The sharps or flats in a key signature must be written in a particular order and position on the staff. Notice how none of the sharps are written on ledger lines and that the key signatures are adjusted depending on which clef is assigned to the staff.
It is important that you memorize not only the order in which particular sharps are added to the key signature F , C , G , D , A , E , B , but also the pattern in which they are added on the staff. Note: You may find it helpful to come up with mnemonic devices to help remember these patterns. There is also a useful, quite easy trick for determining the tonic of a sharp key.
In every sharp key, the right-most accidental of the key signature is the leading tone of the key. A is the leading tone for the B major scale. Therefore, the key is B major. Write out each of the following sharp key signatures on the staff provided. Be sure to write each sharp on the appropriate line and in the correct order. Write out an F -major key signature:.
F major has six sharps. Flat key signatures can be determined similarly, though here, the lower tetrachord of each scale becomes the upper tetrachord of the next closely-related key. If we were to continue, the next key would be E b major which would have three flats B b , E b , and A b. Again, it is essential that you remember the order in which flats are added to key signatures and the pattern in which they are notated on the staff.
The second to last accidental in a flat key signature will tell you the key. E b major, for example, has three flats: B b , E b , and A b. The second to last E b is the tonic of the key! Write out each of the following flat key signatures. Be sure to write each flat on the appropriate line and in the correct order. Write out an A b -major key signature:.
A b major has four flats. Write out a D b -major key signature:. D b major has five flats. Write out an E b -major key signature:. E b major has three flats. Although treble and bass clefs are the most commonly encountered, it is also helpful to be able to write and recognize key signatures written next to other clefs.
The following example shows where each sharp and flat would be written in a key signature next to treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs. For key signatures requiring less than seven sharps or flats, simply follow the pattern as far as needed:. Notice that, for the most part, the placement pattern of sharps and flats remains the same, regardless of the clef.
The symbols are simply moved up or down to match the arrangement of pitch letter names on the lines and spaces of the staff as indicated by the clef. The only exception is the set of sharp key signatures written beside a tenor clef the last key signature on the first line.
Here a small adjustment is made: the first and third sharps are shifted down an octave to avoid using ledger lines in the key signature. In tonal music, you will never see a key signature with a mixture of sharps and flats. You may, however, encounter natural signs in a key signature when the accidentals of a previous key signature must be canceled out as in the following excerpt where the key changes to E major in m.
A piece that draws primarily from the pitches of a single major scale is said to be in that major key. Within a key, pitch classes are organized hierarchically—primarily around the tonic which is heard as the most stable and grounding degree of the scale. A piece in G major, for example, will use pitch classes from the G major scale but will treat the pitch class G as the most conclusive sounding resting point.
Other scale degrees will be treated accordingly, relative to the tonic. A key signature is a symbol—a collection of sharps or flats—that indicates the key of a particular piece or passage. Key signatures are written just to the right of the clef and appear at the beginning of each line of music. A sharp or flat indicated by the key signature applies to every instance of that pitch-letter name, not just those on the line or space on which it is written.
They remain in effect throughout the entire piece unless they are canceled out by an accidental or a new key signature. Key signatures are always written in a particular pattern on the staff and must be adjusted to match the clef. Skip to content I. Example 8—1. Amalia Hjelm, 5 Songs, 5.
Example 8—2. If a melody uses mostly the notes of the Bb major scale, we say that the music is "in the key of" Bb major. We don't write out the flat symbols for the Bs and the Es every time they appear in the music - because there would probably be rather a lot of them! Instead, we use a key signature : at the beginning of each new line of music, we write a Bb and an Eb, to remind us that all the Bs and all the Es need to be flattened.
The key signature also tells us very quickly that the music is in Bb major, without having to count all the flats! Sometimes we need to add extra flats, sharps and naturals within a melody, even when we have already got a key signature. It might be because. If we add sharps, flats and naturals inside the music itself, they are called "accidentals". Special rules apply to all accidentals.
These pieces feature tons of flats and sharps. Composers use accidentals because playing within one set key all the time is boring. Borrowing notes from other keys and modulating from one key to another are musical devices that provide tension and drama within the sonic story of a piece of music.
Now that you know how accidentals operate within music, try analyzing different pieces of music and see if you can identify notes that are played outside of the key. Toggle navigation Contact Us Login. Music Theory and Accidentals In order to fully understand how accidentals in music work, you have to have at least a basic understanding of how music operates within a music theory context.
Why Composers Use Accidentals Composers use accidentals because playing within one set key all the time is boring. Put What You Know Into Practice Now that you know how accidentals operate within music, try analyzing different pieces of music and see if you can identify notes that are played outside of the key.
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