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In Western musical notation, a key signature is a set of sharp (♯), flat (♭), or rarely, natural (♮) symbols placed on the staff at the beginning of a section of music. . The initial key signature in a piece is placed immediately after the clef at the beginning of the first l
When a musical key or key signature is referred to in a language other than English, that language may use the usual notation used in English (namely the letters A to G, along with translations of the words sharp, flat, major and minor in that language): languages which use the English system include Irish, Welsh, Hindi, Japanese (based on katakana in iroha order), Korean (based on hangul in ...
In most cases, a sharp raises the pitch of a note one semitone while a flat lowers it one semitone. A natural is used to cancel the effect of a flat or sharp. This system of accidentals operates in conjunction with the key signature, whose effect continues throughout an entire piece, or until another key signature is indicated.
A key signature indicates the prevailing key of the music and eliminates the need to use accidentals for the notes that are always flat or sharp in that key. A key signature with no flats or sharps generally indicates the key of C major or A minor, but can also indicate that pitches will be notated with accidentals as required.
The sharp symbol is used in key signatures or as an accidental applied to a single note. The staff below has a key signature with three sharps (A major or its relative minor, F ♯ minor). The sharp symbol placed on the note indicates that it is an A ♯ instead of an A ♮.
A musical passage notated as flats. The same passage notated as sharps, requiring fewer canceling natural signs. Sets of notes that involve pitch relationships — scales, key signatures, or intervals, [1] for example — can also be referred to as enharmonic (e.g., the keys of C ♯ major and D ♭ major contain identical pitches and are therefore enharmonic).
The flat symbol (♭) is used in two ways: It is placed in key signatures to mark lines whose notes are flattened throughout that section of music; it may also be an "accidental" that precedes an individual note and indicates that the note should be lowered temporarily, until the following bar line.
In the music notation program Lilypond, naturals are used at a key signature change to cancel a flat or sharp from the previous key signature, but are not shown when the flat or sharp changes to double flat or double sharp. The following shows key changes from A flat major to F flat major to G flat major in Lilypond.