Key signatures
The key signature tells you what the key note is and what sharps or flats are in a piece of music. It is written as sharps or flats after the clef at the beginning of the music. A piece can be in a major or minor key.
- Major key makes the music sound happy and bright
- Minor key makes the music sound sad or angry
Four of the most common key signatures are:
The keys of C major and A minor have the same key signature. You need to hear the music to know whether it was major or minor. Listen to the examples below – the first is in a major key and the second is in a minor key:
'The Entertainer' by Scott Joplin performed by Joshua Rifkin
'FĂĽr Elise' by Beethoven performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy