How to Read Sharp and Flat Key Signatures

As a guitar, electric bass, ukulele instructor at Long & McQuades, I take taught endless musicians how to play or improve their chops.

Music Rudiments

Intro

Considering the guitar is such a popular, easier to learn instrument, most guitarists have trivial noesis of music theory. I think reading an interview with Eddie Van Halen. He said he had no theory background, and even went so far as to state that he has no knowledge of scales. I believe this is not true. Granted, his playing has ever been off the wall and very untraditional, but he MUST accept some idea of what he is doing and where he is going on the fretboard.

When you are playing in position, you are working inside the confines of a calibration. Even if you lot play notes exterior of the scale, you are just moving into another scale. Certainly, some musicians are strictly ear players (they play what sounds expert), but they are all the same playing patterns that piece of work for them, patterns that they take played earlier, with a slight variation in timing or phrasing to brand them sound new. I really exercise not believe in all-out improvisation. We but rework what we know.

The Circle Of Fifths

This wheel represents the all the precipitous and apartment key signatures. Clockwise for Major and related modest sharp keys, counterclockwise for Major and related pocket-size flat keys. It is a visual representation of the relationships amongst the twelve tones of the chromatic calibration (on guitar, this is a distance of ane fret), their respective key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys. The diagram aids in composition and irresolute keys (modulation) inside a song. The movement is an interval of a fifth. For example: start with C Major, move clockwise upward 5 scale steps in the major scale (C D East F G) an you lot arrive at the side by side cardinal on the circumvolve, G Major.

When moving counterclockwise, the movement is ASCENDING fourths. For example: F Major to B flat Major is the ascending interval of a fourth. The keys overlap at the bottom of the diagram. These keys are said to be enharmonic. They sound exactly the aforementioned, merely are written differently (in the same way F sharp and G flat audio the same, only notated differently).

Traditionally, the circle of fifths is used in the assay of classical music, whereas the circle of fourths is used in the assay of jazz music, but this is not exclusive.

The CAGED Arrangement

This is the foundation for the 'CAGED System' (Major scale fingerings have a related Major chord shape). CAGED is the designation for the following chords: C Major, A Major, 1000 Major, E Major, and D Major. Play the related chord shape before and afterward the scales. When these scales and chords are moved into closed shapes (no open strings), the unabridged fretboard will be unlocked. This is a monumental job, and requires much practice, merely is well worth the endeavor.

C Major CAGED System

The C Major chord notated in 5 positions, in the designated shapes, with the related Major scale patterns. Fingering is essential. You may notice the fingering hard at starting time, especially if y'all are non used to employing your quaternary finger, but practice will brand the departure. All these patterns and more than are covered in the Berklee series: A Modern Method For Guitar. For other chords, merely determine the position on the fretboard, play the chord then the related Major calibration. The shapes and patterns volition be the same. It should be noted that the G and D shaped forms of the major chord shown hither are rarely used for practical purposes, because of the difficulty of execution. The C, A, and E shaped are used all the fourth dimension and are very common shapes for the Major chord.

Berklee Series

C Shaped C Major Chord and Scales

C shaped C Major Open Chord — C shaped C Major Open up Chord

A Shaped C Major Chord and Scales

A shaped C Major chord fingering #1 — A shaped C Major chord fingering #i

G Shaped C Major Chord and Scales

G shaped C Major chord with first finger barre — G shaped C Major chord with commencement finger barre

E Shaped C Major Chord and Scales

D Shaped C Major Chord and Scales

Sharp Keys

The silly saying for the order of sharps is 'Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle'. The cardinal of C Major is the only key that does not contain whatever sharps or flats in the key signature. All the notes are natural: C D E F G A B C. The major calibration MUST always follow this format: Tone (on guitar, a distance of two frets), Tone, Semitone (on guitar, a distance of one fret), Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone. This is the major calibration structure and the reason behind key signatures. In the fundamental Of Yard Major, i precipitous must exist added in lodge to have the organization of notes maintain this structure. It is quite simple actually:

C Major

C (tone) D (tone) E (semitone) F (tone) Grand (tone) A (tone) B (semitone) C

Chiliad Major

One thousand (tone) A (tone) B (semitone) C (tone) D (tone) E (tone) F sharp (semitone) Chiliad

The way to find the key, if information technology contains sharps, is 'i semitone in a higher place the last sharp is the key name' For example: i semitone above F precipitous is M, the key is G major. The only key that needs to exist memorized is C Major, because in that location are no sharps or flats.

Apartment Keys

In order to discover the guild of flats, simply reverse the silly saying for the order of sharps. Boxing Ends And Downwards Goes Charles Father. The manner to find the key, if it contains flats, is even easier than sharps. It is the 2d last flat. For example: the cardinal of B flat Major contains two flats, B flat and E flat. The 2d last flat is obviously, B flat, that is the fundamental name. The only flat central it does not work for is F Major, because information technology contains only one flat: B.

Flat keys must follow the same intervallic construction, considering they are nonetheless Major scales. This is somewhat confusing for some students. Memorize the blueprint: Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone.

Lorne Hemmerling (author) from Prescott on June 24, 2013:

Yeah, my friend, music is music, that will never modify. Both instruments are written in the treble clef (although, keyboard music utilizes the bass clef also). If she understands the composition of chords on the guitar, she tin relate that to keyboards. For example: C Major is C, E, Thou, find those notes on a keyboard, and it is still C Major. Refer to my hub, Harmonizing The Major Scale. That should assistance her relate the keyboard to the guitar.

SA Shameel from Bangalore on June 23, 2013:

My daughter is trying to option up some keyboard lessons. Is there any similarity in learning guitar & keyboard.

The drawing and notes in this pages look some what similar to keyboard i!

Lorne Hemmerling (author) from Prescott on January 07, 2013:

Thanks again, Rob!

Rob on January 07, 2013:

This folio is great too. Who needs guitar lessons with a site like this??? Thank you for the effort hither.

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Source: https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Music-Theory-Key-Signatures