Reading music
Accidentals: sharps, flats & naturals
How ♯, ♭, and ♮ modify notes on the staff and on the keys.
3 min read
Accidentals are symbols placed before a note to raise, lower, or cancel a pitch. They are the road signs of written music.
The three essential symbols
- Sharp (♯) — raises the pitch by one half step (the key immediately to the right)
- Flat (♭) — lowers the pitch by one half step (the key immediately to the left)
- Natural (♮) — cancels a previous sharp or flat, returning the note to its natural white key
ZC3
XD3
CE3
VF3
BG3
NA3
MB3
AC4
SD4
DE4
FF4
GG4
HA4
JB4
KC5
Q
2
4
5
6
W
E
T
Y
U
C, C♯ (the black key just to the right), and D.
When an accidental appears in a measure, it stays in effect for that entire measure unless cancelled by a natural sign.
Tip: Accidentals in the key signature at the very beginning of the staff apply to every note of that letter in the whole piece.
Practise reading notes →