How to use the key signature quiz
- Choose a question type: name the major key, name the relative minor, or count the sharps and flats.
- Choose treble clef, bass clef or both.
- Press Start round. Each round has ten questions.
- Answer with a tap or the number keys 1 to 4. Press Enter for the next question.
- After each answer, read the short explanation and follow the link to see the key on the circle of fifths.
The timer runs while a question is open, and the end of the round reports your average time per question. Accuracy per key signature is listed after the first round so you can see which keys need more work. Nothing is stored after you close the page.
How to read a key signature
- Sharps are always added in the order F, C, G, D, A, E, B. The major key is one semitone above the last sharp.
- Flats are added in the opposite order: B, E, A, D, G, C, F. The major key is the second-to-last flat. One flat is the exception: it is F major.
- The relative minor starts on the sixth degree of the major scale, a minor third below the major key.
- The pattern of positions on the staff is fixed, so each signature always looks the same on a given clef.
| Sharps or flats | Major key | Relative minor |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | C | A |
| 1 sharp | G | E |
| 2 sharps | D | B |
| 3 sharps | A | F sharp |
| 4 sharps | E | C sharp |
| 5 sharps | B | G sharp |
| 6 sharps | F sharp | D sharp |
| 7 sharps | C sharp | A sharp |
| 1 flat | F | D |
| 2 flats | B flat | G |
| 3 flats | E flat | C |
| 4 flats | A flat | F |
| 5 flats | D flat | B flat |
| 6 flats | G flat | E flat |
| 7 flats | C flat | A flat |
Common questions
Why are there 15 key signatures and not 12?
Three keys can be written two ways. B major (5 sharps) sounds the same as C flat major (7 flats), F sharp major (6 sharps) the same as G flat major (6 flats), and C sharp major (7 sharps) the same as D flat major (5 flats). They are enharmonic keys: same pitches on a piano, different spelling on the staff.
How do I tell a major key from its relative minor?
The signature alone cannot tell you. The same sharps and flats serve both a major key and its relative minor. Look at the music itself: the final chord, the lowest notes and any raised seventh degree in the minor key usually point to the tonic.
Is the order of sharps and flats really fixed?
Yes. The sharps run up by fifths from F and the flats run up by fourths from B, which is why the same shape appears in every score. Learning the order once makes every signature readable.
Does the clef change the signature?
The sharps and flats are the same letters, but they sit on different lines and spaces on bass clef, and a few are placed an octave lower so they stay on the staff. The quiz can mix both clefs so you learn both layouts.
Sources
- Key signature, reference article: Order of sharps and flats, enharmonic key signatures
- Open Music Theory: major scales: Scale structure behind key signatures
- Circle of fifths, reference article: How the 15 signatures relate