1. Major Key Signatures
Week 1.4

2. Key Signatures
A key signature shows which pieces are to be sharped or flatted consistently throughout a piece. It is placed at the beginning of each line of the score, immediately following the clef.
This takes the place of putting the accidentals in front of every note throughout the score.
To say that a piece is “in” a specific key means that the pitch content a) implies a specific tonic and b) are drawn from that specific scale.

5. Circle of Fifths:
Each time a new sharp is added, the key is 5 steps higher; each time a new flat is added, the key is 5 steps lower
C major=no sharps/flats, G major (five steps higher)=1 sharp, F major (five steps lower)=1 flat

6. Identifying Key from the Key Signature
Sharps: Last sharp is the seventh scale degree (leading tone or ti)
Move up one diatonic half step to find the tonic
Order of sharps: FCGDAEB
Flats: Last flat is the fourth scale degree (subdominant or fa)
Count down a perfect fourth
All flat keys will have “flat” in the name except F major (1 flat)
Order of flats: BEADGCF

7. Writing Key Signatures
The accidentals must be IN ORDER!
The signature is placed between the clef and the meter signature
The accidentals are all placed “on the staff”-no ledger lines

8. **Look at the next two examples and try to determine the key based on the above paragraph.