Get quick info on each musical key, including relative minors, enharmonic signatures, and the nonexistent keys.
Major Key Signatures
MajorScale Relative No. of Sharps Enharmonic Key Signature Parallel Key
C maj A min 0
C minor
G maj E min 1
G minor
D maj B min 2
D minor
A maj F# min 3
A minor
E maj C# min 4
E minor
B maj G# min 5 Cb major / Ab min B minor
F# maj D# min 6 Gb major / Eb min F# minor
C# maj A# min 7 Db major / Bb min C# minor
No. ofFlats
F maj D min 1
F minor
Bb maj G min 2
Bb minor
Eb maj C min 3
Eb minor
Ab maj F min 4
Ab minor
Db maj Bb min 5 C# major / A# min No Db minor (C# min)
Gb maj Eb min 6 F# major / D# min No Gb minor (F# min)
Cb maj Ab min 7 B major / G# min No Cb minor (B min)
Minor Key Signatures
MinorScale RelativeKey No. ofSharps EnharmonicKey Signature Parallel Key
A min C maj 0
A major
E min G maj 1
E major
B min D maj 2
B major
F# min A maj 3
F# major
C# min E maj 4
C# major
G# min B maj 5 Ab minor / Cb maj No G# major (Ab maj)
D# min F# maj 6 Eb minor / Gb maj No D# major (Eb maj)
A# min C# maj 7 Bb minor / Db maj No A# major (Bb maj)
No. ofFlats
D min F maj 1
D major
G min Bb maj 2
G major
C min Eb maj 3
C major
F min Ab maj 4
F major
Bb min Db maj 5 A# minor / C# major Bb major
Eb min Gb maj 6 D# minor / F# major Eb major
Ab min Cb maj 7 G# minor / B major Ab major
The Pattern of Accidentals
Memorizing the order in which the accidentals appear in the key signatures will ease both sight-reading and musical composition, and help strengthen your understanding of the diatonic scale. You’ll see this pattern everywhere in music theory, so it’s valuable to to know (notice in the examples below that the pattern is simply reversed):
Sharps (#): F C G D A E B Flats (b): B E A D G C F
Key Signatures in Depth
• Understanding the Key SignaturesEverything you need to know about the accidentals & key signatures.
• There are always two keys that relate to one another more than any other key. Find out what this means.
• Comparing Major & MinorMajor and minor are often described in terms of feelings or mood. The ear tends to perceive major and minor as having contrasting personalities; a contrast that is most obvious when the two are played back to back. Learn more about major and minor scales and keys.
• The Circle of Fifths (Musiced.about.com)Visual guide to all the scales and their relatives.
• Table of Key SignaturesTest your ability to identify the keys.
• The 6 Enharmonic Key SignaturesIf you’re familiar with the circle of fifths (see above) or you just know your way around the key signatures, you may have noticed a few anomalies. Some keys – like B-sharp and F-flat major – are seemingly absent, while others go by two names
• The Inefficient KeysThe circle of fifths shows only the working scales. But, if we expand on its pattern, we can see that it’s actually more of an infinite spiral, so there’s no end to the possibilities of musical scales.
• Table of Working & Non-Working KeysSee a clear visual of which keynotes are workable and which would be redundant.
Featured Video
Counting Musical Sextuplets
Why is there no G# major key?
Duplet
Printable Piano Lesson Book
rolled chord
D.S. al Fine
8vb
repeat bar
D.S. al coda
D.C. al coda
Minor Piano Scales for Beginners
What Is a Double Barline and How to Use It
How a Diminished Chord Is Created
key signature
Key Signatures With Sharps
Key Signatures With Flats
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Get quick info on each musical key, including relative minors, enharmonic signatures, and the nonexistent keys.
Major Key Signatures
MajorScale Relative No. of Sharps Enharmonic Key Signature Parallel Key
C maj A min 0
C minor
G maj E min 1
G minor
D maj B min 2
D minor
A maj F# min 3
A minor
E maj C# min 4
E minor
B maj G# min 5 Cb major / Ab min B minor
F# maj D# min 6 Gb major / Eb min F# minor
C# maj A# min 7 Db major / Bb min C# minor
No. ofFlats
F maj D min 1
F minor
Bb maj G min 2
Bb minor
Eb maj C min 3
Eb minor
Ab maj F min 4
Ab minor
Db maj Bb min 5 C# major / A# min No Db minor (C# min)
Gb maj Eb min 6 F# major / D# min No Gb minor (F# min)
Cb maj Ab min 7 B major / G# min No Cb minor (B min)
Minor Key Signatures
MinorScale RelativeKey No. ofSharps EnharmonicKey Signature Parallel Key
A min C maj 0
A major
E min G maj 1
E major
B min D maj 2
B major
F# min A maj 3
F# major
C# min E maj 4
C# major
G# min B maj 5 Ab minor / Cb maj No G# major (Ab maj)
D# min F# maj 6 Eb minor / Gb maj No D# major (Eb maj)
A# min C# maj 7 Bb minor / Db maj No A# major (Bb maj)
No. ofFlats
D min F maj 1
D major
G min Bb maj 2
G major
C min Eb maj 3
C major
F min Ab maj 4
F major
Bb min Db maj 5 A# minor / C# major Bb major
Eb min Gb maj 6 D# minor / F# major Eb major
Ab min Cb maj 7 G# minor / B major Ab major
The Pattern of Accidentals
Memorizing the order in which the accidentals appear in the key signatures will ease both sight-reading and musical composition, and help strengthen your understanding of the diatonic scale. You’ll see this pattern everywhere in music theory, so it’s valuable to to know (notice in the examples below that the pattern is simply reversed):
Sharps (#): F C G D A E B Flats (b): B E A D G C F
Key Signatures in Depth
• Understanding the Key SignaturesEverything you need to know about the accidentals & key signatures.
