I see this kind of comments everywhere, I've been studying music for around 8 months and this things are not that hard to not know in 11 years. Watch Rick Beato and that is where you really learn shit ton of theory
Here's my summary of how to remember key signatures. Hope this helps someone :) *Sharp Major*: Last sharp + 1 semitone (or half steps) is tonic of key. E.g. F# C# (C# is the last sharp on staff) = D Major key signature. E# (which would be F) = F# Major key signature and so on. *Flat Major*: 2nd to last flat is tonic of key. E.g. Bb Eb Ab = Eb Major key signature. Exception: Bb = F Major (just need to memorise this). *Relative Major keys*: Minor key signature + 3 semitones is tonic of key. E.g. A Minor = C Major. Eb Major = C Minor. *Relative Minor keys*: Major key signature minus 3 semitones is tonic of key.
That was the most incredibly clear explanation I've ever heard on the subject. Most instructors force you to 'build the scale' which can be a daunting task for those starting out. I'm a guitarist just wanting to know enough to pick out a melody on a lead sheet and my biggest hangup has been key signatures. Not anymore! BRILLIANT! Subscribed and going to your website to sign up.
Omfg you are a freakin life saver!!!!!!! I have been stuck on my AP music theory hw for about an hour and this was the only video that helped. Thank you so much
Saaaaaaaaaame. I had guitar 1 and 2 in the last 2 years, then I picked AP Music Theory but I haven’t learned half of the things they discuss in that class, so I’m going crazy looking for videos all over youtube.
You mean if you practice SCALES. Individual chords don’t have enough notes to show all the sharps or flats in a particular key. It is much easier to figure out when you use the complete scale. If you go around the circle of fifths starting with C, you will just add one more sharp each time. (Or one more flat if you go to the left.) Notice that the one more sharp or flat that gets added is always the seventh note.
@@courierdubois I call bs on this! I've been learning chords for only a few wks now (not that I can make them sound good or do any fancy strum pattern wit them, but I've started to recognize what they are) & I have absolutely no idea-no comprehension at all- of any of what this vid is about, it makes absolutely no sense to me! I guess I need face to face lessons, but there is no one here locally to help me wit this & there are sooo many UA-cam tutes out there that call them 'beginner lessons' but seem to assume we already know what a key is or a sharp, etc or can read music even. What I'm getting at is most these tutes are free but promote their lessons etc but how do I know which lessons/tutes are suitable for me (to pay for) at an absolute dummy level? It's too late once I've paid them to find out they are way more advanced than what I'm capable of! Thanks for listening, not everyone is smart enough to pick it up quickly.
Yeah, my teacher just mentions it for a minute then goes on with our music. Now we’ve got a high school/ college level choir teacher giving us test on this stuff and we barley understand it.
Thank you for this video. As a casual musician playing trombone, this 7 minutes just brought me up to the next level. Playing in a college big band last night, we had 4 studio guest performers. The sax and trumpet were so together and before a number started they quick tell each other what key. When the jazz choir sang, the was no music and director would tell the guest artists the key and bam! Phenomenal now that I get it. I took music theory over 40 years ago and this taught me more practical music knowledge than 4 semesters back in the day.
Exactly what I was thinking. Like in physics, magnetism more specifically. Rules made for the times. Pen and parchment, no white-out, no eraser pens, gotta come up with corrections for "accidents". I accidentally put a C. # go right, flat, go left. Ignore this symbol. Seems so.
Thank you! For anyone confused, you read the sharps and flats from right-to-left! It took me a while to figure it out after scrolling through the comments! Good luck :)
Thank you! I have been singing and playing violin for nearly 20 years and I always relied on the piano or learning by ear and sight reading do,re,mi style. I feel empowered! My profession is a language teacher and as music is a language, I would like to offer one tip with regards to how much information was given (with regards to what I could absorb). Part 2 about pitfalls is something I will have to continue to study at a later point, as I felt my mind wanted to take some time to remember and use the first few tips. :) Thanks again. Terrific.
I'm 5 years into Cello and just learning this. My second year teacher just assumed I already knew it when I didn't, and I never really learned until now. Thank you :)
I came in here thinking its gonna be some wacky brain exercise, but came out actually knowing how to figure out key signatures pretty quickly! thanks a lot!
Easiest way to remember: Flats: F B E A D G 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sharps: G D A E B F 1 2 3 4 5 6 Flats always begin with "F". Flip the sequence for a mirror image of the sharps GDAEBF. The numbers represent how many sharps or flats are in the key signature. Hope this helps!
@@Epashtel So happy to help! 2 last points: Keys of C - it's either nothing at all, or the most sharps or flats (7) Minor Keys - There is no giveaway in the key signature if it's Major or minor. You start by using the above guide, then go down a third for minor keys. The only way to tell if the key is minor, is if you look through the entire piece of music and you see lots of accidentals (sharps, flats, naturals). For example, the F Major key signature looks exactly the same as the d minor key signature. Look through the piece for clues if it's Major or minor by the accidentals. Good luck!❤
You Sir, saved my musical theory understanding. I have taken about 2 pages of comprehensible musical notes (actual notes not like E, F, etc) and I can finally understand Key Signatures and relative minors, etc. So THANK YOU
My orchestra teacher at my school is always tellng us to talk about the key signature and we all sit there like idiots but now I understand. Thank you so much. You're a real life saver!
