![]() Whole & Half Step Pattern in a Major Scale Let's discuss what all of these key signatures have in common. This little trick will help you quickly determine the name of the key signature when there are multiple sharps or flats in the key signature, but you may have noticed that this trick doesn't work for the key of F or the key of C. In this case, there is already a C# in the key signature, so this key is the key of C#. The quicker way to determine this is to look at the sharps already in the key signature. This means that half step above B# is C#. Remember that there is a naturally occurring half step between B and C, which means B# is the same pitch as C. Why? The last sharp in this key signature is B#. It is not the key of E# because there is no E# in this key signature. This is the key of E because E is half step above D#, which is the last sharp in the key signature. This is the key of G because F# is the last sharp in the key signature. Sharpsįor key signatures with sharps, the key signature is the note name half step above the last sharp. It is not the key of D because there is a D flat in the key. This is the key of D flat because D flat is the second to last flat in the key signature. This is the key of E flat because E flat is the second to last flat in the key signature. It's always one or the other.Here is a list of all of the different key signatures:įor key signatures with flats, the key signature is the second to last flat. You also can't mix sharps and flats in a key spelling. Properly spelled it is Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, and F. Notice there are then two B notes and no C. That would cause trouble with reading music and just be confusing.įor instance, the key of Gb major could be improperly spelled Gb, Ab, Bb, B, Db, Eb, and F. When we spell scales, we can't skip letters and we want to avoid having two letters such as a B and a Bb in the same scale. Isn't Cb the same as B? And, Fb the same as E?! There is a reason for these "funny" note names. Students are often confused about why we need these note names like Cb, Fb, E#, and B#. Why Do We Need Note Names Like Cb, Fb, E#, and B#? You will notice the flats and sharps of the key signature are written in the order of flats and sharps. If you look at the circle of 5ths diagram, I have included all fifteen key signatures used in music notation. The classic memory aid works both directions:īattle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father (order of flats)įather Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle (order of sharps) Key Signatures Use the Order of Flats and Sharps Sometimes people like to make sentences to remember the notes. If you've memorized the notes on the circle of 5ths and 4ths, you will notice flats go in 4ths starting on B and sharps go in 5ths starting on F. The order of sharps is the same, but reversed FCG DAEB. #All music keys in order plus#Memorizing the Order of Flats and SharpsĪll you need to remember is the order of flats as the word BEAD plus three letters GCF. A major is spelled: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, and G#. Starting on G we can spell the G major scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#. The order of sharps works the same way as the flat order. It contains those 4 flats and the rest of the notes are natural. Starting on the root Ab, the key of Ab major is spelled Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, and G. It would use the first 4 flats of the order of flats Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db. Now, starting on the root of the scale F, we can spell the key of F major F, G, A, Bb, C, D, and E.Īs another example, the key of Ab major contains 4 flats. All the other letter names are natural notes. That means the flat must be the first flat (Bb). With that bit of information you can spell any key containing flats. A key with 5 flats would contain the first 5 flats from the order Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, and Gb. If the key has two flats, it uses the first two flats from the order of flats Bb and Eb. If a key has one flat, it only contains the first flat from the order of flats Bb. This order tells you which notes are flat in a key containing flats. The order of flats is a sequence of seven flat note names. Since you're always playing in some key, knowing your keys in this manner will always be of great benefit. Once you have memorized how many sharps or flats are in each key in combination with the order of sharps and flats, you will be able to spell the notes of each key. This order is called the order of flats and the order of sharps. The flats and sharps of each key follow a specific, unchanging order that you need to memorize. The flats and sharps from key to key are not random. In the lesson about the major keys on the circle of 5ths you learned every key has a unique number of flats or sharps. What is the Order of Sharps and the Order of Flats? ![]()
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