Guitar key signatures.....?

Question

I am learning music notation on the guitar and I do not understand the concept of key signatures. Although I've asked this question many times, no one can provide me with a clear explanation.

Basically, how do key signatures work?
and
how will they help me play the rest of the fretboard?
I just don't get it, plus it is really boring playing the first four frets all the time...

Answer 1

Key signatures merely tell you what notes are to be played sharp or flat throughout the piece of music you're playing. For instance, if you are in the key of C (no sharps or flats) all notes should be played natural (C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C). If, however, the key signature shows 1 sharp you are now in the key of G. All notes will be played natural EXCEPT for F which the key sig. now tells you to play as F# (G,A,B,C,D,E,F#,G). If you are just starting to learn to read music these things will be more apparent as you go along.
As far as playing the rest of the fretboard, once you learn the fingerings for any scale you can shift it from one position to the next.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

The C major scale is made up of the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Music based on this scale, or the relative minor (A minor) which shares the same notes, will tend to use these notes more than notes outside the scale, like, say, Eb for F#. The D major scale, on the other hand, consists of the notes D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, and D. Music that is based on this scale will tend to use the notes F# and C# more often than F and C, so as a shortcut the composer can write in a "key signature" at the beginning of the piece which essentially means, "When I write the note C, just assume that it's a C# unless I say otherwise, and likewise for the F." This is done by putting a sharp sign on the C and F lines at the beginning of the piece. In terms of playing guitar, you just need to learn how to read sheet music so that you'll play the right notes. There's nothing special you would do on a guitar to play in a certain key. (Well, that's not entirely true; you could use a "capo," which is a little device that clamps onto your guitar, but that's beside the point at the moment.)

Answer 3

Guitar signatures tell you what key a piece is in, this is indicated at the beginning but the sharps and flats. If your writing a song you use certain notes. It tells the performer the tonic note of the scale being used, and hence what key the music is built on. Sometimes the composer wants to use an extra sharp or flat here and there. In that case, he writes the sign to the left of that particular note, and it is called an accidental. when he wishes to return to the natural note, either after an accidental or in a musical work in which the note is ordinarily sharped or flatted, he marks it with another sign, the natural sign. In other words if a piece has no sharps or flats this is in the key of C, if there is one sharp this is the (the F) piece is in the key of G, and all F's are sharped, if there are two sharps in a song is in the key of D, all F's and C's are sharped etc. This is too complicated to explain it all here, I hope that I gave you some idea as to how this works....There are charts for you to memorize these...you can get one in any music store....I hope that all this isn't too confusing for you... it usually takes time for students to get this all down.....and trying to explain it all here is not an easy feat so don't feel bad it you don't get it all...and remember all this signature stuff is only telling you what to sharp and what to flat in a piece of music.....and that's all you have to know to play something, what's going to get sharped and what's going to get flated, no more then that. Get that chart and after a while of studing it I'm sure your going to say....oh now I see....it just takes time !!!!! Good luck to you with this, bye ! Also get a chart that shows all the notes on the fret board so that you can find the notes of the scales on all the frets.....second position....third.....fourth.....fifth etc !!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

One thing to add . . do you know the "do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do" scale enough to sing it? OK - Play it starting on a C note. Notice that none of the notes are sharp or flat. Now play it starting on a G - Notice that you need an F# to play it. The key signature for the key of G has one flat - on the F line. Get a copy of the chart "The Circle of Fifths" It shows all the keys in the order of how many sharps or flats it has. You can download it.
You can play the scales anywhere on the fretboard.

Answer 5

You need some lessons and some patience.

People keep trying to answer this question for you, and doing a good job of it. Please, please, please, understand me when I tell you that it is just too big to understand all at once, and you should think about learning it as a matter of faith until you understand it as you go.

There is no 'guitar' key signature, there are key signatures for music. They help you to understand what notes are appropriate for a certain key. They help you understand how scales, chords, and the like eventually work together to make a song.

You will understand them past the first four frets as soon as you understand that there is a note for every fret.

For instance - if you play the D Major scale in a higher position - and here is ONE WAY to do it:
D - 6th str, 10th fr; E - 6th str, 12th fr; F# 5th str, 9th fr; G 5th str, 10th fr; A 5th str, 12th fr; B 4th str, 9th fr; C# 4th str, 11th fr; D - 4th st, 12th fr; E 3rd str, 9th fr, F# 3rd str, 11th fr; G 3rd str, 12th fr; A 2nd str, 10th fr; B 2nd str, 12th fr; C# 1st str, 9th fr, D 1st str, 10th fr.

The key signature tells you to play an F# and a C# instead of an F and/or C natural. When you know WHERE THE NOTES ARE on your fret board, you can play any scale you want.

You will have to learn this first, and it is not an overnight process.

Answer 6

guitar key signatures

Answer 7

Key Signatures are: The sharps or flats placed after a clef in music to indicate the key. However, to understand that you need to understand intervals and the relevance of scale construction.

Answer 8

There are no guitar key signatures; they are for all instruments and voice.

PJH, the poster, meant to say that the sharp, not the flat, on the fifth line would represent the key of G major or Em.

The following should be helpful for you in determining key signatures:

DETERMINING KEY SIGNATURE


1. Use musical terms of do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, and do to determine key signatures.

a. Sharps - last # to right is called "ti" for determining major key.

b. Flats - Last b to right is called "fa" for determining major key.

(1) Locate do on staff to determine major key. For example, if do is located on the G line or space, then the key is G.

(2) When the signature has more than one flat shown, the major key can be easier defined by identifying the next to last flat at its staff location.

(3) Be aware of ledger lines that are used under and above the staff for note placement. For example, the first ledger line below the staff is Middle C; the first ledger line above the staff is A. All lines and spaces are identified by using A through G.

c. Find la to determine name of minor key.

d. Find sol to determine dominate 7th of major key.

e. Find mi to determine dominate 7th of minor key.

2. The key signature showing no sharps or flats is C major and A minor, using dominate 7th of G7. Dominate seventh chords are shown as C7, G7 etc, and minor sevenths are shown as Cm7, Am7, etc.

Answer 9

guitar tablatures.com