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KEYS
least to most accidentals...
w/ sharps... w/flats...
#'s b's
C 0 C
G 1 F
D 2 Bb
A 3 Eb
E 4 Ab
B 5 Db
F# 6 Gb
C# 7 Cb
the number of sharps or flats tells you what key you are in...
there are many ways to determine the key based on the
key signatures, but here is the easiest!
for sharps,
for flats,
note: if there is only 1 flat (which would be Bb, you are in the key of F)
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so, if you are a music READER,
now you know how to determine the key very quickly
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but,
now let's say, you are the one WRITING the music
and
you don't have some fancy piece of computer software with you,
to create a key signature
never fear, oh music WRITER,
memorize the following two phrases to
remember the orders of sharps and flats
so that's the order that you write the flats and sharps in,
from left to right
...and notice that the Cb key signature has an up-down alternating pattern
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here's a little more detailed explanation, if that doesn't make complete sense yet,
and for SHARPS it's that 1st F# at the highest musical line,
then down to the 2nd space down for C#,
then back up to the top space above the musical staff for G#.
then back down to the D# on the 2nd line down,
and then down again for the A# (on the 2nd space from the bottom)
then back up, for E#,
then down for B# (the 7th sharp)....
so for sharps you've got a 2 down, 3 down, 2 down pattern
[alternating the whole time]
Look at the picture again and hopefully you will see these 2 patterns:
alternating for Sharps
2,3,2 for Flats
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Now, for an extensive review,
not necessary to read this, if you think you've got it down,
couldn't hurt though
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which accidentals happen in what order:
we've got the "bead-gcf" pattern w/flats
and then that same pattern backwards for sharps.
frank-can-go -do it-again-except-backwards
and look again at the pattern of most sharps and flats,
for the least sharps to most sharps we have...c,g,d,a,e,b,f#,c#
and going from most flats to least flats, it's......c,g,d,a,e,b, f, c
of course, with the flat ones you just add a flat sign after all those
letters,
and so, with the ones that were sharp in the least-->most sharps,
they just become natural (not sharp or flat) notes.
so, okay,
flats....C, has no flats,
then F has 1 flat (Bb), then Bb has 2 (Bb, Eb),
then Eb has 3 (Bb, Eb, Ab), then Ab has 4 (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db),
then Db has 5 (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb),
then Gb has 6 (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb)
and Cb has 7 (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb)
and then Fb has 8 (Bbb[double], Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb), but the
key of Fb would just be written as E, so this is just to remember the
pattern by.
saying all this, i would think that you should just review looking at
key signatures and knowing intuitively what each looks like;
and what the last accidental is in each chain...
C has no markings,
then G has 1 sharp (last one is F#),
then D has 2 (last one is C#),
then A has 3 (last one is G#),
then E has 4 (last one is D#),
then B has 5 (last one is A#),
then F# has 6 (last one is E#),
and C# has 7 (last one is B#),
C, has no flats,
then F has 1 flat (last one is Bb),
then Bb has 2 (last one is Eb),
then Eb has 3 (last one is Ab),
then Ab has 4 (last one is Db),
then Db has 5 (last one is Gb),
then Gb has 6 (last one is Cb)
and Cb has 7 (last one is Fb)
and then Fb has 8 (Bbb[double]),
but the key of Fb would just be written as E [4 sharps] (D#)