Want to Learn Key Signatures Easy?

To learn key signatures easy means approaching things from more of a practical way rather than theoretical. This page will explain key signatures in the way that's needed in order to play them and not worry about all the theory and memorizing.

If you need to memorize them, check out the memorize key signatures page. If will give you a pretty simple explanation of how to do that.

Why Are There Key Signatures?

This is the first question you need answered in order to learn key signatures easy. Once you know the answer, you can also play by listening and don't need to worry about the key signatures so much.

Music is written with a formula - the key signatures - to help the songs or pieces sound nice (to our ears anyway). Key signatures are basically there to help keep you playing the nice sounds. That's why we need to play black and white notes of the piano.

Playing With Key Signatures

If you know how to play a scale, you know that there's only one that has no sharps or flats. C Major. When you start on G, if you play all white notes it sounds different than if you start on C. When you play in G you need to change F to an F sharp.

One way already to learn key signatures easy is by listening. You can compare other keys to C and try to make them sound the same. This works especially well for scales.

When you are playing music and you see there's a sharp or a flat written at the beginning of a line, that's the key signature. It means that you must play that note sharp or flat through the entire piece of music. If there is a natural sign before it though you don't play it sharp or flat.

In G major, you need to play every F an F sharp. It's the key signaure. In F major, you must play every B a B flat. And so on.

The Easiest Way In The Beginning

The best way to learn key signatures easy is one at a time. Learn by playing. If you are playing a piece of music in D major, go the the key signatures page and look up which sharps you need to play. Then play and get comfortable with that key. If you try to learn all key signatures at once it can be overwhelming.

Need to know more? You can memorize the key signatures or learn more about how they work in general on the main key signatures page.

Return from Learn Key Signatures Easy to Piano Lessons Info Homepage.

More pages that might help:

Memorize Key Signatures
Need to memorize key signatures? This page shows you how to memorize the order of the keys, sharps and flats, and where they go.
Minor Key Signatures Quiz (On Treble Clef)
Do you know your minor key signatures? Let's find out and see if you've got them down with this quiz using the treble clef.
Minor Key Signatures Quiz (Name the Sharps or Flats)
Take the minor key signatures quiz and see if you can correctly guess the sharps or flats in the minor keys. Ready? Let's go!
Key Signatures Quiz (On Treble Clef)
Test yourself with this key signatures quiz. You'll see the key signature on the treble clef and will need to name the key.
Music Theory Key Signatures (Circle of 5ths & 4ths)
Learn music theory key signatures by learning neat and easy patterns called the circle of 5ths and the circle of 4ths.
Key Signatures Bass Clef
See the key signatures of the bass clef on the staff for all major keys.
Music Key Signatures
Find out which sharps or flats to play in music key signatures and where they are on the staff.
Key Signatures Quiz (What Is The Key Signature?)
Do you know which sharps or flats belong to a key? Test yourself with this key signatures quiz and find out!
Key Signatures Free Video Lesson
Which key signatures have sharps or flats? How many and which ones? Where do you write them? Find out here.
Minor Key Signatures: Learn Which Sharps & Flats Go With Each Key
Need to know a bit more about minor key signatures, what they're called and which sharps & flats go in each? Learn here + pictures of each key.