I've been learning piano for 3 years, and I'm taking my ABRSM grade 4 exam next week. I'm realmy struggling with sight reading , so your video saved my life really. Thank you. I've studied with 3 different teachers till now and they never mentioned me about this secret.
Glad to see someone sharing this. Great job! I learned this my first semester as a music major. I took a music course geared for general education teachers and musical theater actors. The professor showed us the easy way of doing things and tried to keep it really simple. We learned simple piano accompaniment techniques as well so you could play the melody in your right hand and "fake it" with your left hand. I use this all the time playing in bands. Probably the best course I took at Grossmont College.
I have been studying music in school for close to 3 years now. Key signatures was one of the first things they taught us, but this trick made it 100 times easier to get it!
Dear HowToReadSheetMusic, Thank you so much for this video! This was an amazing help, especially since I personally have had a key signature problem for a while and have a sight singing test quite soon. I would like to thank you amazing teaching, simple yet encouraging. sincerely, beginners choir student
Nice video! I would add the order of the sharps or flats appear in the staff, just in case someone has to figure out the key, without having the staff in front of him/her. The Flats order would be B,E,A,D,G,C,F. As an easy way to memorize this order, just remember the word BEAD and add Good, Cool, Flats :) As far as sharps, just reverse that order (F,C,G,D,A,E,B). So, recapping, if you have 4 sharps you're in the key of E major (or C# minor, which is its relative minor). If you have 3 flats, you're in Eb major - the penultimate flat (or C minor). there are two easy exceptions: No flats or sharps - C major/ A minor; only one flat you're in F major/ D minor
Miguel Aguiar It was good to clarify how specific discovering the relative minor is, like in the case where you actually come up with a C# for E major, not just C being probably most people's guesses for "three away".
Jessica Johnson I think the relative minor is the easiest thing to come up with… just count back 3 half tones (3 frets, for guitarists) i.e.: G major/ E minor; B major/ G# minor; A major/ F# minor; etc, etc
Burning Everything Around Diesel Generally Causes Fire That's the trick is leant to remember the order of flats from the other video about reading key signatures, hope it helps.
awesome video man! I am studying for a band test, and as a percussionist, key signature is not usually my best subject! Thanks for taking the stress of the band test off me!
Great video! I love how upbeat you are. I’m beginning lessons again after 20 years. Wow, have I forgotten a lot, though it’s still really fun. So please excuse my question if it’s idiotic, but why is it important to know the key of a piece if you have all the sharps and flats already spelled out?
To do this back wards (You're given a name of a key eg. A major and asked to find out it's key sign. You can do it by FCGDAEB. Find the letter of the MAJOR key on FCGDAEB That is "A" here in FCGD"A"EB. See two letters before it. In this case, FC'G'D"A"EB. And then underline everything from F to the letter two notes before. This is the key sign. To find the key sign for a minor key , just find it's relative major and find it's key sign. To find the key sign of a key that has FLATS, do the same thing, except with FCGDAEB turned the other way around (BEADGCF) and do the same process.
Ok, Dude -- I've been reading music for 30 years, and have never known how to determine what key a piece of music is written in. I kid you not -- middle school, high school and even college teachers/professors never explained it. I got it in 3 minutes with you. Thanks!
Wow. This just blew my mind in a positive way. Previously I was trying to find a way through the "Circle of fifth", but you way is way easier. Recently I've learnt about 3 centromeres for Relative minors, which also blew my mind and explained tons of things, i.e. why did I chose to use specific notes subliminally in my compositions. So thank you very much, for giving me that crazy hint of professionals. Amazing info for a person who never taken any real musical education.
Thank you for your video. I'm a vocalist training to sing in a professional choir. I need to learn sight singing solfage and this video helped me out tremendously
I've been playing the violin for years now yet I never understood how key signatures work even with all kinds of teachers explaining it to me and I finally got it thanks to this video, so thank you so much.
