The circle of fifths on the page
Arrange the twelve keys a perfect fifth apart and they close into a loop: the circle of fifths. On the page it is the map of key signatures: each clockwise step writes one more sharp at the front of the staff, each counterclockwise step one more flat. Count the symbols and you have named the key.
Sharps to the right, flats to the left
Each clockwise step is a rise of a perfect fifth. Count the steps from C and you can read any signature: clockwise adds a sharp per step, counterclockwise a flat.
The signature, written out
You have read one sharp and one flat at the front of the staff. Signatures keep counting: two sharps is D major, three is A, and the flat side mirrors it. The symbols always sit on the same lines and spaces, in the same order, so the count alone names the key.
Game · Read the signature
1 / 6A signature is drawn at the front of the staff. Name the major key that writes it.
Every key, on the page
Neighbor keys share six of their seven notes, which is why they sound close. Tap any key: its signature is written at the front of the staff, its seven notes light on the wheel, and the scale is spelled below with its sharps or flats marked.
Quiz
1 / 4Which key has exactly one sharp?