Key Signiatures

Pieces of music rarely use all the notes, but are based on the notes of a particular scale.

As the name suggests, the KEY signiature unlocks a particular set of notes

The key signiature appears at the start of the line after the clef but before the time signiature.

#'s or b's are written on the lines/spaces of notes to be sharpened or flattened.

They come in the same order each time (refer to cycle of 5ths) - for clarity it's worth writing in that order.

Just like Times Tables in maths,  knowledge of key signiatures is essential. Regular practice of scales will help in this respect.

Focus primarily on learning the #'s, b's (ie key signiatures) of the major scales

Note each key signiature is shared by a major- and minor key 3 semitone lower 

eg F#,C# is the key of D major - but also the key setting for B minor.