This video was extremely helpful. A tip for fellow musicians who also play guitar: You can easily name all the key signatures using the circle of fifths(in C), so if there are 2 sharps, you automatically know that it's D major or B minor
My cousin has two years until she starts percussion and I am teaching her how to read music and this really helps I sent her the link and I hope she takes advantage of it so she can be the best in her percussion when she starts
Very interesting. A few helpful hints. # An easy way to remember the sharp key signatures is:- Good Deeds Are Every Boys First Consideration. To remember how to place them in order. Just speak like Yoda in Star wars, : First Consideration, Good Deeds Are Every Boys. Plus the last 3 key signatures in both flats and sharps, are technically the same keys B/Cb, F#/Gb, C#/Db. Just enharmonically changed. # Never assume that the key signature/Time signature or tempo will remain the same through the piece. Always check beforehand, and mark changes (in pencil), so that you can prepare before you get to it. Use a cymbol like a 'pair of glasses ', to remind you to be watchful. # Always check your instruments danger area. For example. The Clarinet has an area called 'The Break'. In which you may have to use alternative fingerings, for a smooth sound. An example. You find a passage of 3 bars in 4/4 time, in the key of Bb Major. Containing the notes starting at the top space. Eb/C/D/B natural, over 2 bars, finishing on Bb. It may look easy at first, but you will have to use your left fingering for the C & B natural, due to that you cannot just slide onto the common C, without accidentally playing a D. Don't believe me, try it. # It may not be rocket science, but count your bars. There are pieces of music that contain the same rhythm, over a large amount of bars. In some cases, the entire piece. Elizabethan Serenade by Ronald Binge, is one such piece. This comes under the musicians humour book as RRS Repetitive Rhythm Syndrome. Mark this parts carefully . You don't want to lose your place. Otherwise. Great video guys. Hope that the above helps.
Do you only play the sharp/flat on the ledger line it is on or for any corresponding notes Eg : # on F ledger line (uppermost line) meaning it’s G major signiute. If a note is in first space of ledger line (treble clef) meaning that’s also an F note, do you play that as a sharp aswell?
Thank you for your question. The sharp that is on the top line (F sharp) in a G major applies to all F notes in whatever octave - so the F note in the 1st space up in the treble clef will also be an F sharp in the key of G major. Hope this helps.
It is not enough too say count down three to find the relative minor, be specific, it is a minor third. Three down from E is C, and that is not the correct minor.
Had a hard time find this info online probably because of the way I worded the question but your ytube answered it perfectly. Thanks much for simplifying it so well.
I still don't fuckin understand and im crying from frustration because I still don't get it after playing violin for 6 years. I dont understand Key signature b major scale or all the others i just dont get it why its so difficult for me to understand
Here's my summary and easy way to remember :) *Sharp Major*: Last sharp + 1 semitone (or half steps) is tonic of key. E.g. F# C# (C# is the last sharp on staff) = D Major key signature. E# (which would be F) = F# Major key signature and so on. *Flat Major*: 2nd to last flat is tonic of key. E.g. Bb Eb Ab = Eb Major key signature. Exception: Bb = F Major (just need to memorise this). *Relative Major keys*: Minor key signature + 3 semitones. E.g. A Minor = C Major. Eb Major = C Minor. *Relative Minor keys*: Major key signature minus 3 semitones.
To identify the key with sharp(s), add a semitone to the last sharp. F# + 1 halftone gives you the G major. To identify the key with flat(s), use the flat right before the last flat and that is the name of the key. A Eb and a Bb to its left is a Bb major
Forget this crap! Go study scale degrees until it makes sense to you. Then you will know why key signatures exist, and that you can ignore them if you focus on playing the tonic note and its accompanying degrees. Learn what music is ( multiples of a designated frequency). Composers wrote it in sheet form because they didn't have cassette recorders yet. Mozart would never bother with this crap if he were alive today.
Understanding beats memorization in my books. Do you think we would even have music notation if they had cassette recorders back in the days of Motzzart? I doubt it.
+falconeaterf15 If you are promoting your books by bullying here, why don't you publish them here to benefit the readers like this teacher did? Lots of people want to learn something in short cut, not by taking a degree!
More than enough music books out there already. Why kill more trees for another? My only point was that a musical "key" is a series of frequencies derived from multiples of another frequency. We should know that while we try to decipher the complexities of old technologies ( like quill and script). Enough bullying for today.
This is great! I've done pretty well in auditions for college, but this was one of the areas that I struggled with. Thanks so much for making this video!
awesome video. since i know a few scales, i look for sheet music written in the key signatures i more or less recognize. this video has made learning songs much easier.
I have my music yr 11 exam tomorrow and I was really stressing about my Key signatures, I cant thank you enough. YOU JUST GOT A SUBSCRIBER!! :D thx man
If we use the key of D-major as an example to explain (bearing in mind that that key sharpens all Fs and all Cs), by putting the sharps in the key signature it saves the writer from having to put a sharp beside most (if not all) of the Fs and Cs in the music. This makes the music far less cluttered than it would otherwise have been, and therefore easier to read at a glance.
Thanks a million!! I've always ben stuck on how to identify key signatures and my piano teacher said that I should just learn them off by heart. Now I don't have to spend all that time on learning my key signatures!!!
I just want to say thank you so much that makes so much sense I used to be terrible with reading signatures and what key we were in when I would go to my violin lessons but not anymore 😀
can you explain to me what the benefit of know what key a piece of music is in has? and also i heard there is some sort of trick for knowing what notes to sharpen by knowing the key signature . this is so confusing :( im trying to learn scales on clarinet and i read that a method of learning them is by learning the key signature but im still really confused :(
Hi, where there is only one flat in a key signature (B flat) the piece is in the key of F major. This is the only key signature you need to commit to memory as you are correct, there is no "penultimate" flat in this instance. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for tgis video. I am very grateful for tgis information. This is one if the most simplest ways to learn this. Most teachers make it sound si difficult, but you made it simple and comprehensible.
