Music Trade Magazine

To teach someone the memorization of the sharps and flats, (or accidentals.) of a major scale, on a very basic level, is this lesson.  For the flats, your going to have to use your fingers and not your thumbs.  Now since F major is the only flat scale without a flat in it's name, we can deduct that this is the first Major flat scale.  Counting on your fingers, use the first finger to count F.  The second finger will count G.  The third finger will count A.  The fourth finger, every time you use the fourth finger in this exercise, it will signify what your new flat in the scale is.  In this case it is Bb (flat).  Hence, the Key of F Major has one flat in it's name.  It is B b (flat).
     Next scale in this exercise, will always be the last flat you named off in the previous scale.  In this case it is B b (flat). Since F Major had one flat in it's name, we can deduct that B b (flat,) Major will have 2 flats in it's name. First finger in the B b (flat) Major scale is B b (flat).  First finger is B b (flat).  Second finger is C natural.  Third finger is D natural.  The fourth finger and new flat is E b (flat.)  B b (flat) has 2 flats in it's name, they are B b (flat,) and E b (flat.)   
    The next scale in this exercise will have 3 flats in it's name.  In this case the last flat we named off was E b (flat.)  Now we know E b has three flats in it's name.  The flats always go in the same order.  We know that the first two flats are B b (flat,) and E b (flat).  However to reach  B b (flat,) we have to use two hands.  Seven notes are in a Major scale.  ( The 8th note is the first note, but an octave higher.   Every 8 notes in a Major scale are the same note but either an octave higher or lower than the 1st note. )  First finger is E b (flat.)  Second finger is F natural.  Third finger is G natural.  The fourth finger and new flat is A b (flat).  The fifth finger on the second hand is B b (flat).  The sixth finger on the second hand is C natural.  The Seventh finger on the second hand is D natural.   The Key of  E b (flat) major has 3 flats in it's name.  They are B b (flat), E b (flat) and A b (flat).
     The next scale in this exercise is A b (flat) Major.  A b (flat) Major has 4 flats in it's name.  We already know what the first three are :  B b (flat), E b (flat), and A b (flat).  Using our fingers we will find out what the 4th flat is, by the time we hit the 4th finger.  The first finger will signify A b (flat),  The second finger is B b (flat).  The third finger is C natural.  The fourth finger and new flat in this scale is D b (flat).  The fifth finger of the second hand is E b (flat).  The sixth finger is F natural.  The seventh finger is G natural.  The key of A b (flat) Major has 4 flats in it's name.  They are B b (flat), E b (flat)
A b (flat) and D b (flat).
     The next scale in this exercise will be the last flat we just named off.   Again that was D b (flat).  D b flat Major will have 5 flats in it's name.  We already know what the first four flats will be:  B b (flat), E b (flat), A b (flat) and D b (flat).  On the fourth finger of this exercise we will find out what the 5th flat is in the Key of D b (flat) Major.  The first note in this key is D b (flat), so the first finger will signify D b (flat).  The second finger is E b (flat).  The third finger is F natural.  The Fourth finger and new flat is G b (flat).  The fifth finger on the second had is A b (flat).  The sixth finger on the second had is B b (flat).  The seventh finger is C natural.  The hkey of D b (flat) Major has 5 flats in it's name.  They are B b (flat), E b (flat), A b (flat), D b (flat)  and G b (flat).
     The next scale will be the last flat of the last flat Major scale we just did : G b flat Major.  Since it has 6 flats in it's name only one note will be natural.
We already know the first 5 flats as being:  B b (flat), E b (flat), A b (flat), D b (flat), and G b (flat).  On the fourth finger we will find out what the 6th flat in this scale is.  First finger will signify the first note in this scale which is G b (flat).  The second finger is A b (flat).  The third finger is B b (flat).  The fourth finger and new flat is C b (flat).  The fifth finger on the second hand will be D b (flat).  The sixth finger on the second hand will be E b (flat).  The seventh finger on the second hand will be the only natural in this key, F.
      The next scale is C b (flat) Major with all the notes are flat.
 
   The C natural Major scale has no sharps and no flats in it's name.
   (There are no "accidental's in the key of C Major.)
 
Just as C b (flat) Major has all flats notes, C # (sharp) Major has all sharp notes with no naturals.  
 
     To figure out the Sharps on a Major scale takes one thumb and four fingers on one hand and two fingers on the second hand.  Instead of the fourth finger telling us what the next "accidental," is.  It will tell us what the next Major Key is.  This is what's commonly called the "circle of fifths."  Except for F Major (which is a flat key,)  All keys with the name Major in it is a sharp key.  F # (sharp) Major is a sharp key with a sharp in it's name along with C # sharp Major.
 
     We will go back to the flat scale to figure out what the order of Sharps are.  Think of it as an Alternative reality in which a lot of things are backwards.  So if the opposite of C b (flat) with 7 flat notes would have an opposite it will be C Major with No flats or sharps.  G b (flat) Major has 6 flats, so in this reality it will have 1 sharp as G Major.  D b (flat) Major had 5 flats in it's name.  In this reality of sharp scales, D Major will have 2 sharps in it's name.  A b (flat) Major had 4 flats in it's name.  In this reality of the sharp scales A Major will have 3 sharps in it's name.  E b (flat) Major had 3 flats in it's name.  In this reality E Major will have 4 sharps in it's name.  B b (flat) Major had 2 flats in it's name.  In this reality of sharpened scales, B Major will have 5 sharps in it's name.  F # (sharp) Major is the opposite of F Major in which had 1 flat in it's name.  In this case F # (sharp) Major will have 6 sharps in it's name.  C # Major will have all the notes Sharpened.
     So if you use your thumb to start off with G, the first finger will be A .  The second finger will be B, The third finger will be C and the fourth finger will always tell us what the next Major scale will be: D Major.  The fifth finger  on the second hand is E.  The sixth finger on the second hand is F. 
    You can do this on every Major scale to find out the next major scale with sharps in them will be.
     To name off the sharps all you have to do is go the half step before the name of the Major scale and remember they always keep the same order.
Hence G Major has one sharp it is F # (sharp).  D Major will have 2 sharps they will be F # (sharp) and C # (sharp).  A Major will have 3 sharpes F # C # and D #.  You get the idea and good luck.