A in E minor
In E minor, A is A (natural)
In E minor, A is A (natural)The key signature of E minor does not alter A, so it stays natural.
Is A sharp or flat in E minor?
In E minor, A is natural: the key signature has one sharp, F♯, and it does not fall on A, so you play the plain A unless a written accidental says otherwise.
The signature of E minor is one sharp, F♯. It alters only F, so A is left alone.
Spelled from the tonic, the E minor scale runs E, F♯, G, A, B, C, D — one of each letter, each carrying whatever the signature gives it. The staff above draws the E minor signature and the note A inside it — exactly as you would meet it in a piece written in this key.
Every letter in E minor
E minor has one sharp, F♯. That fixes what each of the seven letters is called in this key:
- C is C (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
- D is D (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
- E is E (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
- F is F♯
- G is G (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
- A is A (natural — the signature leaves it alone) — the letter on this page
- B is B (natural — the signature leaves it alone)
Related keys
E minor shares its signature with its relative G major — the same sharps or flats, so A is natural there too.
Frequently asked questions
- Is A sharp or flat in E minor?
- No. E minor has one sharp, F♯, which is not on A, so A is natural in this key.
- What accidental does A carry in E minor?
- A stays natural. The signature of E minor is one sharp, F♯. It alters only F, so A is left alone.
- What sharps or flats are in E minor?
- E minor has one sharp, F♯ — written in that order at the start of the staff.
- How is the E minor scale spelled?
- From the tonic up: E, F♯, G, A, B, C, D. Each letter appears once, carrying whatever the key signature gives it.