LESSON 4
Key Signature II
LESSON FOUR
KEY SIGNATURE II
Elevate your musical understanding with a comprehensive introduction to key signatures
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this Lesson, you should be able to:
1. Describe key signatures
2. Identify the flat key signatures
3. Mention the acronyms to remember the key signatures
What is Key Signature?
A key signature in music notation is a symbol indicating the key of a song or piece of music.
It consists of a set of sharps or flats, revealing the key of the written piece. This signature
displays the specific sharps or flats associated with the key and is positioned on the staff
after the clef symbol but before the time signature. There are 12 possible keys and 15
different key signatures for identifying the key signatures.
Flat Keys Signatures
In musical notation, flattened notes are notes that are made low in a given key signature.
The symbol for a flat is “ ”, which means half a tone lower than the written note. Let’s now
look at the flat key signatures.
When we have one flat ( ) placed on the musical staff, the key is called key F major
Key F major
When there are two flats ( ) placed on the musical staff, the key is called key B flat major
Key B flat major
When we have three flats ( ) placed on the musical staff, the key is called key E flat major
Key E flat major
When there are four flats ( ) placed on the musical staff, the key is called key A flat major
Key A flat major
When we have five flats ( ) placed on the musical staff, the key is called key D flat major
Key D flat major
When there are six flats ( ) placed on the musical staff, the key is called key G flat major
Key G flat major
When we have seven flats ( ) placed on the musical staff, the key is called key C flat major
Key C flat major
Note: Key B flat could also be written as this; “B ”, likewise E flat or any other key.
No Sharps or Flat
When there are no sharps or flats on the musical staff, the key is called Key C major. In
other words, key C major has no sharp or flats in its key signature. The key signature for
the key C major would look like this
Key C Major Key C Major
Note: The key signatures also apply to the bass clef too.
Acronyms for Flat Key Signature
F – 1 flat – Freya’s
B – 2 flats – Baby
E – 3 flats – Elephant
A – 4 flats – Ate
D – 5 flats – Daniel’s
G – 6 flats – Golden
C – 7 flats – Catfish
Acronym: Freya’s Baby Elephant Ate Daniel’s Golden Catfish
You could also consider “First Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles” or “Fast Before Eating
Any Doughnuts, Get Coffee”
Remember: when a musical staff has no sharps or flats, the key is called key C major. In other
words, the Key C major has no share or flats.
SUMMARY
In this Lesson, we have learnt the following things:
1. A key signature is a symbol indicating the key of a song or piece of
music.
2. There are 12 possible keys and 15 different key signatures for
identifying the key signatures.
3. When there are no sharps or flats on the musical staff, the key is
called Key C major
4. The acronym to easily remember the flat key signatures is Freya’s
Baby Elephant Ate Daniel’s Golden Catfish
EXERCISES
Answer the following questions from this Lesson:
1. What are key signatures?
2. What key has no sharps or flats?
3. What is the acronym to remember the sharp key signatures?
4. What is the acronym to remember the flat key signatures?
