Learning Key Signatures

[Poop-Loops]

I'm taking a music theory class right now, the 2nd quarter of a 3 quarter series. I skipped first quarter because I'm better than all those other people. But it turns out we need to have stuff like this memorized by now. Oops. To late to switch to first quarter, I already tried.

So what's the best way to practice these to memorize them? I play them on my bass to know which notes are in each key, but then I also have to be able to recognize them when they are written on a staff in both treble and bass cleff. I know the notes in both cleffs, so that's not too bad. Mainly I want to know what would be the best way to know the key signatures both while playing bass and when looking at a piece of music.

[bassistpatrick]

http://www.musictheory.net/trainers/html/id83_en.html

[martin shane]

You could also learn the order of the Sharps and Flats...i.e.

b's = BEADGCF ... the key will drop back one, ( 1 b = key of F)
(2 b's = key of Bb ) ( 3 b's = key of Eb ) .....

#'s = FCGDAEB ... the key will skip one up, ( 1# = key of G )
(2#'s = key of D) ....

hope this helps....

[Poop-Loops]

Yes, I was hoping for something like that. I remembered that there was an order to the sharps and flats. Thanks for reminding me.

www.musictheory.net is a great place. I used that cleff trainer a lot and I'll definately use the key trainer. Thanks to both of you.

[steveb98]

Originally Posted by martin shane

You could also learn the order of the Sharps and Flats...i.e.

b's = BEADGCF ... the key will drop back one, ( 1 b = key of F)
(2 b's = key of Bb ) ( 3 b's = key of Eb ) .....

#'s = FCGDAEB ... the key will skip one up, ( 1# = key of G )
(2#'s = key of D) ....

hope this helps....

Another thing to go with BEADGCF to check yourself or know when to stop. The last flat you add will be the fouth of the key. Key of one flat F, Bb is the fourth of F. Key of two flats Bb, Eb is the fourth of Bb and so on.

Then for the FCGDAEB sharp keys. The last sharp added is the 7th of the key. So key of one sharp G, the F# is the seventh of the G. Key of two sharps, D the C# is the 7th of D and so on.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Clue ...Circle of Fifths!!

[The BurgerMeister]

the second-to-last flat is the key; a half-step above the last sharp is the key.

all you've got to do is remember that 1 flat is the key of F and 1 sharp is the key of G. when it gets to two or more accidentals, my mnemonic device (actually, it was Tony Romen's in high school- credit where credit's due!) works well.

good luck!

(all that being said, it's probably best if you practice reading and writing in each key to gain a deep understanding of the theory... but hey.)

[dlloyd]

That works great for major keys but falls down on the minors.

The circle of fifths covers both for sharp keys if you remember that C major and A minor have no sharps or flats in their key signatures. Likewise the circle of fourths (circle of fifths in reverse order) works for flat keys.

I use a mnemonic phrase to remember them:

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

...works for the order sharps appear in key signatures

For major sharp keys, start at C:

0 sharps: Charles
1 sharp: Goes
2 sharps: Down
3 sharps: And
4 sharps: Ends
5 sharps: Battle
6 sharps: Father
7 sharps: Charles

Look to the order of sharps in the key to determine whether the tonic is sharp or natural:

If you had 5 sharps in the key signature, it would be B "something" major... The sharps present are FCGDA, so it would be B major;

If there were 6 sharps, it would be F "something" major. Sharps present are FCGDAE, so it's F# major.

For minor sharp keys, start at A:

0 sharps: And
1 sharp: Ends
2 sharps: Battle
3 sharps: Father
4 sharps: Charles
5 sharps: Goes
6 sharps: Down

(look to the order of sharps in the key to determine whether the tonic is sharp or natural)

For flat keys, the order of flats in the key signature is:

Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father

For the flat major keys, start it at C:

0 flats: Charles
1 flat: Father
2 flats: Battle
3 flats: Ends
4 flats: And
5 flats: Down
6 flats: Goes

(look to the order of flats in the key to determine whether the tonic is flat or natural)

For the flat minor keys, start it at A:

0 flats: And
1 flat: Down
2 flats: Goes
3 flats: Charles
4 flat: Father
5 flats: Battle
6 flats: Ends

(Again, look to the order of flats in the key to determine whether the tonic is flat or natural)

[anonymous278347457]

Father Christmas Gave David An Electric Blanket


Because Every Autumn David Gets Cold Feet


Its an alternative to the above, My first piano teacher taught it to me. I think the Father Charles one may be easier, but Ive had this one going around my head for 8 years and now I cant forget it.

