A Free Piano Key Chart
Looking for a piano key chart to help you figure out the correct key for a piece of music? Look no further. We’ve put together a chart that helps you locate the correct key corresponding to a particular key signature. If it looks a lot like a piano scale chart, that’s because each key corresponds to a specific scale and key signature, so it’s convenient to give you the key, key signature, and scale on one chart.
You’ll need the free Adobe Reader to view the chart.
Click here to get the free Adobe Reader.
Then, click here to get your free piano key chart.
Here’s A Little Trick,
When You Don’t Have The Chart
Here’s a quick way to figure out the key of a piece of music from the key signature. Just remember that the piece could have either a major or minor “feel” to it, with the same key signature. For example, no flats or sharps could indicate the key of C major or A minor.
OK, here’s how you do it. If the key signature has sharps in it, simply look at the last sharp on the right, and raise that note by one half step. That note is the correct key.
For example, if you see 3 sharps in the key signature, they will be F#, C#, and G#, in that order. Since the last sharp is G#, simply raise that one half step to get A, which is the key represented by 3 sharps!
Here’s The Trick For Flats
If there are flats in the key signature, simply look at the second-to-last flat, and that’s the key of the piece! If there’s only one flat (it will be Bb), the key is F.
For example, if you see a key signature with 4 flats, they will be Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db. Since the second-to-last flat is Ab, Ab is the key of the piece!
Who Cares What The Key Is?!
Why does the key even matter? Well, if you know the key of a piece, it will help you make sense of the melody and chords used throughout the music. More importantly, it can help you improvise by playing the scale that corresponds to the key of the piece. So, if the key is F, you can pretty safely improvise by playing notes in an F scale.
But more about improvisation later and elsewhere on this site.
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