwing us some curveball, she decided to make things easy. When it comes to chord progressions, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Because they’re really just based on the same, old scale patterns we already know by heart.

In fact, we can even chop up and rearrange the chords in a progression to create new and interesting patterns … just like we did with the notes in a melody. As long as we favor the tonic chord (I), everything will sound nice. And that’s because the tonic chord (I) in a progression is like the tonic note (1) of a scale. It plays a central function in any particular key. The other chords simply play supporting roles in between.

You might even think of the tonic chord (I) as a strong and constant center of gravity. Like the center of its own little solar system, it creates a pull between the other chords … giving any progression a real sense of movement and direction. As we move away from and then back toward the tonic, we create a feeling of tension and release. And this back-and-forth motion between activity and relaxation brings our music to life.

In almost any song we play, the goal is to get back to our home—the tonic chord (I). All of the other chords in the progression exist as part of a roadmap to deliver us to our destination. The route can be simple (through just a chord or two) … or it can be complex (involving lots and lots of chords). But in the end, we always want to return to the tonic (I). Our “home sweet home.”

To see what I mean, let’s play a few simple chord progressions, shall we? Starting with the basic “I–V” pattern….

Musicians are always creating cool, new sounds by using different chord patterns in a song. Together with scales and melodies, chords and progressions are like the nuts and bolts of music. All we have to do is combine these patterns, and we really start to see the payoff of everything we’ve learned so far.

You see, it works like this: We started off with just 12 notes spaced at basic intervals. (You remember those good, old days.) Then using simple patterns, we built a few basic scales (like the major scale). Then from those scales, it was easy to make nice little melodies … and then a few chords after that. Then, by putting all these patterns together, we’ve been able to play entire songs.

And, of course, all of this has been easy to see using Color Music. It’s kind of like that famous picture showing the evolution of man. We start out with the basics … and end up with total excellence.

But, of course, making music is a little more than just throwing a few note patterns together. I mean, notes, scales, melodies, and chords aren’t exactly like the ingredients of a recipe … that we simply toss into a dish and stir. It turns out, there’s more of a method to the madness. And a lot of it has to do with chord progressions….

In most of the music you’ll play, each chord will have only three notes. The average song includes only basic major triads and minor triads. And occasionally, you might see a few augmented triads and diminished chords. But for the most part, musicians keep it simple … and they stick with the major chords and minor chords we know and love.

But every once in a while (especially in jazz music), you might also see bigger, fancier chords. And these larger groups of notes are called “extended” chords.

Extended chords are nice because they make things more interesting. They might not be used quite as often, but they sound pretty cool. So they’re definitely good to know. We play extended chords by taking basic triads and “extending” them … that is, by adding more notes on top.

For example, do you remember how we first played the C major triad? We built that chord by hitting every other note of the C major scale. Well, if we were keep going (adding a seventh note to the group), we’d come up with what’s called the “C major seventh” chord. Get it?

(We could also build even bigger chords by adding more and more notes—like “ninth” chords … “eleventh” chords … and “thirteenth” chords. But because seventh chords sound better and are easier to play, those bigger chords are much less common.)

Anyway … by adding seventh chords to our toolbox, we suddenly have way more options. For example, check out the “C majorseventh,” “C dominant seventh,” and “C minor seventh” chords below. Like their cousins, the basic triads, these seventh chords include just a few notes … and each one is easy to play. You can tell them all apart by their different intervals and special name labels:

Just like before, musicians label each chord with special little symbols … to tell each one apart: And again, there isn’t a standard set of chord symbols in music. So you might see a few different labels from time to time. For example, check out the following chord labels. Each one is pretty common … but they all mean the same thing:

With four notes each (instead of three), these chords are a little more work for our fingers. But with some practice, that’s no problem. In fact, they’re all easy to play once you try them a few times. And because the dominant seventh chord is especially popular in music, let’s check it out in each key. That way, our fingers will get stronger … and we can take on the next few songs….

So … major chords are easy to play. They’re all built from a basic note pattern of “1-3-5” … and each one has a nice, strong sound that goes well with most songs. But the truth is, the major chord isn’t our only option. Because, really, it’s just one of fourbasic chords in music:

In the key of C, for example, these basic chords include the:

• C major triad
• C minor triad
• C augmented triad
• C diminished triad

Like four superheroes—each with its own special powers—these chords show up in all sorts of music. The major triad and minor triad are definitely the leaders of the pack … while the augmented and diminished triads are used a little less often. As you play each of these chords, notice how they’re all really similar to the major chord. The only difference is in the way we play note 3 and note 5:

The intervals in each chord are what make them sound unique. For example, the major triad sounds the most stable or “consonant” because it includes a major-third (3) and perfect fifth (5)—which are both at strong intervals from the root note (1). The minor triad sounds a little less stable because of its minor-third note (b3). This sad, melancholy sound makes it a little less popular than the happy-sounding major triad.

The augmented triad sounds even more unstable (or “dissonant”) because of its augmented (or raised) fifth note (#5). So it’s even less popular than the minor triad. And with its minor-third note (b3) and diminished fifth (b5), the diminished triad is probably the least popular … because it sounds very dissonant.

To tell each chord apart, musicians label them with special little symbols … like this:

Basically, the major chord is so popular that it simply goes by the letter name of its root note. (For example, the C major chord is labeled “C.”) And the other chords are given symbols that mean “minor” (-), “augmented” (+), and “diminished” (o).

