Key Signatures: G and F Major — Lesson 29

What you’ll learn

In build a major scale, G major needed an F♯ and F major needed a B♭. Music in those keys would need that sign before every F or every B. Instead, the sign is written once, just after the clef, at the start of every line. That’s the key signature.

A sharp on the top line, F, means every F is F sharp: on that line, in the bottom space, in any octave. That’s G major.

G major's key signature: one sharp, on the F line. Both Fs are F sharp, though neither has a sign of its own.

A flat on the middle line, B, means every B is B flat. That’s F major. No sharps or flats at all is C major.

F major's key signature: one flat, on the B line.

The bass staff puts the same signs on its own F and B lines: the sharp on the fourth line up, the flat on the second.

G major on the bass staff: the sharp sits on the bass staff's F line.

How the lesson works

The lesson uses the keyboard from lesson 28, under the staff the whole time. There are three tasks:

Name the key. A staff shows only its clef and key signature, treble or bass. Is it C, G or F major? Six right finishes it.
Read with the key signature. A note appears with no sign of its own. Read the key signature, then name it with a sign and a letter, as in sharps, flats and naturals.
A song in G. Read the opening of Joy to the World in G, note by note. Its F sharps come in two octaves, and the one sharp in the key signature covers them both. When you’ve read it all, it plays with its rhythm.