It displays how many sharps or flats are in each key.

C MajorĪ circle of fifths is an arrangement of keys by ascending fifths. both C Major and a minor do not have any sharps or flats). As illustrated below, each major key signature has a corresponding minor key signature (e.g. There are 15 Major & Minor Key Signatures. For example, music written in the key of C would center around the tone of C, and would use notes from the C scale (no sharps or flats). Keys are used to organize a piece of music. This key signature with a B and E flat indicates that all B's and E's should be played as B flat and E flat. This key signature with an F# indicates that all F notes in this piece should be played as F#.

Sharps or flats placed at the beginning of each staff are called key signatures. A sharp set before a note raises the pitch of the note a half-step, and remains in effect for the rest of the measure.Ī flat set before a note lowers the pitch of the note a half-step, and remains in effect for the rest of the measure.Ī natural set before a note restores the natural pitch of a note, and is often used after a flat or sharp.Įnharmonic notes are two notes that sound the same, but are spelled differently (e.g.

How many flats does b flat major have