(September 11, 2016 at 3:56 pm)Alex K Wrote: The C major triad sounds a bit unfamiliar, but purer in the second case, and the F and G major triads sound good; the simple piece therefore sounds quite clear, the piece with jazzy chords starts to go wrong, and the circle of fifths just steers towards catastrophe at F#.
No doubt the cycle of fifths breaks down at the b5 due to its position at the midpoint of the cycle.