Lesson on the Key of F Major

We've previously learned about the key of G major, which means that we have an F sharp. Now we're going to look at the key of F major, which will have a B flat.

The F Major Scale

The F major scale goes along with the key of F major, and it looks like this:

• In the key of G major, we saw an F sharp next to the treble and bass clef staves. This meant that every time there was an F, we needed to remember to make it F sharp.
• Instead, in the key of F major, there is a B flat next to the treble and bass clef staves. This means that every time you see a B in the song, you need to make sure that you play a B flat.

Remember: B flat is a semitone down from any given B. So if we look at B, B flat will be a semitone down here.

Practice Exercises

Now let's do some practice working in the key of F major.

1. Pause the video.
2. Look at this example and try to play it.
3. Then you can come back and check your answer with me.

First Example

Here's the correct answer. Did you remember to play the B flat?

Second Example

Let's try another one. Go ahead and pause the video and give this example a try. Then come back and check your answer with me.

Here's the correct answer. Did you remember the B flat that time? It was an octave lower from the one in the previous example.

Third Example

Let's try another example. Pause the video, give it a try, and then come back.

Here's the correct answer.

Fourth Example

Let's try one more example. Pause your video, give it a try, and then come back.

Here's the correct answer.

Note: You may have noticed that this example had no B flats, so we didn't play any. In this case, it was just showing that the tonal center of this exercise was F major.

Summary

In this section, we've learned about:

• Triads
• Broken chords
• The key of F major

We've only got a few more lessons left, so keep it up. Stick with me, and let's finish it!