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Reading the staff

Key signatures

A key signature sets the sharps or flats that normally apply throughout the music.

See it in the score

Four sharps in Debussy's Arabesque

F-sharp, C-sharp, G-sharp, and D-sharp establish the E-major/C-sharp-minor signature family.

Open measure 1 in the piece
Four sharps in Debussy's Arabesque From Arabesque No. 1 in E Major by Claude Debussy, source measure 1.

Passage playback follows the literal encoded notes, rhythm, tempo, and written directions in this excerpt. It is a study aid, not a model of a pianist's touch, phrasing, ornament realization, or pedal technique.

In a sentence

A key signature sets the sharps or flats that normally apply throughout the music.

The number and order of sharps or flats identifies a key family and supplies default alterations. An empty signature is still meaningful: it shows zero written sharps or flats.

Major and minor keys can share a signature, so use the harmony and tonal centre as well as the symbols. A later signature explicitly resets the default pitches.