KEY SIGNATURES

KEY / MODE MAJOR DORIAN PHRYGIAN LYDIAN MIXOLYDIAN AEOLIAN LOCRIAN KEYS (MODES)

SCALE DEGREE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Every KEY SIGNATURE has 7 SCALES/-

o MODES. These charts focus on the MAJOR
ROMAN NUMERALS I iim iiim IV V vim vii KEY (IONIAN MODE) and are show in RED.
NASHVILLE NUMBERS 1 2- 3- 4 5 6- 7 The practical way to describe a KEY
SIGNATURE is in the context of the
CHORD FUNCTION TONIC SUPERTONIC MEDIANT SUBDOMINANT DOMINANT SUBMEDIANT SUBTONIC MAJOR KEY. e.g. “The MAJOR KEY and its
6 MODES.”
CHORD QUALITY MAJOR minor minor MAJOR MAJOR minor diminished

MAJOR (IONIAN)
DO
C D E F G A B IA
N
I

RI
o
iim

LOC
o vii
C dm em F G am b

AN
NO or 7 KEYS

OR (AEOLIAN)
PER
G A B C D E F#

PHRYGIAN
vim KEY SIGNATURE iiim
o
G am bm C D em f#

MIN
F V IV
MI
D E F# G A B C#
XO
LY D I AN
IA N LY D
o
FC D em f#m G A bm c#
A B C# D E F# G# CIRCLE OF 5THS (KEY-CLOCK)
o
F CG A bm c#m D E f#m g# The CIRCLE 5THS shows all 12 KEYS. You
can imagine a WEDGE SHAPE to see all
E F# G# A B C# D# the KEYS/MODES for a KEY SIGNATURE.
The wedge also shows the KEY’s CHORDS.
o
F CGD E f#m g#m A B c#m d#
♭ ♯
B C# D# E F# G# A# F
C
G
o ♭ am ♯
B c#m d#m F F# g#m a#
dm em
F CGDA
♭ Bb
o b
o
o
D ♯
gm
o
e
0
f#
o
bm
a c#
♭
1 1

♯
F# G# A# B C# D# E# A ♯
2 2

♭ Eb cm do
CIRCLE
g#o f#m

SFH
LAARTPSS
3 OF 3
5THS

♭ g
o
d#
o 4
♯ 4

o
F# g#m a#m B C# d#m e#
5 5
fm c#m
6

F CGDA E
o e#o o
E ♯
a#
♭ Ab c ♯
♭ bbm
d#m
g#m
♭ ♯
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C ♭
♭♭
Db
F#
B
♯
♯
♭♭ ♯♯
o ♭ ♯♯ ♯ ♯ ♯ ♯ ♯ ♯
BE ADG Db ebm fm Gb Ab bbm c
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G
ENHARMONIC KEYS
o
BEAD Ab bbm cm Db Eb fm g There are 12 UNIQUE KEY SIGNATURES.
However some of the KEY SIGNATURES
Eb F G Ab Bb C D have ENHARMONIC NAMES for
o KEYS/MODES. ENHARMONIC refers to a
BEA Eb fm gm Ab Bb cm d KEY with 2 names.
Bb C D Eb F G A ENHARMONIC MAJOR KEY NAMES:
o
BE Bb cm dm Eb F gm a Db C#
F G A Bb C D E F# Gb
o
B F gm am Bb C dm e B Cb

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