I see this kind of comments everywhere, I've been studying music for around 8 months and this things are not that hard to not know in 11 years. Watch Rick Beato and that is where you really learn shit ton of theory
You mean if you practice SCALES. Individual chords don’t have enough notes to show all the sharps or flats in a particular key. It is much easier to figure out when you use the complete scale. If you go around the circle of fifths starting with C, you will just add one more sharp each time. (Or one more flat if you go to the left.) Notice that the one more sharp or flat that gets added is always the seventh note.
@@courierdubois I call bs on this! I've been learning chords for only a few wks now (not that I can make them sound good or do any fancy strum pattern wit them, but I've started to recognize what they are) & I have absolutely no idea-no comprehension at all- of any of what this vid is about, it makes absolutely no sense to me! I guess I need face to face lessons, but there is no one here locally to help me wit this & there are sooo many RU-vid tutes out there that call them 'beginner lessons' but seem to assume we already know what a key is or a sharp, etc or can read music even. What I'm getting at is most these tutes are free but promote their lessons etc but how do I know which lessons/tutes are suitable for me (to pay for) at an absolute dummy level? It's too late once I've paid them to find out they are way more advanced than what I'm capable of! Thanks for listening, not everyone is smart enough to pick it up quickly.
Here's my summary of how to remember key signatures. Hope this helps someone :) *Sharp Major*: Last sharp + 1 semitone (or half steps) is tonic of key. E.g. F# C# (C# is the last sharp on staff) = D Major key signature. E# (which would be F) = F# Major key signature and so on. *Flat Major*: 2nd to last flat is tonic of key. E.g. Bb Eb Ab = Eb Major key signature. Exception: Bb = F Major (just need to memorise this). *Relative Major keys*: Minor key signature + 3 semitones is tonic of key. E.g. A Minor = C Major. Eb Major = C Minor. *Relative Minor keys*: Major key signature minus 3 semitones is tonic of key.
Yeah, my teacher just mentions it for a minute then goes on with our music. Now we’ve got a high school/ college level choir teacher giving us test on this stuff and we barley understand it.
Thank you for this video. As a casual musician playing trombone, this 7 minutes just brought me up to the next level. Playing in a college big band last night, we had 4 studio guest performers. The sax and trumpet were so together and before a number started they quick tell each other what key. When the jazz choir sang, the was no music and director would tell the guest artists the key and bam! Phenomenal now that I get it. I took music theory over 40 years ago and this taught me more practical music knowledge than 4 semesters back in the day.
Omfg you are a freakin life saver!!!!!!! I have been stuck on my AP music theory hw for about an hour and this was the only video that helped. Thank you so much
Saaaaaaaaaame. I had guitar 1 and 2 in the last 2 years, then I picked AP Music Theory but I haven’t learned half of the things they discuss in that class, so I’m going crazy looking for videos all over youtube.
Exactly what I was thinking. Like in physics, magnetism more specifically. Rules made for the times. Pen and parchment, no white-out, no eraser pens, gotta come up with corrections for "accidents". I accidentally put a C. # go right, flat, go left. Ignore this symbol. Seems so.
That was the most incredibly clear explanation I've ever heard on the subject. Most instructors force you to 'build the scale' which can be a daunting task for those starting out. I'm a guitarist just wanting to know enough to pick out a melody on a lead sheet and my biggest hangup has been key signatures. Not anymore! BRILLIANT! Subscribed and going to your website to sign up.
Thank you! I have been singing and playing violin for nearly 20 years and I always relied on the piano or learning by ear and sight reading do,re,mi style. I feel empowered! My profession is a language teacher and as music is a language, I would like to offer one tip with regards to how much information was given (with regards to what I could absorb). Part 2 about pitfalls is something I will have to continue to study at a later point, as I felt my mind wanted to take some time to remember and use the first few tips. :) Thanks again. Terrific.
