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Music theory
Key Signatures and the Circle of Fifths
14 terms · by ineedtostudy · updated 4 hours ago
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Flashcards
Flip through the deck and sort each card into “still learning” or “got it”.
Learn
Adaptive rounds — multiple choice first, then typing, weakest cards more often.
Match
Race the clock pairing terms with definitions. Six pairs a round.
Test
A graded mock exam: written, multiple choice and true/false, marked at the end.
Crossword
Terms become answers, definitions become clues. Solve it here or print it.
Terms in this set
C major
No sharps, no flats.
G major
1 sharp: F#.
D major
2 sharps: F#, C#.
A major
3 sharps: F#, C#, G#.
E major
4 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#.
F major
1 flat: Bb.
B-flat major
2 flats: Bb, Eb.
E-flat major
3 flats: Bb, Eb, Ab.
Order of sharps
F C G D A E B — "Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle".
Order of flats
B E A D G C F — the order of sharps backwards.
Finding a major key from sharps
The key is a semitone above the last sharp.
Finding a major key from flats
The key is the second-to-last flat. F major, with one flat, is the exception you memorise.
Relative minor
A minor third below the major, sharing its key signature. A minor is relative to C major.
Circle of fifths
Clockwise adds sharps in fifths (C G D A E B); anticlockwise adds flats in fourths (C F Bb Eb).