The Key Signature

The Key Signature

What is a Key Signature?

• Tells which notes to play sharp or flat for the entire piece of music

• Always located after the clef and before the time signature at the beginning of the piece of music.

• Generally uses two of the three accidental signs. (Sharp and Flat)

Multiple Choice

We use the Key signature to?

• Tell what notes are sharp or flat in a piece of music

• Tell how fast or slow the piece of music should go

• Tell if we are playing high or low notes

• Tell us how loud or soft we need to play the music

The Sharp Sign

• Raises the pitch of a note by a half step

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The Natural Sign

• Cancels out a sharp or flat

The Flat Sign

• Lowers the pitch of a not by a half step.

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The order of Sharps

• Tells us what order the sharps are ALWAYS in.

• Helpful phrase to help remember: Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds

• Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

The order of Flats

• Tells us the order that flat ALWAYS follow.

• Helpful phrase to remember: B.E.A.D.Greatest.Common.Factor

• BEAD Go Catch Fish

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Multiple Select

Check all that applies to the key signature.

• Tells us how fast or slow to play the music.

• Tells us what notes are sharp or flat in a piece of music.

• Located after the clef and uses the sharp and flat sign.

• Can only be used in one measure of music.

The Accidental is slightly different

• Only changes a note for a measure.

• Once you move to the next measure resume going by the key signature.

How to identify the sharp key signatures

• Locate the LAST sharp.

• Move up one(1) letter

• For example, last sharp: G , move up one(1) letter to A

How to identify the flat key signature

• Locate the penultimate flat. (second to last)

• That flat is your key signature.

• For example, "The flat signs shown are B flat and E flat." Bb is the penultimate flat sign in this scenario.

• The answer would be the key of Bb.

Multiple Choice

What flat are you looking for when identifying the key signature.

• The last flat

• The penultimate flat

  (2nd to last)

• The first flat

Multiple Choice

What sharp are you looking for to identify the key signature? How many letters do you move?

• The first sharp, up four(4) letter

• The middle sharp, down two(2) letters

• The last sharp, up one(1) letter