Glad to see someone sharing this. Great job! I learned this my first semester as a music major. I took a music course geared for general education teachers and musical theater actors. The professor showed us the easy way of doing things and tried to keep it really simple. We learned simple piano accompaniment techniques as well so you could play the melody in your right hand and "fake it" with your left hand. I use this all the time playing in bands. Probably the best course I took at Grossmont College.
I came in here thinking its gonna be some wacky brain exercise, but came out actually knowing how to figure out key signatures pretty quickly! thanks a lot!
Thank you! For anyone confused, you read the sharps and flats from right-to-left! It took me a while to figure it out after scrolling through the comments! Good luck :)
Dear HowToReadSheetMusic, Thank you so much for this video! This was an amazing help, especially since I personally have had a key signature problem for a while and have a sight singing test quite soon. I would like to thank you amazing teaching, simple yet encouraging. sincerely, beginners choir student
I've been learning piano for 3 years, and I'm taking my ABRSM grade 4 exam next week. I'm realmy struggling with sight reading , so your video saved my life really. Thank you. I've studied with 3 different teachers till now and they never mentioned me about this secret.
Nice video! I would add the order of the sharps or flats appear in the staff, just in case someone has to figure out the key, without having the staff in front of him/her. The Flats order would be B,E,A,D,G,C,F. As an easy way to memorize this order, just remember the word BEAD and add Good, Cool, Flats :) As far as sharps, just reverse that order (F,C,G,D,A,E,B). So, recapping, if you have 4 sharps you're in the key of E major (or C# minor, which is its relative minor). If you have 3 flats, you're in Eb major - the penultimate flat (or C minor). there are two easy exceptions: No flats or sharps - C major/ A minor; only one flat you're in F major/ D minor
Miguel Aguiar It was good to clarify how specific discovering the relative minor is, like in the case where you actually come up with a C# for E major, not just C being probably most people's guesses for "three away".
Jessica Johnson I think the relative minor is the easiest thing to come up with… just count back 3 half tones (3 frets, for guitarists) i.e.: G major/ E minor; B major/ G# minor; A major/ F# minor; etc, etc
Burning Everything Around Diesel Generally Causes Fire That's the trick is leant to remember the order of flats from the other video about reading key signatures, hope it helps.
I've been playing the violin for years now yet I never understood how key signatures work even with all kinds of teachers explaining it to me and I finally got it thanks to this video, so thank you so much.
Easiest way to remember: Flats: F B E A D G 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sharps: G D A E B F 1 2 3 4 5 6 Flats always begin with "F". Flip the sequence for a mirror image of the sharps GDAEBF. The numbers represent how many sharps or flats are in the key signature. Hope this helps!
@@Epashtel So happy to help! 2 last points: Keys of C - it's either nothing at all, or the most sharps or flats (7) Minor Keys - There is no giveaway in the key signature if it's Major or minor. You start by using the above guide, then go down a third for minor keys. The only way to tell if the key is minor, is if you look through the entire piece of music and you see lots of accidentals (sharps, flats, naturals). For example, the F Major key signature looks exactly the same as the d minor key signature. Look through the piece for clues if it's Major or minor by the accidentals. Good luck!❤
I'm 5 years into Cello and just learning this. My second year teacher just assumed I already knew it when I didn't, and I never really learned until now. Thank you :)
My orchestra teacher at my school is always tellng us to talk about the key signature and we all sit there like idiots but now I understand. Thank you so much. You're a real life saver!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I've been playing the cello for 3 years and I could never work out key signatures I've got this thank you sooooo much!!!!!!!! :-)
Wow. This just blew my mind in a positive way. Previously I was trying to find a way through the "Circle of fifth", but you way is way easier. Recently I've learnt about 3 centromeres for Relative minors, which also blew my mind and explained tons of things, i.e. why did I chose to use specific notes subliminally in my compositions. So thank you very much, for giving me that crazy hint of professionals. Amazing info for a person who never taken any real musical education.
