Is there an easy way to remember what notes are in a particular scale or key. I have to look them up all the time. :(

Google the "Circle of Fifths," which will explain you how the various key signatures are organized. Then the basic scales (Major and natural minor) will just be consecutive notes on the page in the given key signature.

While you're at it, Google the fingerings for each scale. It's probably best to learn the fingerings by rote, since they will come in extremely handy later...

Another way is to remember the steps in each scale (Whole or Half):
Major: WWHWWWH
natural minor: WHWWHWW

And, of course, rote memorization always helps ;) Set aside a portion of your practice time at the beginning just for playing scales. You could probably write down a daily plan so that you can do a couple different scales each day, making sure you cover all of the ones you want to learn/maintain every week (or every two weeks, or every three days, depending on how much time you usually devote to practicing). This way, the sound and the feel of the scales will slowly sink in until they become second nature to you.

The '2nd to last' flat (going left to right) is the key signature of that it is... for example: In the key of Eb, there are 3 notes that are flattened. Reading each flattened note left to right, the 3 notes are: Bb, Eb, and Ab.

The last sharp to the right + moving it up one whole step (a whole step is, if you play piano, 2 keys away from that note to the right, including black keys) up is the key signature that it is... for example, in D Major, two notes are sharped, F#, and C#. C (natural) + one whole step= D, making it D Major.

To convert from Major to Minor, it's just 1.5 whole steps away to the left (meaning 3 keys to the left, including black keys). C Major=A Minor.

The more you practice and play in a key, the more you become familiar with it. :mellow:

The more you practice and play in a key, the more you become familiar with it. :mellow:

And the better you can play in that too-sight reading hard keys or unfamiliar keys work out A LOT too.

Thanx