In reality, you only need to memorize either the order of sharps or flats, not both. Note that the order of flats is simply the reverse order of the sharps. The order of flats is B – E – A – D – G – C – F. The order of sharps is F – C – G – D – A – E – B.

Memorizing the order of sharps and flats in the key signatures is super helpful when identifying major and minor keys. E is the sixth note (or scale degree) in the G Major scale. If this method is a little too confusing, you can also find the relative minor by determining the sixth scale degree in the major key. Looking at the image above, you can determine that the relative minor key for G Major is E Minor. We can determine by using the trick we learned earlier that one half-step up from F Sharp is G, therefore we are in G Major. Now, to find the relative minor key, find the note a minor third below G. Now, let’s put this trick into practice! Say you are given the key signature below: Choose the method that makes the most sense to you! You can think of a minor third as 1.5 steps, three half steps, or one whole-step and one half-step. To determine the minor key, simply go down a minor third from the major key. The true key to memorizing your minor keys is memorizing your major keys first! Once you know which major key signature you are in, you can find its relative minor key in seconds! So just like you’ll have to wire C Major and A Minor into your brain with no extra help, you’ll have to do the same for F Major.į Major only has one flat: B-flat. Since the key of F Major only has one flat, it’s impossible to locate the second flat from the right in that key signature. We have to admit, there is one catch with this trick. And just like that, D Flat Major is the key! No additional steps required! In the example above, notice that a D-Flat is highlighted in green. If you thought that was easy, our trick for memorizing your major flat keys (♭) is even easier! With flat key signatures, all you have to do is look to the second flat from the right to determine the major key.

Now that you know the hack, you can easily use this trick on any other key containing sharps. In B Major, the leading tone (or 7th scale degree) is A-Sharp. In this example, an A-Sharp is highlighted.Īnother way to think of this method is to think of the last sharp listed as the leading tone of the major key.To determine the major key, all you have to do it go one half-step up from the last sharp listed. Look at the example below and see the sharp highlighted in green. When you are approached with a sharp (♯) key in your sheet music, you can determine the corresponding major key by observing the last sharp (or the sharp furthest to the right ) in the key signature. Both C Major and A Minor have no accidentals in their key signature, so you will have to memorize these without any hints! The key signature for these keys looks like this: Though we are about to show you some useful tricks, the first thing you need to know when memorizing your key signatures is that there is no trick for C Major or A Minor. The key signatures that share the same key signature are known as relative keys. Remember that each key signature has both a major and minor key. Before we dive in, let’s take a look at all of the key signatures you will need to memorize. Key signatures let you know the set of accidentals that are within each musical scale. Our aim is for you to view the key signature as your trusty guide for identifying major and minor keys. While you could hit the flashcards and memorize each key signature one at a time, we are going to save you some time by giving you the best key signature hacks! With twelve major keys and twelve minor keys, the sharps and flats pile up fast, and it can be easy to get them all mixed up. When you are first learning your musical key signatures, it can feel a little overwhelming.

Learning music keys