ABRSM Grade 5 Theory Key Signatures Exercise 1

Question 1. What Key signatures are these? (Sharp Keys)

`1(a)

_____________ or ____________

1(b)

_____________ or ____________

1(c)

_____________ or ____________

1(d)

_____________ or ____________

1(e )

_____________ or ____________

1(f)

_____________ or ____________
 ABRSM Grade 5 Theory Key Signatures Exercise 1

Question 2. What Key signatures are these? (Flat Keys)

2(a)

`_____________ or ____________

2(b)

`_____________ or ____________

2(c)

`_____________ or ____________

2 (d)

`_____________ or ____________

2 (e)

`_____________ or ____________

2(f)

`_____________ or ____________
 ABRSM Grade 5 Theory Key Signatures Exercise 1

ANSWER SHEET.

1(a) D major or B minor 2(a) F major or D minor

1(b) G Major or E minor 2(b) Eb major or C minor

1(c) B major or G #minor 2(c) Db major or Bb Minor

1(d) E major or C# minor 2(d) Ab major or F Minor

1(e) C# Major or A# minor 2(e) Cb major or Ab minor

1(f) E major or C# minor 2(f) Bb major or G minor

 ABRSM Grade 5 Theory Key Signatures Exercise 1

How to approach Key signatures.

There are many ways to approach key signature questions! You need to approach things differently
depending on whether it’s a sharp or flat key signature!

Sharp Keys:

Example 1.

Step 1: look at this key signature

Step 2: Identify the note name that the last sharp in the key signature lays (the last
Sharp for Example 1 is circled in red)

Step 3: Take the last Sharp and sharpen it by a semi tone ( this this
case the C# becomes D) so we know that this Key is D major.

Another Type of Question that you could be asked is to identify they Key with X number of sharp/
flats

For example: What is the key signature with 5 sharps

All you need to do here is remember this rhyme!

FATHER.CHARLES.GOES.DOWN.AND.ENDS.BATTLE
Then count along the words, so with 5 sharps we’d count along 5 words in this case we’d land on
AND , from this we know that the sharpened notes in the key are F#,C#,G#,D#,A#. similarly, to
example 1 we can use step 3 to determine what Key signature it is. Using step 3 we find that the key
signature is B major.

Flat Keys:

There’s a simple rhyme that you can remember to work out the key signature when dealing with flat
keys!

For the flats that be the last is FA (subdominant), but there’s a trick the
second last is always DO (tonic)

Example 2

Step 1: Look at how many flats there are!

Step 2: Remember the rhyme!

Step 3: look at the last flat(circled in red) and that’s your DO (tonic note)
 ABRSM Grade 5 Theory Key Signatures Exercise 1

Another Type of Question that you could be asked is to identify they Key with X number of sharp/
flats

For example: What is the key signature with 5 flats

All you need to do here is remember this rhyme! ( it’s the same as the sharp rhyme but backwards!)

BATTLE. ENDS. AND. DOWN. GOES. CHARLES. FATHER.

Then count along the words, so with 5 flats we’d count along 5 words in this case we’d land on GOES
, from this we know that the flattened notes in the key are Bb,Eb,AB,Db,Gb. similarly, to example 1
we can use step 3 to determine what Key signature it is. Using step 3 we find that the key signature
so by looking at the second last flat we then can see that the key with 5 flats is Db major.