Printable chart
Key signature chart
All 15 major and minor key signatures on the staff, with the sharps or flats in each and the relative minor of every major key. Free to print.
Fits on one page.
C major · A minor
No sharps or flats
G major · E minor
1 sharp: F♯
D major · B minor
2 sharps: F♯, C♯
A major · F♯ minor
3 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯
E major · C♯ minor
4 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯
B major · G♯ minor
5 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯
F♯ major · D♯ minor
6 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯
C♯ major · A♯ minor
7 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯
F major · D minor
1 flat: B♭
B♭ major · G minor
2 flats: B♭, E♭
E♭ major · C minor
3 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭
A♭ major · F minor
4 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭
D♭ major · B♭ minor
5 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭
G♭ major · E♭ minor
6 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭
C♭ major · A♭ minor
7 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭
The same chart as a table
| Major key | Relative minor | Sharps / flats | Which notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Am | 0 | — |
| G | Em | 1♯ | F♯ |
| D | Bm | 2♯ | F♯, C♯ |
| A | F♯m | 3♯ | F♯, C♯, G♯ |
| E | C♯m | 4♯ | F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ |
| B | G♯m | 5♯ | F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯ |
| F♯ | D♯m | 6♯ | F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ |
| C♯ | A♯m | 7♯ | F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯ |
| F | Dm | 1♭ | B♭ |
| B♭ | Gm | 2♭ | B♭, E♭ |
| E♭ | Cm | 3♭ | B♭, E♭, A♭ |
| A♭ | Fm | 4♭ | B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ |
| D♭ | B♭m | 5♭ | B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ |
| G♭ | E♭m | 6♭ | B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ |
| C♭ | A♭m | 7♭ | B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭ |
How to read a key signature#
A key signature is the set of sharps or flats written at the start of every line of music, right after the clef. It tells you which notes are raised or lowered throughout the piece, so you do not need to mark each one.
Order of sharps: F, C, G, D, A, E, B. Order of flats: B, E, A, D, G, C, F, which is the sharps in reverse.
Two shortcuts#
- Sharp keys: the major key is a half step above the last sharp. Three sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯): the last is G♯, so the key is A major.
- Flat keys: the major key is the second-to-last flat. Three flats (B♭ E♭ A♭): the second-to-last is E♭, so the key is E♭ major. (F major, with one flat, is the exception: memorise it.)
Relative minor#
Every major key shares its key signature with a minor key that starts a minor third (three half steps) below it: C major and A minor, G major and E minor, and so on. They use the same notes; the minor key just treats a different note as home.
The chart shows all 15 keys, so three enharmonic pairs appear twice: B and C♭ major, F♯ and G♭ major, and D♭ and C♯ major. Each pair sounds the same on a piano and is just spelled two ways.
Sources: Wikipedia: Key signature, Wikipedia: Relative key.