1 Introduction to Music Theory: keys

The major scale of C is written on the stave without any accidentals at all. If you want to play the same scale starting - let us say - from a G, then you find that the last four notes do not match. They should be two tones and a semitone, but are instead a tone, a semitone and a tone. (D-E-F-G). For that reason we must raise the F by a semitone, which gives us F#.

A piece is written in G, when immediately after the clef one sharp is written on the line of the F. This is called a key signature. It indicates which scale is the basis of a piece. Here follows a list of the major key signatures using up to 3 #'s or b's.

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