The term KEY-SIGNATURE PRECEDER is solved by the 4 letter word CLEF. A CLEF is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. It is placed at the beginning of a staff to determine the names and pitches of the notes on the lines and spaces of the staff. The most common clefs are the treble CLEF, bass CLEF, alto CLEF, and tenor CLEF. Each CLEF indicates a different range of pitches, with the treble CLEF being used for higher pitched instruments and the bass CLEF being used for lower pitched instruments. The CLEF is also used to indicate the key signature of a piece of music, which is the set of sharps or flats that are used throughout the piece.