• There are always two keys that relate to one another more than any other key. Find out what this means.
• Comparing Major & MinorMajor and minor are often described in terms of feelings or mood. The ear tends to perceive major and minor as having contrasting personalities; a contrast that is most obvious when the two are played back to back. Learn more about major and minor scales and keys.
• The Circle of Fifths (Musiced.about.com)Visual guide to all the scales and their relatives.
• Table of Key SignaturesTest your ability to identify the keys.
• The 6 Enharmonic Key SignaturesIf you’re familiar with the circle of fifths (see above) or you just know your way around the key signatures, you may have noticed a few anomalies. Some keys – like B-sharp and F-flat major – are seemingly absent, while others go by two names
• The Inefficient KeysThe circle of fifths shows only the working scales. But, if we expand on its pattern, we can see that it’s actually more of an infinite spiral, so there’s no end to the possibilities of musical scales.
• Table of Working & Non-Working KeysSee a clear visual of which keynotes are workable and which would be redundant.
Featured Video
Counting Musical Sextuplets
Why is there no G# major key?
Duplet
Printable Piano Lesson Book
rolled chord
D.S. al Fine
8vb
repeat bar
D.S. al coda
D.C. al coda
Minor Piano Scales for Beginners
What Is a Double Barline and How to Use It
How a Diminished Chord Is Created
key signature
Key Signatures With Sharps
Key Signatures With Flats
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
Get quick info on each musical key, including relative minors, enharmonic signatures, and the nonexistent keys.
Major Key Signatures
MajorScale Relative No. of Sharps Enharmonic Key Signature Parallel Key
C maj A min 0
C minor
G maj E min 1
G minor
D maj B min 2
D minor
A maj F# min 3
A minor
E maj C# min 4
E minor
B maj G# min 5 Cb major / Ab min B minor
F# maj D# min 6 Gb major / Eb min F# minor
C# maj A# min 7 Db major / Bb min C# minor
No. ofFlats
F maj D min 1
F minor
Bb maj G min 2
Bb minor
Eb maj C min 3
Eb minor
Ab maj F min 4
Ab minor
Db maj Bb min 5 C# major / A# min No Db minor (C# min)
Gb maj Eb min 6 F# major / D# min No Gb minor (F# min)
Cb maj Ab min 7 B major / G# min No Cb minor (B min)
Minor Key Signatures
MinorScale RelativeKey No. ofSharps EnharmonicKey Signature Parallel Key
A min C maj 0
A major
E min G maj 1
E major
B min D maj 2
B major
F# min A maj 3
F# major
C# min E maj 4
C# major
G# min B maj 5 Ab minor / Cb maj No G# major (Ab maj)
D# min F# maj 6 Eb minor / Gb maj No D# major (Eb maj)
A# min C# maj 7 Bb minor / Db maj No A# major (Bb maj)
No. ofFlats
D min F maj 1
D major
G min Bb maj 2
G major
C min Eb maj 3
C major
F min Ab maj 4
F major
Bb min Db maj 5 A# minor / C# major Bb major
Eb min Gb maj 6 D# minor / F# major Eb major
Ab min Cb maj 7 G# minor / B major Ab major
The Pattern of Accidentals
Memorizing the order in which the accidentals appear in the key signatures will ease both sight-reading and musical composition, and help strengthen your understanding of the diatonic scale. You’ll see this pattern everywhere in music theory, so it’s valuable to to know (notice in the examples below that the pattern is simply reversed):
Sharps (#): F C G D A E B Flats (b): B E A D G C F
Key Signatures in Depth
• Understanding the Key SignaturesEverything you need to know about the accidentals & key signatures.
• There are always two keys that relate to one another more than any other key. Find out what this means.
• Comparing Major & MinorMajor and minor are often described in terms of feelings or mood. The ear tends to perceive major and minor as having contrasting personalities; a contrast that is most obvious when the two are played back to back. Learn more about major and minor scales and keys.
• The Circle of Fifths (Musiced.about.com)Visual guide to all the scales and their relatives.
• Table of Key SignaturesTest your ability to identify the keys.
• The 6 Enharmonic Key SignaturesIf you’re familiar with the circle of fifths (see above) or you just know your way around the key signatures, you may have noticed a few anomalies. Some keys – like B-sharp and F-flat major – are seemingly absent, while others go by two names
• The Inefficient KeysThe circle of fifths shows only the working scales. But, if we expand on its pattern, we can see that it’s actually more of an infinite spiral, so there’s no end to the possibilities of musical scales.
• Table of Working & Non-Working KeysSee a clear visual of which keynotes are workable and which would be redundant.
Featured Video
Counting Musical Sextuplets
Why is there no G# major key?
Duplet
Printable Piano Lesson Book
rolled chord
D.S. al Fine
8vb
repeat bar
D.S. al coda
D.C. al coda
Minor Piano Scales for Beginners
What Is a Double Barline and How to Use It
How a Diminished Chord Is Created
key signature
Key Signatures With Sharps
Key Signatures With Flats
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
Get quick info on each musical key, including relative minors, enharmonic signatures, and the nonexistent keys.
Major Key Signatures
MajorScale Relative No. of Sharps Enharmonic Key Signature Parallel Key
C maj A min 0
C minor
G maj E min 1
G minor
D maj B min 2
D minor
A maj F# min 3
A minor
E maj C# min 4
E minor
B maj G# min 5 Cb major / Ab min B minor
F# maj D# min 6 Gb major / Eb min F# minor
C# maj A# min 7 Db major / Bb min C# minor
No. ofFlats
F maj D min 1
F minor
Bb maj G min 2
Bb minor
Eb maj C min 3
Eb minor
Ab maj F min 4
Ab minor
Db maj Bb min 5 C# major / A# min No Db minor (C# min)
Gb maj Eb min 6 F# major / D# min No Gb minor (F# min)
Cb maj Ab min 7 B major / G# min No Cb minor (B min)
Minor Key Signatures
MinorScale RelativeKey No. ofSharps EnharmonicKey Signature Parallel Key
A min C maj 0
A major
E min G maj 1
E major
B min D maj 2
B major
F# min A maj 3
F# major
C# min E maj 4
C# major
G# min B maj 5 Ab minor / Cb maj No G# major (Ab maj)
D# min F# maj 6 Eb minor / Gb maj No D# major (Eb maj)
A# min C# maj 7 Bb minor / Db maj No A# major (Bb maj)
No. ofFlats
D min F maj 1
D major
G min Bb maj 2
G major
C min Eb maj 3
C major
F min Ab maj 4
F major
Bb min Db maj 5 A# minor / C# major Bb major
Eb min Gb maj 6 D# minor / F# major Eb major
Ab min Cb maj 7 G# minor / B major Ab major
The Pattern of Accidentals
Memorizing the order in which the accidentals appear in the key signatures will ease both sight-reading and musical composition, and help strengthen your understanding of the diatonic scale. You’ll see this pattern everywhere in music theory, so it’s valuable to to know (notice in the examples below that the pattern is simply reversed):
Sharps (#): F C G D A E B Flats (b): B E A D G C F
Key Signatures in Depth
• Understanding the Key SignaturesEverything you need to know about the accidentals & key signatures.
• There are always two keys that relate to one another more than any other key. Find out what this means.
• Comparing Major & MinorMajor and minor are often described in terms of feelings or mood. The ear tends to perceive major and minor as having contrasting personalities; a contrast that is most obvious when the two are played back to back. Learn more about major and minor scales and keys.
• The Circle of Fifths (Musiced.about.com)Visual guide to all the scales and their relatives.
• Table of Key SignaturesTest your ability to identify the keys.
• The 6 Enharmonic Key SignaturesIf you’re familiar with the circle of fifths (see above) or you just know your way around the key signatures, you may have noticed a few anomalies. Some keys – like B-sharp and F-flat major – are seemingly absent, while others go by two names
• The Inefficient KeysThe circle of fifths shows only the working scales. But, if we expand on its pattern, we can see that it’s actually more of an infinite spiral, so there’s no end to the possibilities of musical scales.
• Table of Working & Non-Working KeysSee a clear visual of which keynotes are workable and which would be redundant.
Minor Key Signatures
MinorScale RelativeKey No. ofSharps EnharmonicKey Signature Parallel Key
A min C maj 0
A major
E min G maj 1
E major
B min D maj 2
B major
F# min A maj 3
F# major
C# min E maj 4
C# major
G# min B maj 5 Ab minor / Cb maj No G# major (Ab maj)
D# min F# maj 6 Eb minor / Gb maj No D# major (Eb maj)
A# min C# maj 7 Bb minor / Db maj No A# major (Bb maj)
No. ofFlats
D min F maj 1
D major
G min Bb maj 2
G major
C min Eb maj 3
C major
F min Ab maj 4
F major
Bb min Db maj 5 A# minor / C# major Bb major
Eb min Gb maj 6 D# minor / F# major Eb major
Ab min Cb maj 7 G# minor / B major Ab major
The Pattern of Accidentals
Memorizing the order in which the accidentals appear in the key signatures will ease both sight-reading and musical composition, and help strengthen your understanding of the diatonic scale. You’ll see this pattern everywhere in music theory, so it’s valuable to to know (notice in the examples below that the pattern is simply reversed):
Sharps (#): F C G D A E B Flats (b): B E A D G C F
Key Signatures in Depth
• Understanding the Key SignaturesEverything you need to know about the accidentals & key signatures.
• There are always two keys that relate to one another more than any other key. Find out what this means.
• Comparing Major & MinorMajor and minor are often described in terms of feelings or mood. The ear tends to perceive major and minor as having contrasting personalities; a contrast that is most obvious when the two are played back to back. Learn more about major and minor scales and keys.
• The Circle of Fifths (Musiced.about.com)Visual guide to all the scales and their relatives.
• Table of Key SignaturesTest your ability to identify the keys.
• The 6 Enharmonic Key SignaturesIf you’re familiar with the circle of fifths (see above) or you just know your way around the key signatures, you may have noticed a few anomalies. Some keys – like B-sharp and F-flat major – are seemingly absent, while others go by two names
• The Inefficient KeysThe circle of fifths shows only the working scales. But, if we expand on its pattern, we can see that it’s actually more of an infinite spiral, so there’s no end to the possibilities of musical scales.
• Table of Working & Non-Working KeysSee a clear visual of which keynotes are workable and which would be redundant.
The Pattern of Accidentals
Memorizing the order in which the accidentals appear in the key signatures will ease both sight-reading and musical composition, and help strengthen your understanding of the diatonic scale. You’ll see this pattern everywhere in music theory, so it’s valuable to to know (notice in the examples below that the pattern is simply reversed):
- Sharps (#): F C G D A E B
- Flats (b): B E A D G C F
Key Signatures in Depth
• Understanding the Key SignaturesEverything you need to know about the accidentals & key signatures.
• There are always two keys that relate to one another more than any other key. Find out what this means.
• Comparing Major & MinorMajor and minor are often described in terms of feelings or mood. The ear tends to perceive major and minor as having contrasting personalities; a contrast that is most obvious when the two are played back to back. Learn more about major and minor scales and keys.
• The Circle of Fifths (Musiced.about.com)Visual guide to all the scales and their relatives.
• Table of Key SignaturesTest your ability to identify the keys.
• The 6 Enharmonic Key SignaturesIf you’re familiar with the circle of fifths (see above) or you just know your way around the key signatures, you may have noticed a few anomalies. Some keys – like B-sharp and F-flat major – are seemingly absent, while others go by two names
• The Inefficient KeysThe circle of fifths shows only the working scales. But, if we expand on its pattern, we can see that it’s actually more of an infinite spiral, so there’s no end to the possibilities of musical scales.
• Table of Working & Non-Working KeysSee a clear visual of which keynotes are workable and which would be redundant.
Featured Video
Featured Video
Featured Video
Featured Video
Featured Video
Featured Video
Counting Musical Sextuplets
Why is there no G# major key?
Duplet
Printable Piano Lesson Book
rolled chord
D.S. al Fine
8vb
repeat bar
D.S. al coda
D.C. al coda
Minor Piano Scales for Beginners
What Is a Double Barline and How to Use It
How a Diminished Chord Is Created
key signature
Key Signatures With Sharps
Key Signatures With Flats
Counting Musical Sextuplets
Counting Musical Sextuplets
Why is there no G# major key?
Why is there no G# major key?
Duplet
Duplet
Printable Piano Lesson Book
Printable Piano Lesson Book
rolled chord
rolled chord
D.S. al Fine
D.S. al Fine
8vb
8vb
repeat bar
repeat bar
D.S. al coda
D.S. al coda
D.C. al coda
D.C. al coda
Minor Piano Scales for Beginners
Minor Piano Scales for Beginners
What Is a Double Barline and How to Use It
What Is a Double Barline and How to Use It
How a Diminished Chord Is Created
How a Diminished Chord Is Created
key signature
key signature
Key Signatures With Sharps
Key Signatures With Sharps
Key Signatures With Flats
Key Signatures With Flats
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
Home
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
About Us
Advertise
Careers
Privacy Policy
Editorial Guidelines
Contact
Terms of Use
EU Privacy
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
