🎼 Music sharps or flats 🔑 Cryptographic proof

key signature

5.5

A set of sharps or flats at the start of written music showing its key

noun
/ki ˈsɪɡnətʃər/

Specialized

: firma de clave

When you read music, the key signature tells you which notes are sharp or flat.
minor key signature
key signature with sharps
key signature with flats

Examples

The easiest songs for beginning guitarists feature key signatures with sharps: G, D, A, and E major.

Academic text (2010)
I looked at the key signature for F major.

Academic text (2001)
I began thinking to myself, "There is no way that can work in all the sharp key signatures."

Academic text (2001)
In written theory, they understand key signatures and closely related keys.

Academic text (2011)
Ask questions about form, meter, key signature, mood, and style.

Academic text (2001)
Work with students to find the key signature, time signature, composer, date, and starting pitch.

Academic text (2003)
Let's look at the minor key signature with seven flats.

Academic text (2001)
In addition, the same note can be written several different ways, depending on the key signature and accidentals.

Academic text (1997)
Sharps appear in key signatures in a specific order, F#, C#, G# D sharp, A sharp, E sharp, B sharp.
To address this, the teacher directs the student's attention to the key signature and reminds the individual of the fingering for B-natural.

Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

signature

vskey signature

Specialized

23 7.0

The sharps or flats written after a clef that show a piece's key

is placed at the very start of the staff rather than after the clef

Surface Forms

key signature singular

key signatures plural

key-signatures plural

key-signature singular

Morphology

key + signature

The compound is compositionally interpretable as ‘a signature belonging to or applied to a key’ so there is partial predictability from the parts. However, the meaning is domain-specific (cryptography) and conflicts with a common musical sense ('key signature'), so a B1 learner who knows only the basic constituent senses would likely be uncertain without background knowledge. This partial compositionality plus required specialist knowledge makes the MWE semi-transparent.

Etymology

Key signature: The musical term key signature comes from putting a small signature of sharps or flats at the start to show the key, the 'main notes' that are changed, so the mark tells musicians which scale to use.