Circle of Fifths
| The key with 0 sharps (or flats) is C Major |
| All the white keys on a piano make up the C Major Scale |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
| There are NO Sharps or Flats in the key of C Major |
| (No black keys) |
 |
| KEY | Number of Sharps |
| C | Zero! |
| G | One! |
| D | Two! |
| A | Three! |
| E | Four! |
| B | Five! |
| F# | Six! |
| C# | Seven! |
And there you have it. Easy, huh? But how do we know how many sharps to add to a key signature?
READ ON, FRIEND!
| The key with 0 sharps (or flats) is C Major |
| All the white keys on a piano make up the C Major Scale |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
| There are NO Sharps or Flats in the key of C Major |
| (No black keys) |
| |
To find the KEY with ONE MORE SHARP than the key you are in... do this:
Count UP five note names. Example: The KEY that has ONE MORE Sharp than C Major is... G Major
Key of C (1)
Key of D (2)
Key of E (3)
Key of F (4)
Key of G (5) ...add ONE SHARP to the key signature of this key, which is G Major.
So the Key of G Major has ONE SHARP as its Key Signature! Cool, huh?
Now, to find the KEY with ONE MORE SHARP than G Major:
Count UP five note names. Example: The KEY that has ONE MORE Sharp than G Major is... D Major
Key of G (1)
Key of A (2)
Key of B (3)
Key of C (4)
Key of D (5) ...add ONE MORE SHARP to GET the key signature of this key, which is D Major.
So the Key of D Major has TWO SHARPS as its Key Signature!
KEEP GOING! To find the KEY with ONE MORE SHARP than D Major:
Count UP five note names. Example: The KEY that has ONE MORE Sharp than D Major is... A Major
Key of D (1)
Key of E (2)
Key of F (3)
Key of G (4)
Key of A (5) ...add ONE MORE SHARP to get the key signature of this key, which is A Major.
So the Key of A Major has THREE SHARPS as its Key Signature!
See? OK, now, to find the KEY with ONE MORE SHARP than A Major:
Count UP five note names. Example: The KEY that has ONE MORE Sharp than A Major is... E Major
Key of A (1)
Key of B (2)
Key of C (3)
Key of D (4)
Key of E (5) ...add ONE MORE SHARP to get the key signature of this key, which is E Major.
So the Key of E Major has FOUR SHARPS as its Key Signature!
Now, same thing: to find the KEY with ONE MORE SHARP than E Major:
Count UP five note names. Example: The KEY that has ONE MORE Sharp than E Major is... B Major
Key of E (1)
Key of F (2)
Key of G (3)
Key of A (4)
Key of B (5) ...add ONE MORE SHARP to get the key signature of this key, which is B Major.
So the Key of B Major has FIVE SHARPS as its Key Signature!
Now, same thing: to find the KEY with ONE MORE SHARP than B Major:
Count UP five note names. Example: The KEY that has ONE MORE Sharp than B Major is... F# Major
Key of B (1)
Key of C (2)
Key of D (3)
Key of E (4)
Key of F# (5) ...add ONE MORE SHARP to get the key signature of this key, which is F# Major.
So the Key of F# Major has SIX SHARPS as its Key Signature!
KEEP GOING! To find the KEY with ONE MORE SHARP than F# Major:
Count UP five note names. Example: The KEY that has ONE MORE Sharp than F# Major is... C# Major
Key of F# (1)
Key of G# (2)
Key of A# (3)
Key of B# (4)
Key of C# (5) ...add ONE MORE SHARP to get the key signature of this key, which is C# Major.
So the Key of C# Major has SEVEN SHARPS as its Key Signature!