Major Key Signatures

Key Signatures

The key signatures in music function similarly to GPS. Key signatures' purpose is to provide functionality, direction, and a central focus to the overall tonal structure of a piece or portion of a piece. The different note assignments with each key signature alleviate the need to mark accidentals for every note within a piece repetitively. When a key signature is established, assume all notes within that key receive the accidental unless specifically altered within a measure. Incorporating key signatures frees clutter and brings organization to sheet music reading.

When referring to Western music, key signatures are a set of musical symbols (sharps or flats) that are traditionally placed at the beginning of a section of music. Each symbol within a key signature is governed by order and must respect its specific location on the staff. There are fifteen key signatures and each key signature’s differentiation is based on the number of symbols assigned. There are some memorization hacks that can be helpful for learning keys and will be discussed in detail. Please note, for every major key, its relative minor possesses the same key signature. This discussion will focus on the fifteen Major key signatures.

Common Questions

How Many Major Keys Do I Have to Memorize?

There are fifteen Major keys to memorize. Seven keys have flats in their key signature, another seven keys have sharps in their key signature, and one key has neither.

Does the Key Have Sharps or Flats In its Key Signature?

Some of the names of keys indicate whether its key signature will obtain sharps or flats. If the name of the key contains the word ‘sharp’ or ‘flat’, then that is an indication of which symbol will be in its key signature. The key of E-flat Major, for example, will have flats in its key signature, while the key of F-sharp Major will have sharps in its key signature.

Show Me Which Major Keys Have Sharps & Which Major Keys Have Flats

How Do I Memorize the Order of the Sharps or Flats in the Key Signature?

The symbols in any given key signature follow strict rules that dictate their placement on the staff and their numbered-placement within the sequence of notes. Many people have come up with their own ways of memorizing their placements. Beginning with keys whose key signatures contain sharps, the acronym F-C-G-D-A-E-B can be translated to:

“Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Bagels.”

“Fast Cars Go Dangerously Around Every Bend.”

The above acronym signifies the order in which sharp notes must appear on staff:

F# - C# - G# - D# - A# - E# - B#

Each sharped note within a key signature must be placed within a specific octave:

Treble Clef

F#5 - C#5 - G#5 - D#5 - A#4 - E#5 - B#4

Bass Clef

F#3 - C#3 - G#3 - D#3 - A#2 - E#3 - B#2

The keys whose key signatures contain flats have an array of mnemonics for B - E - A - D - G - C - F

“BEAD-Go Call Fred!”

The above acronym signifies the order in which flat notes must appear on staff:

Treble Clef

Bb4 - Eb5 - Ab4 - Db5 - Gb4 - Cb5 - Fb4

Bass Clef

Bb2 - Eb3 - Ab3 - Db3 - Gb2 - Cb3 - Fb2

Alternatively, there is a clever palindrome that unveils the order of both sharps and flats within one saying when read forward or backward:

Flats:

Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles's Father

Sharps:

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Learning Which Key Signature Belongs to Which Key

Sharps

Major keys possess a leading tone to their tonic, which is a half step below the tonic note. Knowing this can aid in finding the key signature for keys with sharps in the key signature. If a key has sharps in its key signature, the leading tone of the key will always be the last sharp in the key signature. For example, the key of D-Major has a C-sharp as its leading tone. C-sharp will be the last sharp in the key signature, and since C-sharp is the second component in the order of sharp placements,

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

then the key of D-Major will have two sharps: F# and C#. You must always include the sharps before the leading tone, hence the inclusion of F#.

Let's use the key of B-Major whose leading tone is A-sharp. A-sharp will be the last sharp in the key signature and it falls in fifth place in our mnemonics of

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Therefore, the key of B-Major will have five sharps: F#-C#-G#-D#-A#.

Flats

To memorize the key signatures of Major keys with flats in their key signatures, simply take the tonic note (also the actual name of the key) and add one flat (in order of the acronym) in order to find its key signature. Let’s remind ourselves of the mnemonics before proceeding with examples:

Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles's Father

To utilize this hack, the key of B-flat Major has B-flat in its title and is the first letter of the acronym above. To find the key signature, add one additional flat, which, according to the acronym above, would be E-Flat. Therefore, the key of B-flat has Bb and Eb in its key signature. Apply this rule to Major keys with a flat in their name.

Key Signature Chart

There are two charts that can be helpful when studying the fifteen Major key signatures. The first chart is called the Circle of Fifths and displays the fifteen keys in relation to their dominant and subdominant. The chart displays all keys in a clockwise and counter-clockwise motion.

Taking the noon spot is C-Major with no sharps or flats in its key signature. Moving clockwise, every hour displays the next dominant note. The dominant, also known as the fifth, of C-Major is G-Major. The dominant of G-Major is D-Major, and the dominant of D-Major is A-Major. Continuing in this direction will eventually lead you back to C-Major at noon.

Ask yourself this question when counting clockwise:

What is the dominant of this note?

Alternatively, the chart can be read counter-clockwise beginning with C-Major at noon. However, counting in subdominants, rather than dominants, will lead to the next key. The subdominant, also known as the fourth, of C-Major is F-Major. The subdominant of F-Major is Bb-Major. Continuing in this direction will eventually lead back to C-Major at noon.

Ask yourself this question when counting counter-clockwise:

What is this note the dominant of?

The second chart to identify key signatures is best explained in a Youtube video created by Brad Harrison Music. At 7:55, “The Chart Method” is a helpful tool that matches keys and their key signatures in a simplistic way. I encourage learning this method in addition to the Circle of Fifths.

Obscure Key Signatures

Every note on the piano technically has an enharmonic note. This means that both notes on the keyboard are the same, but their spelling is different. This makes for some obscure keys that are rarely used in Western music.

We will draw the line with keys that would naturally need a double-sharp or double-flat and instead use its enharmonic equivalent. For instance, the key of F-Major has a B-flat in its key signature. E-sharp Major, whose tonic note, E-sharp, is the same note as F on the keyboard. However, the key of E-sharp would technically need a D-double sharp in the key signature as its leading tone. Because the use of double-sharps or double-flats in key signatures is rare (I couldn’t find any pieces!), composers will utilize its enharmonic equivalent. In the case of E-sharp Major, F-Major would be used instead.