Thank you for your video. I'm a vocalist training to sing in a professional choir. I need to learn sight singing solfage and this video helped me out tremendously
awesome video. since i know a few scales, i look for sheet music written in the key signatures i more or less recognize. this video has made learning songs much easier.
Great video! I love how upbeat you are. I’m beginning lessons again after 20 years. Wow, have I forgotten a lot, though it’s still really fun. So please excuse my question if it’s idiotic, but why is it important to know the key of a piece if you have all the sharps and flats already spelled out?
This is great! I've done pretty well in auditions for college, but this was one of the areas that I struggled with. Thanks so much for making this video!
awesome video man! I am studying for a band test, and as a percussionist, key signature is not usually my best subject! Thanks for taking the stress of the band test off me!
Thank you so much for tgis video. I am very grateful for tgis information. This is one if the most simplest ways to learn this. Most teachers make it sound si difficult, but you made it simple and comprehensible.
It is not enough too say count down three to find the relative minor, be specific, it is a minor third. Three down from E is C, and that is not the correct minor.
You Sir, saved my musical theory understanding. I have taken about 2 pages of comprehensible musical notes (actual notes not like E, F, etc) and I can finally understand Key Signatures and relative minors, etc. So THANK YOU
I just want to say thank you so much that makes so much sense I used to be terrible with reading signatures and what key we were in when I would go to my violin lessons but not anymore 😀
I still don't fuckin understand and im crying from frustration because I still don't get it after playing violin for 6 years. I dont understand Key signature b major scale or all the others i just dont get it why its so difficult for me to understand
Here's my summary and easy way to remember :) *Sharp Major*: Last sharp + 1 semitone (or half steps) is tonic of key. E.g. F# C# (C# is the last sharp on staff) = D Major key signature. E# (which would be F) = F# Major key signature and so on. *Flat Major*: 2nd to last flat is tonic of key. E.g. Bb Eb Ab = Eb Major key signature. Exception: Bb = F Major (just need to memorise this). *Relative Major keys*: Minor key signature + 3 semitones. E.g. A Minor = C Major. Eb Major = C Minor. *Relative Minor keys*: Major key signature minus 3 semitones.
Forget this crap! Go study scale degrees until it makes sense to you. Then you will know why key signatures exist, and that you can ignore them if you focus on playing the tonic note and its accompanying degrees. Learn what music is ( multiples of a designated frequency). Composers wrote it in sheet form because they didn't have cassette recorders yet. Mozart would never bother with this crap if he were alive today.
Understanding beats memorization in my books. Do you think we would even have music notation if they had cassette recorders back in the days of Motzzart? I doubt it.
+falconeaterf15 If you are promoting your books by bullying here, why don't you publish them here to benefit the readers like this teacher did? Lots of people want to learn something in short cut, not by taking a degree!
More than enough music books out there already. Why kill more trees for another? My only point was that a musical "key" is a series of frequencies derived from multiples of another frequency. We should know that while we try to decipher the complexities of old technologies ( like quill and script). Enough bullying for today.
Had a hard time find this info online probably because of the way I worded the question but your ytube answered it perfectly. Thanks much for simplifying it so well.
This video along with one other REALLY saved my ass on a FullSail University Quiz and I got 100% on Accidentals. The summary video they provide doesn't provide enough information and this video enlightened me. THANK YOU🙏🏾
My cousin has two years until she starts percussion and I am teaching her how to read music and this really helps I sent her the link and I hope she takes advantage of it so she can be the best in her percussion when she starts
oh my god thank you so much! I do music however, I sing so I don't play an instrument and I've always found it difficult to learn the key signatures doing music theory so this was really helpful!
This video was extremely helpful. A tip for fellow musicians who also play guitar: You can easily name all the key signatures using the circle of fifths(in C), so if there are 2 sharps, you automatically know that it's D major or B minor
I have my music yr 11 exam tomorrow and I was really stressing about my Key signatures, I cant thank you enough. YOU JUST GOT A SUBSCRIBER!! :D thx man
