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The flat symbol lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone. Sharp The sharp symbol raises the pitch of a note by one semitone. Natural A natural cancels a sharp or flat. This sharp or flat may have been indicated as an accidental or defined by the key signature. Double flat A double flat lowers the pitch of a note by two semitones. Double sharp ...
A sharp raises a note's pitch by a semitone and a flat lowers it by a semitone. Double flats or sharps may also be used, which alter the unmodified note by two semitones. If a note with an accidental is tied, the accidental continues to apply, even if the note it is tied to is in the next measure. If a note has an accidental and the note is ...
When a flat sign is placed before a note, the pitch of the note is lowered by one semitone. Similarly, a sharp sign raises the pitch by one semitone. For example, a sharp on the note D would raise it to D♯ while a flat would lower it to D♭. Double sharps and double flats are less common, but they are used. A double sharp is placed before a ...
The sharp symbol, ♯, indicates that the note to which the symbol is applied is played one semitone higher. The opposite of sharp is flat, indicating a lowering of pitch. The ♯ symbol derives from a square form of the letter b (see History of notation of accidentals for more information).
Notes that do not meet that criterion are called chromatic notes or accidentals. Accidental symbols visually communicate a modification of a note's pitch from its tonal context. Most commonly, [note 2] the sharp symbol (♯) raises a note by a half step, while the flat symbol (♭) lowers a note by a half step.
These notes correspond to the white keys on the keyboard of a piano. A key signature with no sharps or flats generally indicates A minor or C major, using all natural notes with no sharps or flats. The natural sign is derived from a square b used to denote B ♮ in medieval music (in contrast with the round b denoting B ♭, which became the ...
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In all major scales with flat key signatures, the tonic in a major key is a perfect fourth below the last flat. When there is more than one flat, the tonic is the note of the second-to-last flat in the signature. [11] In the major key with four flats (B ♭ E ♭ A ♭ D ♭), for example, the second to last flat is A ♭, indicating a key of A ...