I need help with Music Theory!!! Important

[Hammondgyrl]

...i wuz wondering if anyone had a good trick to remembering all the stuff from music theory because im taking this music theory class and my teacher says that it would be easier if u memorized your key signatures...i guess im trying to ask if anyone knows a good technique to remember key signatures and the stuff u learn in music theory...

[dayspring]

I don't know if this will help but someone recommended a site one time that helped with memorizing the key signatures. Maybe it will offer some help to you if I don't botch up the explanation. From the site (and I can't remember the address), it said to think of the strokes (the amount of times you pick up your pen/pencil) you need to write the name of the key. For instance going around the circle of fifths using sharps:
In the key of G you use one stroke to write that letter and there is 1 #
Key of D requires 2 strokes to write and has 2 #'s
Key of A requires 3 strokes to write and has 3 #'s
Key of E requires 4 strokes to write and has 4 #'s
Now when you get to B, if you were to write it down and superimpose the number 5, you will see it fits right into the B character.

I don't know if that makes sense but if it does, it gets you through almost half of the major scales (and knowing that the key of C has no accidentals--no sharps or flats --well, this method will take you through key signatures for half of the major scales).

Keep the faith..shalom!

[BroAllan]

Hey Hammondgyrl!  First of all I wanna say that I'm still learning to recognize the key of the song by looking at the key signature.  I play by ear and I don't really read music, but I remember when I was taking piano lessons, that my teacher explained a pretty simple way of determining the key of the song by the key signature.  She said: "If the key signature has no sharps or flats, it's in the key of "C major". 
"If it has just one flat, that means you're in the key of "F major". 
Now here's the rule to determine  the sharps:  The key signature is "ONE-HALF STEP ABOVE the LAST SHARP..."    FOR EXAMPLE:  IF A KEY SIGNATURE HAS FOUR SHARPS,  THEN THE LAST SHARP IS A "D" SHARP.  THE KEY SIGNATURE IS ONE-HALF STEP ABOVE THAT, THEREFORE, IT IS IN THE KEY OF "E".

Now, when looking at a key signature with flats, here's the rule to follow: "THE KEY IS THE SECOND TO THE LAST FLAT IN THE KEY SIGNATURE."   FOR EXAMPLE:  IF THE KEY SIGNATURE HAS FOUR FLATS,
Bb, Eb, Ab and Db, THEN THE SECOND TO THE LAST WOULD BE "Ab", AND THAT WOULD BE THE KEY THAT THE SONG IS IN.   HOPE THIS HELPS YOU!   IT HAS TRULY HELPED ME!
                           GOD BLESS YOU, BROALLAN
P.S.  HERE'S A WEBSITE THAT EXPLAINS WHAT I WAS SHARING:
http://emozi.com/MusicTheoryMajorKeySignatures.htm#HowtoDeterminetheMajorKeyofaKeySignature

[Hammondgyrl]

Thanks a lot u guys...i think this really helped me!!! God bless!!

[musmin7]

First thing to remember is that one rule for theory backs up or supports another.
In learning to recognize Key sigs you can use the circle of 5ths

Going up from
 C which has no flats or sharps in the maj scale, the perfect fith is
 F (the fourth degree of the scale) has 1 b next from F is
 Bb (perfect 5th / fourth scale degree) has 2 b's next is
 Eb 3 b's next is
 Ab 4 b's next is
 Db 5 b's next is
 Gb 6 b's next is
 
Now let's go backward from
 C 0 b's or #'s
 G 1 #  (5 simitones/ half steps below C) next is
 D 2 #'s  next is
 A 3 #'s  next is
 E 4 #'s next is 
 B 5 #'s   

so when looking at a Key sig on sheet music it's very easy to start at C and work your way up from there when the Key sig is in b's or to work your way down when it's in #'s

The other way to look at the #'s is to go to the 5th scale degree going up the scale rather than going backwards from C

either way you still come up with C,G,D,A,E,B  012345 #'s

pray this help let me know if you need more