I’m about to convince my band teacher into putting me into advanced band so I can be with friends, not to mention I know nothing about sheet music so this really helped thanks dude !!
This video along with one other REALLY saved my ass on a FullSail University Quiz and I got 100% on Accidentals. The summary video they provide doesn't provide enough information and this video enlightened me. THANK YOU🙏🏾
oh my god thank you so much! I do music however, I sing so I don't play an instrument and I've always found it difficult to learn the key signatures doing music theory so this was really helpful!
I have learned more from this 7 minute video than I have from eleven years of musical training
AvyayTV
Same here bro
AvyayTV honestly me too
Wow you guys are really bad this is learned in level 1 which is one to two years of piano
I see this kind of comments everywhere, I've been studying music for around 8 months and this things are not that hard to not know in 11 years. Watch Rick Beato and that is where you really learn shit ton of theory
Then seek out a new teacher. This is basic theory.
Here's my summary of how to remember key signatures. Hope this helps someone :)
*Sharp Major*: Last sharp + 1 semitone (or half steps) is tonic of key. E.g. F# C# (C# is the last sharp on staff) = D Major key signature. E# (which would be F) = F# Major key signature and so on.
*Flat Major*: 2nd to last flat is tonic of key. E.g. Bb Eb Ab = Eb Major key signature. Exception: Bb = F Major (just need to memorise this).
*Relative Major keys*: Minor key signature + 3 semitones is tonic of key. E.g. A Minor = C Major. Eb Major = C Minor.
*Relative Minor keys*: Major key signature minus 3 semitones is tonic of key.
Projectile Creative thanks bub
:)
lol
Thanks a lot, I took a screenshot of that so that I can remind myself whenever I forget :) Again thanks a lot for the summary.
Thanks a lot, mate. I finally realized why people refer to F or C's as E# or B# although it doesn't seem to make sense. It's the key signature then...
That was the most incredibly clear explanation I've ever heard on the subject. Most instructors force you to 'build the scale' which can be a daunting task for those starting out. I'm a guitarist just wanting to know enough to pick out a melody on a lead sheet and my biggest hangup has been key signatures. Not anymore! BRILLIANT! Subscribed and going to your website to sign up.
Omfg you are a freakin life saver!!!!!!! I have been stuck on my AP music theory hw for about an hour and this was the only video that helped. Thank you so much
How did you read my mind? i was about to type the exact same message on here.
Saaaaaaaaaame. I had guitar 1 and 2 in the last 2 years, then I picked AP Music Theory but I haven’t learned half of the things they discuss in that class, so I’m going crazy looking for videos all over youtube.
@big boy gustav In AP music theory, you start with the basics and it starts to get difficult. You don't just jump into the hard content.
how are u nowadays
My difficulty is REMEMBERING to actually flatten or sharpen the notes while playing.
If you know the notes in the scale you shouldn't have that problem.
It will improve with practice.
If you practice chords, this will become a piece of cake.
You mean if you practice SCALES. Individual chords don’t have enough notes to show all the sharps or flats in a particular key. It is much easier to figure out when you use the complete scale. If you go around the circle of fifths starting with C, you will just add one more sharp each time. (Or one more flat if you go to the left.)
Notice that the one more sharp or flat that gets added is always the seventh note.
@@courierdubois I call bs on this! I've been learning chords for only a few wks now (not that I can make them sound good or do any fancy strum pattern wit them, but I've started to recognize what they are) & I have absolutely no idea-no comprehension at all- of any of what this vid is about, it makes absolutely no sense to me!
I guess I need face to face lessons, but there is no one here locally to help me wit this & there are sooo many UA-cam tutes out there that call them 'beginner lessons' but seem to assume we already know what a key is or a sharp, etc or can read music even.
What I'm getting at is most these tutes are free but promote their lessons etc but how do I know which lessons/tutes are suitable for me (to pay for) at an absolute dummy level? It's too late once I've paid them to find out they are way more advanced than what I'm capable of! Thanks for listening, not everyone is smart enough to pick it up quickly.
How come they dont cover it like this in school?
Yeah, my teacher just mentions it for a minute then goes on with our music. Now we’ve got a high school/ college level choir teacher giving us test on this stuff and we barley understand it.
2 Monster Punches gotta love the education system
Teachers have long forgotten not knowing what key is indicated by 5 sharps or 5 flats, and so don’t think you will need help with this.
Thank you for this video. As a casual musician playing trombone, this 7 minutes just brought me up to the next level. Playing in a college big band last night, we had 4 studio guest performers. The sax and trumpet were so together and before a number started they quick tell each other what key. When the jazz choir sang, the was no music and director would tell the guest artists the key and bam! Phenomenal now that I get it. I took music theory over 40 years ago and this taught me more practical music knowledge than 4 semesters back in the day.
