Major Scales & Key Signatures

Write out the full step pattern of any major scale, from tonic to octave.

Give the order of sharps as they appear in a key signature.

Give the order of flats in a key signature, and how it relates to the order of sharps.

You're told the sharps in a key signature are F#, C#, G#, D#. What major key is this?

How many flats does Db major have, and which ones?

What distinguishes a chromatic scale from a diatonic scale?

A diatonic scale uses each letter name exactly once. The chromatic scale does not have that restriction — what convention does the book use instead for spelling chromatic notes?

A student lists the two types of diatonic scale as 'major and chromatic.' What's wrong, and what are the two types?

What is a major tetrachord, and what is its internal interval pattern?

A major scale is built from two major tetrachords. What connects the upper tetrachord to the lower one?

In ANY major scale, between which scale degrees do the two semitones fall?

Apply the major pattern: starting on D, which notes must be altered to make D major, and why?

Show the C major scale on the staff and identify its two major tetrachords.

Rule for sharp keys: the last sharp in a key signature is always which scale degree, and where does it sit relative to the tonic?

How many sharps does B major have, and which ones? (Work it from the tonic.)

A major key signature with sharps. Reading the last sharp, name the key.

Flat keys have a different shortcut than sharp keys. To find the tonic of a flat major key, which flat in the signature do you read?

Apply the flat rule: a major key signature has 5 flats — Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb. What is the key?

Why is C major a notable exception among major scales?

By the naming rule, a major key whose name carries no sharp/flat 'should' have sharps. Why is F major an exception?

What does the circle of fifths show, and why is it useful for key signatures?