how to find out key signatures and keys with sharps or flats and vice versa

[adube810]

i thought id lay down a really good piece of musical theory advice.
i always have had a little trouble at being instantaneous with telling the key just from looking at the sharps/flats of the sig.
SO...

FRIED CHICKEN GOES DOWN AWFUL EASY BROTHER!


FCGDAEB is the order of the sharps

if its a major key, then you start on C
if its minor, you start on A
(because these keys have no sharps or flats)
then, if the signature is using sharps, you count the number of sharps in the sig and move to the right that many number of sharps

so for instance. the key of E Major has 4 sharps
SO! start of C (becuase its major) and move to the right 4 letters. you get on E!
AND! IT WILL ALSO TELL YOU WHAT NOTES ARE THE SHARPS by counting from the left most letter going right the number of accidentals (IN THE CORRECT ORDER FOR THE NOTATION! being F#, C#, G#, and D#)

for flats you do the same thing but go to the left.
so for the key of F major, thers 1 flat (Bb)
so back to the FCGDAEB
start on C, and move left 1 space and YOUR ON F!
and the B is the one thats flat!

you can do this for any key and once you have it down its a cinch to rememebr all the keys because your mind learns how to do this process automatically

hope this little piece of advice helped

[Mingus]

My teach taught me: Fat Cats Get Diarrhea After Eating Beans


This helped some though, much thanks.

[Skywalker83]

I think this is worthy of being made a sticky. Perhaps the OP could possibly correct the spelling though.

[Pacman]

Sharp keys - go a half step above the last sharp - that's the key.

Flat keys - the second to last flat is the tonic of the key.

[TL5]

Key sigs with sharps and your bass strings coincide (somewhat)..

G string 1 sharp, key of G
D string 2 sharps, Key of D
A string 3 sharps, key of A
E string 4 sharps, key of E etc

[Michael Case]

G Major=1 sharp

D Major=2 sharps

A Major=3 sharps

E = 4

B = 5

etc etc

You should learn this, because you never know when you'll end up at a jam session and someone looks your way and says rhythm changes 2 flats. What part of the phrase is that?

[lm183902]

I learned "Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds"