The key signature has 5 sharps (F#-C#-G#-D#-A#).įor Major key signatures with flats, the second to last flat is always Do.

To find the key, simply go up a minor second (to Do). For Major keys, the last sharp in the key signature is always Ti (the seventh scale degree). There are other tricks you can use to determine the name of the key from looking at the key signature. The order of flats is coincidentally the same sequence but backwards: The order of sharps is always as follows: In the key signature, however, the order of the sharps is rearranged: F#, C#, G#.

For uniformity, the sharps or flats in a key signature are always written in the same order (regardless of what order they appear in the scale.)įor example, an A major scale is: A B C# D E F# G# A. When you play a D major scale, you use an F# and a C#, therefore the key signature for D major has 2 sharps (F# and C#). The easiest and best way to determine a key signature is to think of the scale. They help remind us of the key and save us the trouble of writing the same sharps or flats over and over again. It is like saying that deer like to cross the road at particular spot because there is a Deer X-ing sign there. They might say that A major has 3 sharps because of the key signature.

People sometimes make the mistake of thinking that keys come from key signatures. David Loberg Code, Western Michigan University

Flat key signature order