WHY DO WE NEED KEY SIGNATURES?

● Organizing music notation is always a bit of a struggle! We organize beats with the
TIME SIGNATURE (which we will cover more thoroughly in our lesson ‘Introduction to
Rhythm’). Pitches are organized by KEY SIGNATURE.

● We worked out the patterns of notes in MAJOR and MINOR scales (and even
Pentatonic scales - because you are so AWESOME!). We found out that the MAJOR
scales could be organized with Whole and Half-steps. Or that there was a half-step
between the 3rd and 4th and the 7th and 8th note.

● We then worked out how the RELATIVE MINOR started on the 6th note of it’s
RELATIVE MAJOR. It uses the SAME notes as the RELATIVE MAJOR, but in
HARMONIC FORM the 7th note of the RELATIVE MINOR is FIXED one half-step
higher. The MELODIC MINOR was the ‘Harry Potter Staircase’ one. 6th and 7th
notes were raised a half-step on the way up, then dropped back down to the same
notes exactly as the original RELATIVE MAJOR had.

Currently, we have been working out the notes in one octave…..but what happens if you
want to have other instruments using the same collection of notes? Hm….. Wouldn’t it be
nice if there was a shorthand you could put at the beginning of the music to warn everyone?

THERE IS! A KEY SIGNATURE!!!

All we do is put the sharps or flats we want to use (in a special order) at
the beginning of the piece.
There are TWO SENTENCES which will help you
immensely:

Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket

(Sharps)

Blanket Exploded And Dad Got Cold Feet (Flats)

Order of the Sharps: F, C, G, D, A, E, B

Order of the Flats: B, E, A, D, G, C, F

Now we know the order of the notes, we need to find a way to use
them.
There are several ways to do this - and no particular way is better than
another, but there are shortcuts…

I’m going to talk about analysing a Key Signature first.

If you have a Key Signature with SHARPS you can look at the
LAST sharp, and go one note higher. That will be the name of the
key.

In G Major - you only have an F-sharp. It is the last sharp, and one
note above F is G!

Ta-dahhhhh!

Let’s check it with others…

(There is a quick way to relate this to the pattern you learned - In sharp
keys, remember the 7th and 8th note are always a half-step away
from each other.)

Now, FLATS. Analysing Key Signature with Flats:

Look at the SECOND LAST flat. This is the name of the Key Signature
- you don’t have to do anything else. That’s it!

It doesn’t help you for two keys:

C major (which is the ‘no sharps or flats’ key, no need for help there - F
major is a key that offers NO HELP! But, it’s just one, so I know you
will remember it. And if you are looking for a little help, remember the
3rd to the 4th note gap is a half-step. A - B-flat, in F Major…. So, it just
has the ONE flat. B-flat. (Blanket)

(In flat keys, remember the 3rd and 4th notes are always a half-step
away from each other. )

We are going to try doing some together and then there will be an
assessment on this.