They did with me in Music O level in 1981. I learned a lot and still remember quite a bit of it
Finally a sane explanation
Not only youre a great teacher and pianist but also a very kind person to provide this knowledge for free
this is like a weird math lol
What a weird math that we have here!
Math itself is like weird math.
yes music is a logical and creative piece of art!
Exactly what I was thinking. Like in physics, magnetism more specifically. Rules made for the times. Pen and parchment, no white-out, no eraser pens, gotta come up with corrections for "accidents". I accidentally put a C. # go right, flat, go left. Ignore this symbol. Seems so.
That's precisely what it is..mathematics translated through music
Thank you! For anyone confused, you read the sharps and flats from right-to-left! It took me a while to figure it out after scrolling through the comments! Good luck :)
Narrator: "Impress your musical friends..."
Me: "Friends, yeah sure."
Thank you! I have been singing and playing violin for nearly 20 years and I always relied on the piano or learning by ear and sight reading do,re,mi style. I feel empowered! My profession is a language teacher and as music is a language, I would like to offer one tip with regards to how much information was given (with regards to what I could absorb). Part 2 about pitfalls is something I will have to continue to study at a later point, as I felt my mind wanted to take some time to remember and use the first few tips. :) Thanks again. Terrific.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! This helped me not have a major heart attack. I felt lost. Now I feel better. Thanks again!
I'm 5 years into Cello and just learning this. My second year teacher just assumed I already knew it when I didn't, and I never really learned until now. Thank you :)
I came in here thinking its gonna be some wacky brain exercise, but came out actually knowing how to figure out key signatures pretty quickly! thanks a lot!
So far the shortest and the most informative piano lesson I've ever watched, 7 minutes but felt like i was taught for 7 hours by an expert.
Easiest way to remember:
Flats: F B E A D G
1 2 3 4 5 6
Sharps: G D A E B F
1 2 3 4 5 6
Flats always begin with "F". Flip the sequence for a mirror image of the sharps GDAEBF. The numbers represent how many sharps or flats are in the key signature. Hope this helps!
Omg you’re so helpful thank you!
I’m in middle school band and I’ve been struggling with flats and straps
@@Epashtel So happy to help! 2 last points:
Keys of C - it's either nothing at all, or the most sharps or flats (7)
Minor Keys - There is no giveaway in the key signature if it's Major or minor. You start by using the above guide, then go down a third for minor keys. The only way to tell if the key is minor, is if you look through the entire piece of music and you see lots of accidentals (sharps, flats, naturals). For example, the F Major key signature looks exactly the same as the d minor key signature. Look through the piece for clues if it's Major or minor by the accidentals.
Good luck!❤
Julez thank you 😊
@@Epashtel You're welcome dear! 😉
You Sir, saved my musical theory understanding. I have taken about 2 pages of comprehensible musical notes (actual notes not like E, F, etc) and I can finally understand Key Signatures and relative minors, etc.
So THANK YOU
This is amazing! Unbelievable how easy it is, and I spent so long trying to memorize the circle of fifths!
omggg me freaking too i didn't know this method existed!!!!
My orchestra teacher at my school is always tellng us to talk about the key signature and we all sit there like idiots but now I understand. Thank you so much. You're a real life saver!
Wow ,key signature and vocabulary lesson too . penultimate.now I have to find ways to use it.
I've been learning piano for 3 years, and I'm taking my ABRSM grade 4 exam next week. I'm realmy struggling with sight reading , so your video saved my life really. Thank you. I've studied with 3 different teachers till now and they never mentioned me about this secret.
OMG THAT SECRET IS SO HELPFUL!!!!!!! THANK YOU XDDD I'm always worried on reading music because of key signatures XD
Glad to see someone sharing this. Great job! I learned this my first semester as a music major. I took a music course geared for general education teachers and musical theater actors. The professor showed us the easy way of doing things and tried to keep it really simple. We learned simple piano accompaniment techniques as well so you could play the melody in your right hand and "fake it" with your left hand. I use this all the time playing in bands. Probably the best course I took at Grossmont College.
THIS WAS SO HELPFUL BECAUSE I HAVE A THEORY EXAM TOMORROW
THATS SO WIERD CAUSE SO DO I (despite the fact that i am writing this 3 yrs after u wrote this comment)
@@senpaisarwat6038 yep....so do i!!! (3 years and 2 weeks later..)
@@dragonwarrior30 so do i 3 yrs 3 weeks later
@@esskillz9967 Well i don't but i might soon! 3 yrs 4 weeks later.
Well did you pass?
I have been studying music in school for close to 3 years now. Key signatures was one of the first things they taught us, but this trick made it 100 times easier to get it!
I have a question if it's an F sharp do I also have to play an f sharp on the next octave?
Yes @@irecon-_516
@@jakobhaglund3276 thank you ❤
Dear HowToReadSheetMusic,
Thank you so much for this video! This was an amazing help, especially since I personally have had a key signature problem for a while and have a sight singing test quite soon. I would like to thank you amazing teaching, simple yet encouraging.
sincerely,
beginners choir student
Music is truly wonderful! I just began learning piano and I never knew how deep and intelligent the charts were.