[dlloyd]

Originally Posted by thedonutman

Father Christmas Gave David An Electric Blanket


Because Every Autumn David Gets Cold Feet


Its an alternative to the above, My first piano teacher taught it to me. I think the Father Charles one may be easier, but Ive had this one going around my head for 8 years and now I cant forget it.

I like it

[Poop-Loops]

Ok, I get it now. Sharps go in 5ths, flats go in 4ths.

Writing the sharps out on the staff is BEADGCF and the opposite for flats.

Obviously C and Am have 0 accidentals, so that's always the starting point.

Ok, thanks for your help. Now I just have to practice with www.musictheory.net until I get it all memorized.

[dlloyd]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Ok, I get it now. Sharps go in 5ths, flats go in 4ths.

Writing the sharps out on the staff is BEADGCF and the opposite for flats.

Obviously C and Am have 0 accidentals, so that's always the starting point.

That's it, with the exception of the accidentals bit. An accidental is a sharp, flat or natural that occurs within the score to indicate a note that is out of key.

[Late Boomer]

This is probably all glaringly obvious to the rest of you, but I'll throw it in for future newbies who come across this thread.. I realized last week (in my defense I've been playing bass for all of, oh, 2 weeks) that the circle of 4ths/5ths progression maps directly to the fretboard of the bass. Moving from lower to higher strings takes you counter-clockwise around the circle (G to C, C to F, etc.) in fourths, and moving from higher strings to lower strings takes you clockwise around the circle in 5ths.

Once this dawned on my feeble mind, I chucked memorizing the sequence of stuff around the circle, and just focused on learning the fretboard. If you've got that down, and use C major and A minor as your 12 o'clock anchors, the rest flows from that.

Hope that helps.

[UncleNuzzy]

Because
Every
Animal
Deserves
Good
Cooked
Food

That's how i remember the order of flats...and remember, the name of the key is the name of the 2nd to last flat, as read from left to right.

[Poop-Loops]

Originally Posted by Late Boomer

This is probably all glaringly obvious to the rest of you, but I'll throw it in for future newbies who come across this thread.. I realized last week (in my defense I've been playing bass for all of, oh, 2 weeks) that the circle of 4ths/5ths progression maps directly to the fretboard of the bass. Moving from lower to higher strings takes you counter-clockwise around the circle (G to C, C to F, etc.) in fourths, and moving from higher strings to lower strings takes you clockwise around the circle in 5ths.

Once this dawned on my feeble mind, I chucked memorizing the sequence of stuff around the circle, and just focused on learning the fretboard. If you've got that down, and use C major and A minor as your 12 o'clock anchors, the rest flows from that.

Hope that helps.

Exactly what I did. It only took me a few more months, though.

[MarkTAW]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Ok, I get it now. Sharps go in 5ths, flats go in 4ths.

Fourths are just Fifth in the opposite direction.

[Poop-Loops]

Yup, I realized that when I was doing stuff like that on my bass. It makes a lot more sense now.

[steveb98]

Originally Posted by MarkTAW

Fourths are just Fifth in the opposite direction.

Up a 4th or down a 5th.
Up a 3rd or down a 6th.
Up a 2nd or down a 7th.
Up a unison or down an octave.

[Rattman]

Originally Posted by bassistpatrick

http://www.musictheory.net/trainers/html/id83_en.html

Excellent. 4:30a.m. and I'm doing a refresher course on some basic theory. Thanks, got that bookmarked now

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Ok, I get it now. Sharps go in 5ths, flats go in 4ths.

Writing the sharps out on the staff is BEADGCF and the opposite for flats.

Obviously C and Am have 0 accidentals, so that's always the starting point.

Ok, thanks for your help. Now I just have to practice with www.musictheory.net until I get it all memorized.

Wait what?