E in A major
In A major, E is E (natural)
In A major, E is E (natural)The key signature of A major does not alter E, so it stays natural.
Is E sharp or flat in A major?
In A major, E is natural: the key signature has three sharps, F♯, C♯ and G♯, and none of them falls on E, so you play the plain E unless a written accidental says otherwise.
The signature of A major is three sharps, F♯, C♯ and G♯. It alters only F, C and G, so E is left alone.
Spelled from the tonic, the A major scale runs A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯ — one of each letter, each carrying whatever the signature gives it. The staff above draws the A major signature and the note E inside it — exactly as you would meet it in a piece written in this key.
Every letter in A major
A major has three sharps, F♯, C♯ and G♯. That fixes what each of the seven letters is called in this key:
- C is C♯
- D is D (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
- E is E (natural — the signature leaves it alone) — the letter on this page
- F is F♯
- G is G♯
- A is A (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
- B is B (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
Related keys
A major shares its signature with its relative F♯ minor — the same sharps or flats, so E is natural there too.
Frequently asked questions
- Is E sharp or flat in A major?
- No. A major has three sharps, F♯, C♯ and G♯ — none of them on E, so E is natural in this key.
- What accidental does E carry in A major?
- E stays natural. The signature of A major is three sharps, F♯, C♯ and G♯. It alters only F, C and G, so E is left alone.
- What sharps or flats are in A major?
- A major has three sharps, F♯, C♯ and G♯ — written in that order at the start of the staff.
- How is the A major scale spelled?
- From the tonic up: A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯. Each letter appears once, carrying whatever the key signature gives it.