Unit 10 — Keys of G and F
One sharp, F sharp, makes the key of G; one flat, B flat, the key of F. The key signature says it once for the whole piece. Unit 10 teaches both keys and plays the Minuet in G, five short pieces by Schumann and the Blue Danube.
Songs in this unit
- Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114
- Kinderscenen - Von fremden Ländern und Menschen, O 15 N 1
- Yankee Doodle
- Chorale (Album for the Young), Op. 68 No. 4
- Humming Song (Album for the Young), Op. 68 No. 3
- Soldiers' March (Album for the Young), Op. 68 No. 2
- The Happy Farmer, Op. 68 No. 10
- The Blue Danube (main theme), Op. 314
One sharp, F sharp, makes the key of G major; one flat, B flat, the key of F major. The key signature says it once, at the start of every line, for the whole piece and every octave. Unit 10 teaches both keys, then plays real music in them: the Minuet in G, five short pieces by Schumann (four from his Album for the Young, one from Scenes from Childhood), and the Blue Danube.
- Prerequisite: Unit 9.
- New notes: F♯4 and F♯5 (treble), F♯3 (bass); B♭4 (treble), B♭3 (bass).
- Landmark: treble G.
- Idea: key signatures.
The new notes
| Note | Where it sits | On the keys |
|---|---|---|
| F♯4 | The treble's bottom space, made sharp | The black key just below treble G |
| F♯5 | The treble's top line, made sharp | The black key just below high G |
| F♯3 | The bass staff's fourth line (bass F), made sharp | The black key just above bass F |
| B♭4 | The treble's middle line, made flat | The black key just below B |
| B♭3 | The space above the bass staff, made flat | The black key just below the B under middle C |
A sharp or flat doesn't move the note on the staff. Same line or space; a different key.
The sittings, in order
The key of G
- Key signatures (concept). The sharp on the F line means every F is F sharp, in every octave. You play the G major scale.
- Meet F sharp. The black key just below G, in both clefs.
- Cards in G. Only notes that belong to G major.
- Read in G. Pages written in G.
- Use it: Minuet in G. The first half of the famous minuet from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach: the first real piece in a key.
- Use it: Schumann, Of Foreign Lands and Peoples (melody). The first of his Scenes from Childhood, in G.
The key of F
- Meet B flat. The black key just below B: the treble's middle line, the space above the bass.
- Cards in F. Only notes in F major.
- Read in F.
- Use it: Yankee Doodle. In F.
More music, and review
- Schumann, Chorale, with bass. A hymn in G.
- Schumann, Humming Song, with bass.
- Schumann, Soldiers' March (melody).
- Schumann, The Happy Farmer (melody). In F: every B is B flat.
- Strauss, The Blue Danube (theme, both hands).
- Mix. In G and in F: play it, name it, find it on the staff.
- Checkpoint. In C, G and F.
Teaching notes
- F♯4, F♯5 and F♯3 are F's space or line made sharp: the black key just below G. G major's key signature draws its sharp on the top line (F5), and it holds for every F.
- B♭4 and B♭3 are B's line or space made flat: the black key just below B. F major's signature draws its flat on the middle line.
- Look at the key signature before the first note, every time.
- Notes in a key. Cards in G never show an F natural, and cards in F never show a B natural, so your hand learns the key's shape.
Common mistakes
- F natural in G. The sharp isn't written again next to the note. It is the commonest slip in this unit.
- Thinking a sharp moves the note on the staff. It doesn't: same line, different key.
- Forgetting the left hand. The bass Fs are sharp in G too, and the bass Bs flat in F.
Related guides
Next: Unit 11 — Chords. Back to the whole path.