Page 59 - Music

T T S T T T S
Figure 3.27: Ascending D major scale on a piano

T T S T T T S

Figure 3.28: Ascending D major scale on a treble staff

Activity 3.5

Construct an ascending D major scale on a bass staff. Indicate tone and
semitone distances.

Key signatures
A key in music is an indication of the starting note of a scale. In other words, a
key in music is named after the first note of a scale. For example, the first note
of C major scale is C. Therefore, a music written in C major scale will be in the
key of C major.

Key signature refers to the arrangement of sharp or flat signs at the beginning of
a musical staff to indicate a key in which a piece of music is written. By using a
key signature, a musician can identify notes that have flats or sharps in a piece of
music. Also, a musician can use a key signature to identify the type of scale that
the music is based on. The following are C, G, F and D major scales with their
respective key signatures:

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