Huixtocihuatl great to hear that you have just started piano and that you are enjoying it so much. You are right, music is wonderful!
Nice video!
I would add the order of the sharps or flats appear in the staff, just in case someone has to figure out the key, without having the staff in front of him/her.
The Flats order would be B,E,A,D,G,C,F. As an easy way to memorize this order, just remember the word BEAD and add Good, Cool, Flats :)
As far as sharps, just reverse that order (F,C,G,D,A,E,B).
So, recapping, if you have 4 sharps you're in the key of E major (or C# minor, which is its relative minor).
If you have 3 flats, you're in Eb major - the penultimate flat (or C minor).
there are two easy exceptions: No flats or sharps - C major/ A minor;
only one flat you're in F major/ D minor
Thank You for clarifying about having a single flat when reading a key signature...pretty important stuff.
Miguel Aguiar It was good to clarify how specific discovering the relative minor is, like in the case where you actually come up with a C# for E major, not just C being probably most people's guesses for "three away".
Jessica Johnson I think the relative minor is the easiest thing to come up with… just count back 3 half tones (3 frets, for guitarists) i.e.: G major/ E minor; B major/ G# minor; A major/ F# minor; etc, etc
Burning
Everything
Around
Diesel
Generally
Causes
Fire
That's the trick is leant to remember the order of flats from the other video about reading key signatures, hope it helps.
PianoMusic That just sounds like what learning theory is like
Omg thank you so much! I've done music for like 5 years and still didn't know how to work out key signatures but now thanks to you I know!
This just helped me so much! Thank you a million times over!
OMG this was extremely helpful. I think I took almost 2 years trying to learn this and I understood everything in under 8 Minutes! THANK YOU!
OMG thank u this was really helpful now I am understanding the key signatures
awesome video man! I am studying for a band test, and as a percussionist, key signature is not usually my best subject! Thanks for taking the stress of the band test off me!
Penultimate: last but one in a series of things; second last.
ty! :)
You are a saint
Thank you greatly appreciate you teaching me these sharps & flats. Now i understand how to identify these key signatures. 👏👏😀😀
So pleased it helped
Great video! I love how upbeat you are. I’m beginning lessons again after 20 years. Wow, have I forgotten a lot, though it’s still really fun. So please excuse my question if it’s idiotic, but why is it important to know the key of a piece if you have all the sharps and flats already spelled out?
To do this back wards (You're given a name of a key eg. A major and asked to find out it's key sign. You can do it by FCGDAEB. Find the letter of the MAJOR key on FCGDAEB
That is "A" here in FCGD"A"EB.
See two letters before it.
In this case, FC'G'D"A"EB. And then underline everything from F to the letter two notes before.
This is the key sign.
To find the key sign for a minor key , just find it's relative major and find it's key sign.
To find the key sign of a key that has FLATS, do the same thing, except with FCGDAEB turned the other way around (BEADGCF) and do the same process.
I was so clueless and this helped so much
Ok, Dude -- I've been reading music for 30 years, and have never known how to determine what key a piece of music is written in. I kid you not -- middle school, high school and even college teachers/professors never explained it. I got it in 3 minutes with you. Thanks!
Wow. This just blew my mind in a positive way. Previously I was trying to find a way through the "Circle of fifth", but you way is way easier. Recently I've learnt about 3 centromeres for Relative minors, which also blew my mind and explained tons of things, i.e. why did I chose to use specific notes subliminally in my compositions. So thank you very much, for giving me that crazy hint of professionals. Amazing info for a person who never taken any real musical education.
Thank you for your video. I'm a vocalist training to sing in a professional choir. I need to learn sight singing solfage and this video helped me out tremendously
Counting up one to find the key signature at 3:30 my eyes went that big O_O omg thank you man very good trick!
I've been playing the violin for years now yet I never understood how key signatures work even with all kinds of teachers explaining it to me and I finally got it thanks to this video, so thank you so much.
Are you God?
BaritoneLife
That got a good laugh. thanks
Ultra Instinct Vegito 𗂔
he is our savior
I believe this musician Understands GOD
as in the Geometry of Design (Creators language)
Golden Mean in Music
This video was extremely helpful.
A tip for fellow musicians who also play guitar:
You can easily name all the key signatures using the circle of fifths(in C), so if there are 2 sharps, you automatically know that it's D major or B minor
Tip: The key signatures in the Bass Clef is always 1 step lower than the Treble Clef (Not really helpful in most ways but for simple knowledge)
shouldn't we call it 2 steps?
Thanks for your help on elucidating on the mystery that is the dreaded key signature. Much appreciated.
All year my music teacher has been trying to teach the class how to do this wow we must be all dumb 😂
Same😂
James baker same😂
same😂
Same here 😂😂
Same😂😂😂
My cousin has two years until she starts percussion and I am teaching her how to read music and this really helps I sent her the link and I hope she takes advantage of it so she can be the best in her percussion when she starts
now I know "Penultimate"
I'm gonna get teacher's pet points!
