New  Key  Signatures  (and  key  relationships)  

Blue  Week  4  (August  13,  2015)  

 

 

Key  Signatures  we  know  so  far:  

                                                                                                                                               C  Major/A  minor     G  Major/E  minor                        D  Major/b  minor  

 

 F  Major/D  minor  

 

 

New  keys:  

                                                                             A  Major            E  Major  

 

 

Things  to  remember  about  key  signatures:  

• When  the  key  signature  has  sharps  in  it,  the  tonic  note  (or  the  key)  can  be  

found  by  going  up  one  semitone  from  the  last  sharp.    

• When  in  a  minor  key,  the  raised  7th  degree  is  never  added  to  the  key  

signature:  it  always  appears  as  an  accidental  within  the  piece.    

• The  sharps  (or  flats)  always  appear  in  the  same  order  on  the  staff  (and  

remember  to  be  really  clear  about  the  placement  of  the  sharps  or  flats,  

ensuring  that  it  is  clear  which  line  or  space  they  occupy).    

• The  notes  that  are  sharpened  or  flattened  in  a  key  signature  indicate  that  

those  pitches  are  to  be  sharpened  or  flattened  throughout,  unless  

otherwise  indicated.  

• The  key  signature  always  appears  on  the  staff  before  the  time  signature.    

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&bbbbb ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ &bbbbbb ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ &bbbbbbb ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

 

How  to  identify  the  key  of  a  piece  of  music:  

• Look  at  the  key  signature,  remembering  that  it  could  represent  both  a  

major  and  a  minor  key.  

• Usually,  though  not  always,  the  piece  will  start  and  finish  on  the  tonic  

note.  

• Look  for  any  accidentals  in  the  piece;  they  might  be  representing  the  

raised  7th  degree  in  minor  keys.    

o Remember,  though,  that  not  all  piece  are  written  using  a  key  

signature  (meaning  that  accidentals  in  the  score  may  not  indicate  a  

minor  key).    

• Using  all  of  these  observations  you  should  be  able  to  make  an  informed  

decision  as  to  which  key  the  piece  is  in.    

 

For  example,  let’s  determine  the  key  of  the  following  excerpt:  

   

1. There  is  no  key  signature:  the  piece  might  be  in  C  major  or  A  minor.  

2. There  are  a  lot  of  accidentals  in  the  piece.  This  rules  out  C  major.  Also  A  

minor  has  no  sharps  or  flats  either,  except  for  its  raised  7th  degree  (G#)  

and  this  isn’t  present  either.    

3. Change  tactic!  (Perhaps  this  piece  isn’t  using  a  key  signature…)  The  

sharps  in  the  piece  are  F#  and  C#.  These  are  the  sharps  in  D  major  or  B  

minor.    

4. If  it  was  in  B  minor  there  would  also  be  an  A#  (its  raised  7th),  but  this  isn’t  

present.  Also,  the  piece  begins  and  ends  on  the  note  D.    

5. Using  all  of  this  information  I  can  pretty  confidently  say  that  this  excerpt  

is  in  D  major.    

 

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