Note: a degree, in this case, is the next note of the line or space. In the example above, the last sharp was in the C note, so the tonality is D major. The tonality of the song will be one degree above the last sharp. In the example below, this is the last sharp: Well, we will show you a hack to make things easier: when we have a key signature with sharps, no matter how many, you will discover the tonality only by looking at the last sharp ( note: the order is from left to right). Perhaps what we have just shown does not seem useful if you do not know the accidents of all scales by heart. This cannot be concluded immediately by looking at the key signature it will depend on the context. In this case, instead of G major, for example, we could have E minor (its relative minor). Note: Notice that the tonalities may be minor as well. For example, think about the G major scale it has only one accident (F#), right? Therefore, sheet music that has F# in its key signature indicates that the song is in G major. Key signatures also help to reveal the tonality of the song. How to discover the tonality by just looking at the Key Signature?

While you’re playing, you need to keep the key signature command in mind. Note that in these lines there is a “b” indicating “flat” in the key signature. We circled the B notes in red in the Treble and Bass Clefs above to highlight them. This means that you will have to go down one semitone of all “B” notes that appear, as shown in the example below: Suppose you received sheet music that has a key signature with a B flat (the line corresponding to the B note has a flat). These accidentals are in the same place as the notes that will change, that is, they change all notes that are in that line or space. Key signature is the name given to the alterations ( sharps or flats) that are placed right after the clef:

B flat key signature