key signature

American  

noun

Music.

1. (in notation) the group of sharps or flats placed after the clef to indicate the tonality of the music following.

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key signature British  

noun

1. music a group of sharps or flats appearing at the beginning of each stave line to indicate the key in which a piece, section, etc, is to be performed

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Etymology

Origin of key signature

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

key signature

For this choreographer, music means everything; his title is a wink, not to the work’s worth, but to its key signature.

From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2023

Others found fault with the way the U of R group measured the material’s magnetic behavior, a key signature of superconductivity.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 8, 2023

Chunky bracelets and earrings rounded out the looks, a key signature of the designer.

From Reuters ● Sep. 27, 2022

Water is considered a key signature of life beyond Earth, after all.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2022

You can do this for all the notes in the key signature simply by counting lines and spaces.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones