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The Key Signature

- is a device which contains


sharps and flats and tells the performer many things: the
type of scale the piece is based on and how many sharps and
flats we should play.
If a song is too high for a singer, the whole song can be
lowered, and this will give you a different key signature. It
also helps the composer from having to write in all the
accidentals for an entire piece.

Flat Key Signatures


There are only seven flats, and theyll always be
in the same order in a key signature. This is one
of the few rules that has no exceptions.
Mnemonics a technique in improving
the memory
The order of flats is B-E-A-D-G-C-F. An easy way
to remember this is the word BEAD followed by
Greatest Common Factor. Or you can make up
your own saying which uses all the letters in the
proper order.
Here is a key signature with all of the flats in it.
Notice the order (from left to right) and where the
flats are placed on the staff.
Example 1: A key signature in both treble and bass clef with all seven

flats.
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Find the name of a flat key


If youre faced with a piece of music with a bunch of flats
in the key signature, there is an easy way to find out what
key its in. The name of the key is the same name as the
second-to-last flat in the key signature.
An example will show this better than words can
Example 2: The keys of Bb and Eb.

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Construct a flat key


To create a flat key, there are three easy
steps:
1 Find the name of the key you want in the
order of flats. For example, if were looking
for the key signature for A flat, wed find
where the letter A is in the order of flats:
BEADGCF.
2 Add one more flat beyond the key
signature name, and use all of the flats up
to that point for the key signature. In our
example, one flat beyond Ab would be Db,
for a total of 4 flats.
3 Construct the key signature, putting the
flats in the correct order, and on the right
line or space.

The Ke y of F
There is one flat key which is a little different than the
others, and thats the key with only one flat in it. Because
theres only one flat, there cant be a second-to-the-last
flat.
You can sort of use the same procedure above to find the
name of the key with one flat. If you look at the order of

flats, B is the first one. Before the B is the one at the end
of the lineF, which is the name of the 1-flat key.

Sharp Key Signatures


The order of sharps is the order of flats
backwards, or: FCGDAEB. If you want, make a
mnemonic device for the order of sharps, or
simply reverse the order of flats.
In the following key signature, which uses all the
sharps, notice the order and the placement of the
sharps.

Example 3: Key signatures in bass and treble clef with all seven

sharps.

Find the name of a Sharp Key


Finding the name of a key with sharps in it is much less
involved than finding a flat key.
That very last sharp in a sharp key signature is the one
responsible for making the half step from the seventh to
the eighth degree of the major scale. Simply go up half a
step from that last sharp and you have the name of the
key.

Example 4: The keys of G and B.

The Key of G
step up from F# is G.

The Key of B
step up from A# is B

Table of Sharp Keys


Number of Sharps
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Order of Sharp
F
C
G
D
A
E
B

Name of Sharp Key


C
G
D
A
E
B
F#
C#

Table of Flat Keys


Number of Flats
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Order of Flat
B
E
A
D
G
C
F

Name of Flat Key


C
F
Bb
Eb
Ab
Db
Gb
Cb

Identify the following Key Signatures.


Write the correct name of each key signature on the line provided.

In the box, write the correct sharps for the following sharp key signatures.

In the box, write the correct flats for the following flat key signatures.

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