Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) Practice Exam

If a pianist is transposing backward through the circle of fifths, what key will they be in after two changes starting from E major?

1. A major

2. D major

3. F major

4. F# major

The correct answer is: D major

When a pianist transposes "backward through the circle of fifths," they are moving in the direction that goes down a perfect fifth from their starting key. In this case, they begin in E major. Starting from E major, moving backward one step in the circle of fifths would take the pianist to A major. This is because moving down a perfect fifth from E we get to B, and this is the fifth note in the A major scale which contains A, B, C#, D, E, F#, and G#. Then, moving backward again from A major down a perfect fifth takes the pianist to D major. The D major scale consists of D, E, F#, G, A, B, and C#, and is derived by moving down from A, which is the fifth note in the D major scale. Therefore, after two changes while transposing backward through the circle of fifths, the pianist will end up in D major.