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key signature

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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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Origin of key signature

First recorded in 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for key signature

Historical Examples

  • Key-signature; how determine whether a major or minor key.24, 25.

    Music Notation and Terminology

    Karl W. Gehrkens

British Dictionary definitions for key signature

key signature

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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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012