The Order of Sharps and Flats:
It’s a good idea to know what order flats and sharps come in. It’s the first step in determining
what the key signature of a scale is once you know the name of the scale.
It’s a good idea to know what order flats and sharps come in. It’s the first step in determining
what the key signature of a scale is once you know the name of the scale.
But first, what does “order of flats” or “order of sharps” mean anyway? Let’
s start with sharps. F ♯ is the most common sharp. If anything is sharp, it
will probably be an F. You just don’t see a staff that looks like this:
s start with sharps. F ♯ is the most common sharp. If anything is sharp, it
will probably be an F. You just don’t see a staff that looks like this:
F♯ is the most common sharp and is always listed
first in any sharp key signature, like this:
first in any sharp key signature, like this:
So we say F ♯ is the first sharp in the order of sharps. The
rest of the sharps always follow in the same predictable
order, as follows: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯, like this:
rest of the sharps always follow in the same predictable
order, as follows: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯, like this:
AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!! you say. How can you memorize that? Well, there are long answers
and short answers. Ideally, you come to understand the full, astounding, pure crystalline glory
of the mathematical elegance of the circle of fifths, and how these sharps happened to come
about to be labeled in this precise, logical, splendidly and infinitely beautiful way, from
prehistoric cultures to Pythagoras to Bach and beyond.
and short answers. Ideally, you come to understand the full, astounding, pure crystalline glory
of the mathematical elegance of the circle of fifths, and how these sharps happened to come
about to be labeled in this precise, logical, splendidly and infinitely beautiful way, from
prehistoric cultures to Pythagoras to Bach and beyond.
The short answer, for the time being, is to remember the order of sharps this way:
Five Cats Got Dizzy After Eating Beans
Five Cats Got Dizzy After Eating Beans
There are other little sayings out there to help remember the order, but as a mostly
vegetarian cat lover, this one has always worked for me. Feel free to use another, or better
yet make up your own! The thing is, having this accessible to your brain is a very useful and
handy thing as a first step to memorizing scales.
vegetarian cat lover, this one has always worked for me. Feel free to use another, or better
yet make up your own! The thing is, having this accessible to your brain is a very useful and
handy thing as a first step to memorizing scales.
Have you got the sharps down now? Great! Click here to move on to flats.
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