"And you received the penultimate grade of the whole class this year!"
"Wooow I did good!"
"Not atll! But you weren't the very worst!"
My teacher didn't explain this very well, I'm SOOOO glad you posted this. :) Super helpful! Thanks!
Why wasn't I told this at school ! lol. Cheers mate !
Tom Sneade bruh, you're like 80
T.K. Brown who cares? Why pick on the dude for his age?
Everything does not teach in school. Try to be a teacher and you will know why.
T.K. Brown you’re probably 10 stop bullying because of age and get on with your life
@@rabijoseremigoso2753 This isn't some professional high level stuff. Many are also not taught how to use info resources.
Very interesting. A few helpful hints.
# An easy way to remember the sharp key signatures is:- Good Deeds Are Every Boys First Consideration. To remember how to place them in order. Just speak like Yoda in Star wars, : First Consideration, Good Deeds Are Every Boys.
Plus the last 3 key signatures in both flats and sharps, are technically the same keys B/Cb, F#/Gb, C#/Db. Just enharmonically changed.
# Never assume that the key signature/Time signature or tempo will remain the same through the piece. Always check beforehand, and mark changes (in pencil), so that you can prepare before you get to it. Use a cymbol like a 'pair of glasses ', to remind you to be watchful.
# Always check your instruments danger area. For example. The Clarinet has an area called 'The Break'. In which you may have to use alternative fingerings, for a smooth sound. An example. You find a passage of 3 bars in 4/4 time, in the key of Bb Major. Containing the notes starting at the top space. Eb/C/D/B natural, over 2 bars, finishing on Bb. It may look easy at first, but you will have to use your left fingering for the C & B natural, due to that you cannot just slide onto the common C, without accidentally playing a D. Don't believe me, try it.
# It may not be rocket science, but count your bars. There are pieces of music that contain the same rhythm, over a large amount of bars. In some cases, the entire piece. Elizabethan Serenade by Ronald Binge, is one such piece. This comes under the musicians humour book as RRS Repetitive Rhythm Syndrome. Mark this parts carefully . You don't want to lose your place.
Otherwise. Great video guys. Hope that the above helps.
1:33 im her nodding like "ohhhhh" tysm
Learned a lot from this short video.Thank you.
I couldn’t get it😭
That part when there are many sharps and flats
Do you only play the sharp/flat on the ledger line it is on or for any corresponding notes Eg : # on F ledger line (uppermost line) meaning it’s G major signiute. If a note is in first space of ledger line (treble clef) meaning that’s also an F note, do you play that as a sharp aswell?
Thank you for your question. The sharp that is on the top line (F sharp) in a G major applies to all F notes in whatever octave - so the F note in the 1st space up in the treble clef will also be an F sharp in the key of G major. Hope this helps.
Amazing,Thank you very much!!!
I knew these rules back in the day but like a lot of things they were lost in the sands of time. Thanks for great brief lesson. Much appreciated.
It is not enough too say count down three to find the relative minor, be specific, it is a minor third.
Three down from E is C, and that is not the correct minor.
Amen.
Three half steps. The minor third of E would be C#m.
Had a hard time find this info online probably because of the way I worded the question but your ytube answered it perfectly. Thanks much for simplifying it so well.
I still don't fuckin understand and im crying from frustration because I still don't get it after playing violin for 6 years. I dont understand Key signature b major scale or all the others i just dont get it why its so difficult for me to understand
Here's my summary and easy way to remember :)
*Sharp Major*: Last sharp + 1 semitone (or half steps) is tonic of key. E.g. F# C# (C# is the last sharp on staff) = D Major key signature. E# (which would be F) = F# Major key signature and so on.
*Flat Major*: 2nd to last flat is tonic of key. E.g. Bb Eb Ab = Eb Major key signature. Exception: Bb = F Major (just need to memorise this).
*Relative Major keys*: Minor key signature + 3 semitones. E.g. A Minor = C Major. Eb Major = C Minor.
*Relative Minor keys*: Major key signature minus 3 semitones.
If you look at all the figure positions on your violin you will see that each position is equal to a particular scale.
Sorry Figure should read finger
Wash out your mouth!
William George Dunbar Jesus Christ because he swore
Excellent. I thought the multiple sharps or flats were randomly printed. Never realised they applied to a line or space!
This video stopped world hunger
CorBY
*world hunger for music
This is truly a simple and easy way to understand key signatures. Thanks a million.
Got a flat sy,bol on the b, gotta be b flat majro can't possible be idk f major that'd be ridiculous
Please learn how to write
+FluffyZombieCats sorry im
'M severely sight impaired
This is pretty good for practising your majors and minors.
what did he say at the end? taking your musician shit to the next level?
+Amil Hakim musicianship.
To identify the key with sharp(s), add a semitone to the last sharp. F# + 1 halftone gives you the G major.
To identify the key with flat(s), use the flat right before the last flat and that is the name of the key. A Eb and a Bb to its left is a Bb major
So why can't they just name the key signature like the actual last note instead of having to do the one step bs
It's taken me four years to realise working out a key signature is THIS easy?! Thank you so much!
