Key Signatures Chart
A key signature is the set of sharps or flats shown at the start of a staff that applies to the whole piece and defines its key. Below is every major key, its relative minor, and the exact notes in its signature.
Key signature chart
Every commonly used major key, its relative minor, and the precise sharps or flats each signature contains.
| Major key | Relative minor | Sharps / flats | Notes in the signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | A minor | 0 | — |
| G | E minor | 1♯ | F♯ |
| D | B minor | 2♯ | F♯ C♯ |
| A | F♯ minor | 3♯ | F♯ C♯ G♯ |
| E | C♯ minor | 4♯ | F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ |
| B | G♯ minor | 5♯ | F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ |
| F♯ / G♭ | D♯ / E♭ minor | 6♯ / 6♭ | F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ · B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ |
| D♭ | B♭ minor | 5♭ | B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ |
| A♭ | F minor | 4♭ | B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ |
| E♭ | C minor | 3♭ | B♭ E♭ A♭ |
| B♭ | G minor | 2♭ | B♭ E♭ |
| F | D minor | 1♭ | B♭ |
F♯ major and G♭ major are the same sounding key spelled two ways (enharmonic), so they share a single row with six sharps or six flats.
The order of sharps and flats
Sharps are always added to a key signature in the same fixed order: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯. A widely used mnemonic is "Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle." A key with three sharps takes the first three — F♯, C♯, G♯ — and never skips ahead. The order of flats is the exact same list reversed: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭, or "Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father."
Name any key from its signature
For a sharp key, the last sharp is the leading tone — the seventh degree of the scale. Go up one semitone from it and you have the key. Two sharps end on C♯; a semitone above C♯ is D, so two sharps means D major. For a flat key with two or more flats, the second-to-last flat names the key. Four flats are B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭; the second-to-last is A♭, so that signature is A♭ major. The two one-accidental keys, G major (one sharp) and F major (one flat), are simply memorized.
Relative major and minor
Every key signature belongs to two keys at once: a major key and its relative minor, built on the sixth degree of the major scale. They share the identical set of sharps or flats. C major and A minor both have none; E♭ major and C minor both have three flats. To find a relative minor, count down three semitones from the major tonic — the context, not the signature, tells you which key a piece is actually in.
Once you know the key, drill it in tempo with the metronome, and check the exact pitch of every note in the note frequency chart.
Frequently asked questions
What is a key signature?
A key signature is the set of sharps or flats written at the start of every staff, just after the clef. It applies to the whole piece — telling you which notes are consistently raised or lowered — and identifies the key the music is in. C major and A minor use no sharps or flats; every other key uses a fixed set.
How many sharps does D major have?
D major has two sharps: F♯ and C♯. Sharps are always added in the order F, C, G, D, A, E, B, so a two-sharp key takes the first two — F♯ and C♯. D major's relative minor, B minor, shares the same two sharps.
How do you memorize key signatures?
Learn the order of sharps (F C G D A E B, "Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle") and read the flats in reverse. For a sharp key, take the last sharp and go up one semitone to name the key. For a flat key with two or more flats, the second-to-last flat names the key. F major, with one flat, is memorized directly.
What key has three flats?
Three flats — B♭, E♭, and A♭ — belong to E♭ major, or its relative minor, C minor. Using the flat-key trick, the second-to-last flat (E♭) names the major key directly.
See how these keys connect
The interactive circle of fifths turns this chart into a wheel — click any key for its signature, relative minor, and chords.