As you start to play different songs in music, you’ll also notice that—for some weird reason—there isn’t a standard set of chord symbols. So you might see a few different labels from time to time. For example, check out the following chord labels. Each one is pretty common … but they all mean the same thing:

No matter which labels we use, these basic triads are good to know. And because the major and minor chords are especially popular in music, let’s get a really nice feel for each one, shall we? As you practice hitting these chords in each key, your brain will definitely get smarter … and your hands will, too. By learning to move between these different chords, we’re totally setting ourselves up for greatness.

After you’ve had a little practice, it’s easy to add chords to any melody. You just have to play the melody with your right … and hit the chords with your left hand. It’s as simple as that. And this combination of notes makes our music sound a lot more interesting.

But things get even more interesting when we change chords in a song. After all, the C major chord isn’t the only game in town. We can play all sorts of chords to create some very cools sounds. For example, check out the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” below. By adding an extra G major chord to the mix, everything sounds a little better.

Now that we’ve added another chord, our left hand gets to move a little more throughout the song. And it’s kind of fun. Instead of keeping our fingers in place over the C major chord, we get to move back and forth between C major and G major … like this:

Both chords have the same note pattern of “1-3-5,” so we can keep our left hand in the same basic shape. We just have to move our hands quickly enough to play the correct chord at the start of each measure. Don’t worry if you need to glance down every once in a while … to make sure you’re hands are moving to the right place.

Just like before, try playing each part separately first. Start out by focusing on the melody. Once you’ve played it alone a couple of times, your right hand will be ready. Then play through the chords to get a feel for how they should sound. And when each hand can play its part, try putting them together. The end result will sound awesome.

The nice thing about chords is that they use the same 12 notes we all know and love. Sure … we have to play those notes together in a chord … instead of only one at a time. But there’s nothing too special about that. In fact, you might even say that chords are easier to play than any of the scales we’ve seen so far. And that’s because, while most scales include five, six, or seven notes, most chords have only three notes.

Chords might take a little more coordination as our fingers work together at the same time. But no worries … we have Color Music on our side. By using colors and shapes, we can quickly pick out the right notes and intervals. Which makes it easy to find and play any chord.

Just like before, the colors, squares, and circles, show us which notes to play and why. And that means we’ll spend less time thinking … and a lot more time playing.

As always, those nice, little squares and circles make life good. Like a pattern of lights guiding our way, they show us exactly what we should play.

Now that we know how to play music’s most popular chord—the major triad—let’s see it in action, shall we? In our next song, we’ll focus on hitting each major chord with the left hand … while playing the melody line with the right hand. In music notation, we show this by splitting the bass staff and treble staff, like so:

Because chords are used to support the melody, they’re usually written on the bass staff. Like pillars or columns, chords lay a solid foundation for the melody—which is usually written on the treble staff. By playing the chords and the melody together, we simply blend all the notes into a full and complete song.

To keep things simple, our first song includes just one major chord, C major … while the melody is based on the C major scale.

You’ve definitely heard this tune before. Some of you might know it as “Are You Sleeping?” … and others might know it as “Frere Jacques.” But either way, it’s pretty basic. Because we’ll play just one C major chord at the start of each measure.

At first, it might be a little hard to get both of your hands working together. But that’s only natural, so don’t worry. It can be a little strange to play one part with your left hand … and another part with your right hand. Which is why a lot of musicians learn new songs using a special trick. They simply practice each part separately before putting the melody and chords together.

To see what I mean, let’s try doing this with our new song. With the right hand, start out by going through the melody alone a couple of times. It’s in the key of C (with a 4/4 time signature), so it should be pretty easy to learn. Then with your left hand, go through the song again, hitting only the chords at the start of each measure. And once each hand is ready, go back to the beginning and play both the melody and the chords together.

The chords on the bass staff are written exactly under the notes of the melody. So as you play, make sure all the notes are lined up and played together at the same time. That way, the song will sound right and everyone will be happy.

Seriously … who knew that adding a few chords could make our music sound so much better?

Okay, so this is how chords work … just like scale patterns, chords are totally simple. We use the same 12 notes to make them. And just like before, we label each note using the same number names, or “scale degrees.”

Based on these 12 notes, we can create all sorts of cool chords. But the most popular chord in music—by far—is called the “major chord.” It has only three notes … which together, create a strong, solid sound that goes well with most melodies. Like most things in music, this chord (or “triad”) is based on the major scale pattern … and it’s very easy to play.

For example, check out the “C major chord,” which is built from the C major scale. Starting on the tonic (note 1), all we have to do is hit every other note of the scale up to G (the dominant note) and we have our chord. The C major triad includes C (note 1) … E (note 3) … and G (note 5). It’s that simple.

Because we use chords to support the melody, these notes are usually played with the left hand. (You can also play this same chord with your right hand … but for now, let’s just focus on the left.) With your little finger, hit C (note 1). Then with your middle finger, hit E (note 3). And finally, hit G (note 5) with your thumb. As you play these notes together, be sure to keep your other fingers raised slightly … so they don’t accidentally hit any notes. You’ll hear this chord has a strong, happy sound to it. Together, the tonic (1), major-third (3), and dominant (5) notes all sound really good.

Just like scales, chords are used a lot in music. They sound nice … and they’re easy to play in any key. For example, we can play this same major chord starting on any tonic note. In each key, the major triad is always built from notes “1—3—5.” (And this “every other” pattern is easy to see on the staff lines.)

To see what I mean, try playing each of the following major chords and listen to how good the notes sound together. As they say, “the more you practice, the better you’ll get.”