What is penultimate?
second to last
second to last
An ultimate penis.... right?
thank you for relieving me from those unwanted memories needed by just applying your method.
My pleasure
Forget this crap! Go study scale degrees until it makes sense to you. Then you will know why key signatures exist, and that you can ignore them if you focus on playing the tonic note and its accompanying degrees.
Learn what music is ( multiples of a designated frequency). Composers wrote it in sheet form because they didn't have cassette recorders yet.
Mozart would never bother with this crap if he were alive today.
thanks bro good looking out
+falconeaterf15 Oh how dare someone learn music differently than you.
Understanding beats memorization in my books. Do you think we would even have music notation if they had cassette recorders back in the days of Motzzart? I doubt it.
+falconeaterf15 If you are promoting your books by bullying here, why don't you publish them here to benefit the readers like this teacher did? Lots of people want to learn something in short cut, not by taking a degree!
More than enough music books out there already. Why kill more trees for another? My only point was that a musical "key" is a series of frequencies derived from multiples of another frequency. We should know that while we try to decipher the complexities of old technologies ( like quill and script).
Enough bullying for today.
Thank you so much, the +1 worked so well, saved me from interminable counting!
This is great! I've done pretty well in auditions for college, but this was one of the areas that I struggled with. Thanks so much for making this video!
awesome video. since i know a few scales, i look for sheet music written in the key signatures i more or less recognize. this video has made learning songs much easier.
Thanks for this fella. I am new to easing music and have started singing in a choir. This explains so much.
Thank you for this video. I got put in the advanced chorus as a freshman and had to learn all the key signatures. This video helped sooo much.
ive been confused for 7 years about scales and signatures but this made it so easy
This is about to save my life on my test next Tuesday. Thank the Sweet Lord!!
I have my music yr 11 exam tomorrow and I was really stressing about my Key signatures, I cant thank you enough. YOU JUST GOT A SUBSCRIBER!! :D thx man
I'm a drummer so my rhythmic skills are on point but I'm totally lost when it comes to key signatures..Thank you so much this helped heaps!
If we use the key of D-major as an example to explain (bearing in mind that that key sharpens all Fs and all Cs), by putting the sharps in the key signature it saves the writer from having to put a sharp beside most (if not all) of the Fs and Cs in the music. This makes the music far less cluttered than it would otherwise have been, and therefore easier to read at a glance.
Thanks a million!! I've always ben stuck on how to identify key signatures and my piano teacher said that I should just learn them off by heart. Now I don't have to spend all that time on learning my key signatures!!!
I love you! I've struggled with this for years and you've smashed it in 7 minutes. Incredible.
Thank you! So pleased it helped!
I just want to say thank you so much that makes so much sense I used to be terrible with reading signatures and what key we were in when I would go to my violin lessons but not anymore 😀
Hi, I'm so pleased to hear it has helped.
You have blown my mind! thankyou so very much for these fantastic pointers! I have them in my notes and will apply. Awesome.
So pleased the video has helped you.
Oh man this just answered so many of my questions as a brand new pianist.
can you explain to me what the benefit of know what key a piece of music is in has? and also i heard there is some sort of trick for knowing what notes to sharpen by knowing the key signature . this is so confusing :( im trying to learn scales on clarinet and i read that a method of learning them is by learning the key signature but im still really confused :(
Hey Great video, I was just wondering what if there is only one flat in the piece? how do we find the penultimate? Thanks
Hi, where there is only one flat in a key signature (B flat) the piece is in the key of F major. This is the only key signature you need to commit to memory as you are correct, there is no "penultimate" flat in this instance. Hope this helps.
@@MusicTheoryAcademy Thanks I worked it out after posting this has helped me get my key signatures down much easier!
@@digitaltrackz So pleased the video has helped.
Thank you so much for tgis video. I am very grateful for tgis information. This is one if the most simplest ways to learn this. Most teachers make it sound si difficult, but you made it simple and comprehensible.
Holy cow - why has no one told me this before. I could figure out any key signature by working through all the"machinery," but this is just so simple.
Ive learnt more than a 50 minute video I watched last year! Ur a legend!!!!
Xiang Meng that’s great to hear - I’m so pleased it has helped.
This video is so helpful. Thank you so much! I learn so much in 7mins!
@4:11 You are saying to go by the 'penultimate flat" but you are using the "last" flat, ie Bb is
the last flat.
I’m about to convince my band teacher into putting me into advanced band so I can be with friends, not to mention I know nothing about sheet music so this really helped thanks dude !!
This video along with one other REALLY saved my ass on a FullSail University Quiz and I got 100% on Accidentals. The summary video they provide doesn't provide enough information and this video enlightened me. THANK YOU🙏🏾
oh my god thank you so much! I do music however, I sing so I don't play an instrument and I've always found it difficult to learn the key signatures doing music theory so this was really helpful!
I think you are one of great teachers. Simple but Strong explanation!