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Introduction to accidentals
An accidental changes the pitch of a note by one or more semitones, upward or downward, without changing the name of the note.
Five accidentals
There are five different accidentals: the sharp, the double-sharp, the flat, the double-flat and the natural. Accidentals can be placed at the beginning of the staff or within a measure. For more details on their use, refer to the courses devoted to accidentals and key signature.
The sharp
The sharp raises the note of a chromatic semitone. The "sharpened" note is therefore higher than the "natural" note.
Be careful, on a keyboard, sharps are often compared to black keys, which is inaccurate. An E can be "sharpened" and played on the key corresponding to F. The same thing is possible for a B which is played on the C key.
The flat
The flat lowers the note of a chromatic semitone. The "flattened" note is therefore lower than the "natural" note.
As for sharps, flats are often compared to the keyboard black keys, which is inaccurate. An F can be "flattened" and played on the key corresponding to the E. The same thing is possible for a C which is played on the B key.
The natural
The natural cancels the effect of an accidental previously encountered and thus restores the note to its natural state.
The double-sharp
The double-sharp raises the note of two chromatic seminotes.
Theoretically, we could find the E on the F key and the B on the C key, but in practice these two notes are never used.
The double-flat
The double-flat lowers the note of two chromatic seminotes.
Theoretically, we could find the F on the E key and the C on the B key, but in practice, these two notes are never used.
Last update on 2021/05/07
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