two flats or sharps are in the key of f major.
how many flats or sharps are in the key of f major?
two flats
at the top of the circle, the key of c major has no sharps or flats. starting from the apex and proceeding clockwise by ascending fifths, the key of g has one sharp, the key of d has 2 sharps, and so on. similarly, proceeding counterclockwise from the apex by descending fifths, the key of f has one flat, the key of b has 2 flats, and so on. at the bottom of the circle, the sharp and flat keys overlap, showing pairs of enharmonically equivalent key signatures.
circle of fifths
some key signatures have an enharmonic equivalent that represents a scale identical in sound but spelled differently. the number of sharps and flats of two enharmonically equivalent keys sum to twelve. for example, the key of b major, with 5 sharps, is enharmonically equivalent to the key of c major with 7 flats, and 5 (sharps) + 7 (flats) = 12. keys past 7 sharps or flats exist only theoretically and not in practice. the enharmonic keys are six pairs, three major and three minor: b major/c major, g minor/a minor, f major/g major, d minor/e minor, c major/d major and a minor/b minor. there are practically no works composed in keys that require double sharps or double flats in the key signature. in practice, musicians learn and practice 15 major and 15 minor keys, three more than 12 due to the enharmonic spellings.
enharmonic