Section 4: Key Signatures

Before continuing on to decompiling scores, there is one more very important element to cover. The key signature, as you well know, are accidentals placed at the beginning of the staves of a composition, and they indicate the tonality of the entire work. In short, a key signature defines the "key" of the composition.

For example, if the key signature places sharp accidentals on C and F, (C# and F#), you would say that the composition is "in the key of D Major." Here now is a detailed list of the accidentals that make up the fifteen Major, (M.) and Minor, (m.) Keys.

15 Major Key Signatures:
* C M. - All Naturals
* G M. - F#
* D M. - C#, F#
* A M. - C#, F#, G#
* E M. - C#, D#, F#, G#
* B M. - A#, C#, D#, F#, G#
* F# M. - A#, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#
* C# M. - All Sharps
* F M. - Bb
* Bb M. - Bb, Eb
* Eb M. - Ab, Bb, Eb
* Ab M. - Ab, Bb, Db, Eb
* Db M. - Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, Gb
* Gb M. - Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, Gb
* Cb M. - All Flats



15 Minor Key Signatures:
* A m. - All Naturals
* E m. - F#
* B# m. - C#, F#
* F# m. - C#, F#, G#
* C# m. - C#, D#, F#, G#
* G# m. - A#, C#, D#, F#, G#
* D# m. - A#, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#
* A# m. - All Sharps
* D m. - Bb
* G m. - Bb, Eb
* C m. - Ab, b, E b
* F m. - Ab, Bb, Db, Eb,
* Bb m. - Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, Gb
* Eb m. - Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, Gb
* Ab m. - All Flats