Sharps, flats and naturals
Read and write notes with sharps, flats and naturals, and know how long a sign lasts.
Accidentals
Black keys have no names of their own: they are named after the white keys next to them, using accidentals.
- A sharp ♯ raises a note by a semitone: F♯ is the key just right of F.
- A flat ♭ lowers a note by a semitone: B♭ is the key just left of B.
- A natural ♮ cancels a sharp or a flat.
The sign is written before the note, on the same line or space, but said after its letter: "F sharp", "B flat".
F4, then F♯4: a semitone higher
F♯4 is the black key just right of F4
B4, then B♭4: a semitone lower
Practice: Read notes with accidentals
Practice: Write notes with accidentals
Practice: Find the note on the keyboard
How long a sign lasts
An accidental lasts until the end of the bar: it applies to every later note of the same pitch in that bar. In the next bar it is gone, and the note is played without it again.
In the first bar both F notes are sharp; in the second there is no sign, and F is played
To cancel a sign within the same bar, write a natural.
A natural in the middle of the bar: first F♯4, then F4 again
A sign holds only for its own octave: a sharp before F4 does not touch F5 in the same bar.