Guitar Games Blog

There are many ways to remember key signatures. One of which I describe in the introduction to Key Hunt. Another is the famous circle of fifths, which is a great way to do it, but somewhat challenging for the beginner. Well here is another one!

First off, a reminder of what a key signature is. Basically a key signature shows the accidentals (sharps and flats) within a key. To build a major scale using a key signature start with one note of every letter name. For example the key of “A”, start with A B C D E F G. Adjust the notes to fit the key signature. The key signature for  ”A” has F# C# G#, so adjust all those notes and you get A B  C# D E F# G# A, which is the “A” major scale.

Now on to memorizing key signatures. Let’s take a look at the key signatures for sharp keys:

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

Notice that all keys follow the same pattern. They all start with F#, then move to C#, etc. They differ in the number of sharps, but not in the order of their appearance. If you can memorize the order, and the number each key has, then you would know is signature! To remember the order sharps appear in (called the order of the sharps) use the sentence: Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Bananas. (F C G D A E B).

To remember the number of sharps a key has, I put together the following music theory number lines. (Sounds fun, eh?) On a music theory number line sharps are positive and flats are negatives. Any time you move in the positive direction you add sharps, in the negative direction you take away sharps/or add flats when you go below 0. The number lines show the name of a key and the number of sharps or flats in its signature. Notice the following, any time you move up 2 whole steps (2 frets) a signature adds 2 sharps, or if you move back you take a way 2 sharps (or add flats). That is pretty convenient. Move up 2 add 2, move down 2 take away 2. Notice there are two number lines, since if you move by 2s you only get odds or evens. A good place to start on the number lines are the keys of “G” and “C”. Remember that “C” has 0 sharps or flats, and “G” has 1 sharp. Then move up or down the number lines and you can easily find key signatures. Let’s try the key of “B”. “B” is four half-steps higher than “G”, so it will have 4 more sharps for a total of 5. That means it’s signature is: F# C# G# D# A#. Try it out with a few and see for yourself.

Key Signature Number Lines

For flat keys the number lines work equally well, except they follow a different order. The order flats appear in is: Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb. Which is the sharp order in reverse. I remember that it starts with the word BEAD, and adds “GCF.” Lets try using the number lines and the order of flats to find the key signature for Ab. Ab has a -4 (4 flats) on the number line, so it’s key signature is Bb Eb Ab Db.

Each method for memorizing key signatures has its advantages and disadvantages. The benefit of using number lines is that they are relatively easy to build and use. I like that they follow a predictable pattern, move up 2 frets get 2 more sharps, move down 2 frets take 2 away. Musical number lines also have other uses (they are helpful in finding parallel minor keys and modes). By thinking of sharps as positives and flats as negatives much of music theory can be simplified to basic arithmetic.

One of the best ways to improve performance ability is knowledge of the fretboard.  By knowing the fretboard guitarists are able to learn a piece at a deeper level, not simply muscle memory. Combined with a basic understanding of music theory mistakes can be overcome in more graceful manner. Truth be told, most guitarists make mistakes during performance. But, the good ones are able to move through the mistakes. I always say that if you don’t stop or swear most people won’t notice.

Here’s one way to do it:

1. Figure out what key a piece is in. (Hint: check the key signature at the beginning)
2. Find all the notes in that key all over the neck.
3. Practice making mistakes (Yes, you read that correctly). Pretend to make a mistake at any given point, or have a friend yell out “mistake” as you play for them. Work your way out of the spot by relying on the notes from the key your in. Make something up to fill in where you made a mistake until you find a place to jump back in.

For more tips on how mental practice can can make you a better player see page 6 of our Secrets of Successful Practice Course.

The competition is off to a great start! We have Michael Moore out front with an amazing 1196. I came up with a few tips on how to maximize scores. Good luck!

1. Get more points per click. By changing the range in settings and using a larger section of the fretboard you will get more points for every bird.
2. Learn the fretboard. If you are going to use the whole fretboard, you better know it well. Try our guitar notes mini-course and our Learn the Guitar Neck in 10 Easy Lessons (members only).
3. Don’t waste the Wilds and UFOs. When you see a wild or UFO don’t click it right away. First check to see if the correct answer is already somewhere on the page. Hit that bird, then move right away to the wild / UFO to maximize points.

If you have some other great ideas, let us know! And remember, be careful, you might learn something.

I put together a short video explaining how our Super Scale Trainer can be used as a Speed Trainer. It’s based on the experience I had studying guitar at college. My teacher would start every lesson by playing scales with me. What I found was that my own speed came up quite a bit s a result. Watch the video below for all the details.

Guitar players are people of routine. It comes with the territory. Mastery of music requires consistent repetition. With this in mind we added “shortcuts” to our member sidebar. “Shortcuts” are links to the games / pages you decide are most important. You create them by clicking on “Create Shortcut”, and you can organize them by clicking on “Manage Account.” (Make sure you are logged in ot you won’t see any of this!)

Here’s one idea for you: Put together a GuitarGames routine. For instance 5 minutes of Note Squish, followed by 5 minutes of Birds of Fretopia, followed by 10 minutes of Fret Tester. Put each of them in a row on the sidebar, and you have a super fast practice routine that’s easy to access, remember, etc. Do this for two weeks and you will see huge progress in your music reading abilities. Have fun!