Music theory question .?

Question

In the key of G # it has four sharps , but if you use the order of sharps

FCGDAEB the only get to G switch only has one sharp ( F ) - how would I find the key signature of G# using the order of sharps ?

Answer 1

We need to look at the circle of fifths to answer your question correctly. The range of notes we'll look at are :



... Db Ab Eb Bb F C G D A E B F# C# G# ...



You might even see the beginnings of a pattern... the notes start as F C G D A E B, then start over again sharped, ie F# C# G# D# etc. Likewise, if we start at B and move the other direction, we see B E A D G C F then Bb Eb Ab Db etc.



So the order of sharps is F C G D A E B, and the order of flats is reversed, ie B E A D G C F. Memorize this, its important!



We always start at *C* - its the natural key, it has no sharps or flats. If we want to move to the key of G, we are moving one note fifth-wise, ie one note "sharp-wise". We change one sharp, and that note is F -> F#.



If we want to move to the key of F, we are moving one note "fourth-wise" ie towards the flats, so we add one flat, which means we change the B -> Bb.



So how do we get to the key of G#? We have to move from C to G to D etc... its a movement of *eight* sharps, which means we would end up with eight sharps in the key signature, the notes would look like this -



G# A# B# C# D# E# F## G#



This is completely unusable. One of the maxims is to use whatever key signature has the fewer number of sharps or flats. So what is this key signature in flats? G# = Ab, which is four notes from C in the "fourth-wise" direction, which would give us these notes -



Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab



Count out the intervals ( W W H W W H ) to double-check.



So we would not use G#, we would use Ab instead.



Note that you said "G#". We assume major unless you specify minor! If you meant G# minor, then that changes things.... when figuring out the key signature of a minor key, we look at its relative major, ie, the note one and a half-steps up.



So just like Am is the relative minor of C (or C is the relative major of Am), B is the relative major of G#m. The key of B is five sharps, and would look like this



B C# D# E F# G# A# B



And the G#m would then look like this -



G# A# B C# D# E F# G#



Again, count out the intervals to double-check.



And there you go! Google "chord transposition", "circle of fifths", and probably "major key modulation" to learn more.





Saul

Answer 2

The key of G# is not necessary. G has one # and you would have to sharp every note in the scale again to get G# so it would have 8 sharps (the F would be a double sharp). The Key of F# has 6 #s [wrong earlier answer] and C# has 7 #s.



The enharmonic (alternate for the same note/fingering) for your key is Ab, 4 flats.



Modern scales must use every one of the 7 letters once.

You were on the right track but try it now using Ab,

Answer 3

The key with 4 sharps isn't G#, its E:



E F# G# A B C# D# E



The key of G# actually has 7 sharps:



G# A# B# C# D# E# F## G The F is actually double-sharped (raised 2 half steps).



The key of G# isn't used much in music because its so hard to read. Fortunately, the key of G# is enharmonic with (sounds exactly the same as) the key of Ab, which is much easier to read with only 4 flats:



Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab



Hope this clarifies things.

Answer 4

Kevin has it right. Just want to point put that you should be asking for the key signature for Ab,since they are tonally the same note. Referencing our circle of fifths we see as Kevin pointed out that it is indeed 4 flats. remember when working with #/B tones, as a general rule, you work with flats before you work with sharps.

Answer 5

you have that backwards





when trying to find the FLAT key signature you go "one back", which would give you G in this case





however since they are sharps the order is reversed, and you go "one forward" which if you notice than gives you the 4 sharps, F C G D





flat goes back one, sharp goes forward one

Answer 6

http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/9key_signatures.html

The above may help you.



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