Lesson Three
The objective of this lesson is to identify how many flats or sharps there are in the key signature, state why flats and sharps do not mix in key signatures, and state what key a piece of music is in without flats or sharps.
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Wow! You have already made it to Lesson Three and hopefully your are feeling pretty confidant about locating key signatures, describing the basic elements of music, and selecting music with two key signatures written for your voice range. You should remember that key signatures are always located at the beginning of a piece of music between the clef and the key signature, but can be found elsewhere in the music as a key change. This lesson is focusing on identifying how many flats or sharps are located in a key signature and what happens if there are not any flats or sharps. Do not forget a flat sign looks like an italicized lowercase b and a sharp sign appears as a number sign. This lesson is a little shorter than the rest so let's get started!
As you learned in the previous lesson key signatures are made up of zero to seven flats or sharps. You will never have both flats and sharps in a single key signature. There are flat keys, sharp keys, and keys with neither flats or sharps. The first step in learning how to identify what key the music is written in, or rather the key signature for the piece, is to count how many flats or sharps are in the key signature. As long as you can count to seven you are set!
As you learned in the previous lesson key signatures are made up of zero to seven flats or sharps. You will never have both flats and sharps in a single key signature. There are flat keys, sharp keys, and keys with neither flats or sharps. The first step in learning how to identify what key the music is written in, or rather the key signature for the piece, is to count how many flats or sharps are in the key signature. As long as you can count to seven you are set!
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C Major Key Signature
Before you begin to practice counting the flats and sharps in the key signature, it is important to remember that key signatures do not need to have flats or sharps. If there are not flats or sharps in the key signature then the key signature for the music is automatically called
C Major or CM for short. These key signatures are the easiest to identify because you simply count to zero and immediately know that the key signature is C Major or CM.
Once again it is time to practice! Look at this website to review counting the flats or sharps in key signatures. You can also start to identify music that is written in the key of C Major with your new knowledge that key signatures without flats or sharps are automatically in C Major. As you work through the songs refer back to this page and the pictures above to check that you are counting the flats and sharps and identifying the key of C Major correctly. Good luck!
C Major or CM for short. These key signatures are the easiest to identify because you simply count to zero and immediately know that the key signature is C Major or CM.
Once again it is time to practice! Look at this website to review counting the flats or sharps in key signatures. You can also start to identify music that is written in the key of C Major with your new knowledge that key signatures without flats or sharps are automatically in C Major. As you work through the songs refer back to this page and the pictures above to check that you are counting the flats and sharps and identifying the key of C Major correctly. Good luck!