Minor Key Signature Chart
Every minor key and its signature · treble & bass clef · relative major shown · see the scale on the keyboard · tap to hear
How to play
- Every key signature belongs to two keys — a major key and its relative minor, three semitones below. This chart starts in Minor: tap a signature to hear the minor scale it makes. Switch to Major to hear its relative major from the very same signature.
- Sharps are always added in the order F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯; flats in the reverse order B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭. Each accidental sits on a fixed line or space (shown correctly for both clefs).
- The scale notes appear as chips with their degree numbers — tap any note to hear it, or use Play scale / Play chord (the tonic triad).
- To find the minor key of a signature: take the major key it spells and count down three semitones (e.g. two sharps = D major, so B minor). To name a sharp key: the last sharp is one step below the tonic. For flat keys, the second‑to‑last flat is the tonic. Three keys have enharmonic twins (B=C♭, F♯=G♭, C♯=D♭). Vol sets volume.
- Keyboard — Tab to any key, clef, mode, note or control, Enter/Space to activate.
Each scale is played back so you can hear what it sounds like. You can also choose any minor key signature to explore using this interactive widget.
To play the notes just click them with your mouse or if you prefer a more naturaly feel then use your computer keyboard instead. Each time you touch a note, it gives an audio response. It also show the note on a virtual keyboard and the key signature on staff. It is designed to link the theory behind the symbols you see with the sound that they make.
How to Use This Music Tool
To begin with, choose your key signature using the buttons along the top. To keep the interface simple, the keys has been split into flats and sharp keys. Hit one of these buttons and it will become highlighted. The stave below will adjust to show the right number of accidentals in the right place. By switching between bass and treble clef, you’ll be able to view the signature as you’d expect it to appear on other instrument. This is particularly helpful for students learning patterns in both clefs.
The widget displays the natural minor scale by default. Switching to the other view reveal the relative major. It sounds and looks different than to help you learn the relationship between a minor and major key. For example, the minor tonic is three semitones lower then the relative major. Looking at both views together really shows that they are written using the same key signature.
The piano keyboard displays the notes belonging to the current scale. The tonic note is amber and all the notes in the key is in blue. If you have a keyboard on your computer, you can try playing the note just by pressing one of the keys. Just tab to the key you wish to play and press the space bar or Enter to play the note. This allows you to play scales or chords without leaving your keyboard.
As you can see from the image of the keyboard above, there are little chips where each key on the keyboard sits and these show the notes of the scale in order. It displays both the degree number as well as name of the note. By clicking one of the chips you can listen to the note and it’ll break the scale down step-by-step. This makes it useful when you’re trying to learn intervals.
There’s also a Play scale button that plays all the notes in the sequence in order, with the notes lighting up as they go. This way you’ve got something to visualize and follow along.
The Play chord button will play the tonic triad for harmonic reference. That means it plays the three notes that make up the quality of the key. So, it’s a fast route to hearing what a major or minor harmony sounds like.
The volume slider controls the loudness of everything that gets played back through it. Good if you want something quieter or don’t have the space to yourself.
If you want a quick refresher on some of the rules of music theory, there is the Help panel. This will explain the names of keys, how to find how many sharps or flats are in a key and their order, and a few other memory tools that can helps with learning the order of accidentals. There’s also a toggle button to make the panel expand and collapse. It sits out of the way when you are practicing, but it still gives helpful context.
There is also an option for entering into fullscreen mode which give the widget a little bit more room on your screen. This is particularly useful if you have a small device or wish to focus only on playing the instrument. When in fullscreen mode, the size of the staff and keyboard expands to fill the available screen. Clicking on the same button again will remove it from fullscreen mode, optionally. This may prove to be more comfortabley when practising for extended periods.
For each key try it both ways: major mode and then minor mode. Then listen out for the change in mood as you step upwards by three semitones from the tonic note. To help get a feel for the keys on your computer keyboard, play the scale. Hit the Play chord button to ensure you have the harmony for each key signature.
Have fun exploring the enharmonic keys too, and notice how there are multiple spellings for the same sound. Key signatures use a clever combination of sound and sight. This allows you to see the accidentals as well as hear the notes and even play them along with the sound if you like.
If you want to check how many accidentals are in a given key, this is a good place to start. You can also use this to learn more about what you hear by ear, including the minor keys. Get playing through each key at your own pace until you are comfortable with it. Just click on a sharp/flat key and listen to that scale played back to you.