Key Signatures & Circle of Fifths
Practice naming key signatures and recalling the fixed order of sharps and flats.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
What is a key signature?
Sharps or flats placed once after the clef, telling you those notes are altered for the whole piece (in all octaves).
How long does a key signature last compared with an accidental?
An accidental lasts one measure; a key signature lasts the whole piece or until a new key signature appears.
Order of sharps
F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯ — 'Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle.'
Order of flats
B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭ — 'Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father' (BEAD + GCF).
Trick for naming a sharp key
Take the last (rightmost) sharp and go up a half step. Last sharp C♯ → D major.
Trick for naming a flat key
The second-to-last flat names the key. Exception: one flat (B♭) = F major.
Which sharps are in E major?
Four sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯.
How many flats does A♭ major have, and which?
Four flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭.
Why is G major's F sharpened?
The W–W–H–W–W–W–H major scale pattern from G requires F♯: G A B C D E F♯ G.
Name the sharp side of the circle of fifths in order
C (0), G (1), D (2), A (3), E (4), B (5), F♯ (6) — each key a fifth above the last.
