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
Loading piano sounds…
ZC3
XD3
CE3
VF3
BG3
NA3
MB3
AC4
SD4
DE4
FF4
GG4
HA4
JB4
KC5
LD5
;E5
'F5
G5
A5
B5
C6
W
E
T
Y
U
O
P
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.
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