I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around remembering all those flats and sharps in the beginning of a piece.

But I think I just figured it out. It's the key to the song right? Like if the song is in G, the notes that are played represents the notes in the G scale, like G,A,B,C,D,E,F#,G

or Key of E would be: E,F#,G#,A,B,C#,D#,E so the sharp signs in the beginning would be on F,G,C,D

Am I in the right ball park?

In the right ball park? I think you've slammed that pitch right into the Ohio.

Yep, you're on the right track. Of course, one sharp in the key signature can also signify E minor instead of G major because every key signature denotes a major key and a related minor key (called the "relative minor"). For a little more introduction to the way key signatures are organized see The Circle of Fifths.

Okay thanks guys.

Yeah, packa, I know of the circle of fifths, I was just realizing that I didn't have to remember where every sharp or flat sign was placed on the staff if I looked at it to figure out the key of the song.

Who said guitar players don't know theory? LOL

I just read in a theory book that minor keys are not represented at the beginning of a piece but that the individual notes that change get their sharps or flats... was the book wrong? or maybe I misread something

A minor key will be represented by its relative major in the key signature.

What the key signature won't tell you is whether they are using the natural minor, harmonic minor or melodic minor, and that will affect the sharpening of the 6th and 7th, depending on all sorts of things like whether the tune is ascending or descending. This will just be indicated by accidentals. Which is just as well, otherwise it would get horrendously complicated.

Maybe this is what the book was meaning?

Like "ten left thumbs" said:
You have the same key signature for a major key and its relative minor which is 3 notes down (C major/A minor - G major / E minor etc.). You can mostly tell whether it's a minor because of the note it ends on and seems to hover around (A minor probably ends on A). Usually the note below the key note is sharped with accidentals (A minor will have all or most G#'s sharped - C major probably won't).

That's just a rough idea and probably what the author meant.

Couple of things to add. I count the sharps or flats shown in the key signature and use this memory peg.

See God Destroy All Earth By F#irey C#ahos.
Fat cats go down alleys eating birds.
Farmer Brown eats apple dumplings greasley cooked.

See God Destroy is the order of scales with sharps in them. See (C) has none. God (G) has one sharp. Destroy (D) has two, etc.

Fat = F which is the first sharp, Cats = C which is the second sharp, etc.

Farmer Brown is the memo-rick for flat scales or the same thing See God is to the sharp scales. For what flat just repeat Farmer Brown again.

When I see the key signature I just tick off my memory peg till I get to the last sharp or flat. If there were three sharps - See God Destroy - so it's in D or count up 6 for Bm. Then look for the tonal center or the chords used.

As to the key signature showing it will be Major and/or minor. I look at the chords used are they I IV V or i iv v. Now all that about the V being V or v, i.e. melodic, harmonic, etc. I just flow with what I'm given. Who ever wrote the sheet music went down that road for me.

For what it's worth.

Malcolm