About Key Signatures
Key signatures tell you which notes are consistently sharped or flatted throughout a piece of music. They appear at the beginning of each staff line, right after the clef. Understanding key signatures is essential for sight-reading, transposition, and understanding harmonic relationships in music.
The Circle of Fifths
Key signatures follow the circle of fifths: each sharp key adds one sharp (F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#), and each flat key adds one flat (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb). Major keys and their relative minors share the same key signature—C major and A minor both have no sharps or flats.
How to Practice
Start by learning the order of sharps and flats. For sharp keys, the last sharp is always a half step below the tonic. For flat keys, the second-to-last flat IS the tonic (except F major, which has one flat). Practice on different clefs to reinforce that key signatures look different but mean the same thing across clefs.
Common Challenges
Many students confuse relative major/minor pairs. Remember: the relative minor is always a minor third below the major key. Also watch for less common keys like C# major (7 sharps) or Cb major (7 flats)—they exist and appear in real music!