Widdershins is best (I'm left handed)

The cycle of fifths... the evil cousin of the cycle of fourths...

The cycle of fifths is kinda like the Romulans, most of the good music in the world was written for saxophones and brass instruments and so exists in the flat registers - I'm not saying banjos and mandolins are evil - I'm not allowed to.

Why is a cycle of fourths better? Well think about learning modes in a derivative method... it goes fourth-wise, like the enigmatic vulcans... they go fourth-wise believe me. C Ionian (flatten the seventh) = C mixolydian (F major) (flatten the seventh) = C Dorian (Eb Major) (flatten the seventh) = C Minor (Ab Major) (flatten the seventh) = C Phrygian (Db Major) and so on.

Now what does that mean? Try this experiment, you'll need 7 cans of stella ... or if you drink a fair bit or play Jazz 7 litre bottles of Leffe. With no bottles of beer in you, we'll call that the ionian mode - normality... drink a beer .. now you're relaxed and cracking jokes, you've got a rye look at the world that's kinda like the mixolydian mode, have another beer - that's the dorian mode, you're starting to get a bit cynical now but it's it's okay it's okay I got my health... down another beer, it's time to get sentimental and maudlin now (all of a sudden Santana seems to be describing what you're feeling - learn to avoid that) - that's the Aeolian mode (at other times you'd chuckle about it sounding like ariolum but not now it's a sad wind harp)... down another beer... DOWN THE BEER!! now it's the phrygian mode you want to keep drinking but your scaring yourself a little it's scary.. it's okay press on down another beer and into the locrian zone... you are talking gibberish, noone understands you - you don't care, it's the little pigs all over again and noone's going to have avacado this time... noone it's alright, last beer... too many you've lost the root node there's nothing to link it to the C major chord - you're in the first circle of hell, unbaptised children and good heathens.. look out red-shirted guy... oh too bad.. I'll have to write a letter to his parents.

Well that is the major modes a continuous curve around the cycle of fourths... uh, you want to know about the Lydian? The lydian is dreaming it's not rooted in the present, I suggest avoiding it as people who play the lydian for too long end up sucking their cheeks in.. worse than that you need to read George Russells book on Lydian Chromatic Concepts..