Major keys up to three sharps or flats
Recap: the major scale pattern
A scale is written in semibreves, going up or coming down. Every major scale follows the same steps: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone, with the semitones between notes 3 and 4 and 7 and 8. At Grade 1 you met C, G, D and F major.
Three new major keys
- A major needs F sharp, C sharp and G sharp.
- B flat major needs B flat and E flat.
- E flat major needs E flat, B flat and A flat.
Key signatures, in order
Sharps and flats in a key signature are always written in the same order:
- sharps: F, C, G (then D, A, E, B at later grades);
- flats: B, E, A (then D, G, C, F).
| Key signature | Major key |
|---|---|
| none | C major |
| F sharp | G major |
| F sharp, C sharp | D major |
| F sharp, C sharp, G sharp | A major |
| B flat | F major |
| B flat, E flat | B flat major |
| B flat, E flat, A flat | E flat major |
Tip: with sharps, the major key is a semitone above the last sharp (last sharp G sharp, so A major). With two or more flats, it is the second-last flat (B flat, E flat, A flat: E flat major).
This question is in Brainlag Plus