Now that we have covered the names of the white keys it is now time to discuss sharps, flats, and naturals. If you missed last weeks lessons you can go here.
Sharps
A sharp takes a white note and raises it by one note. So you will go one note higher to the right. Down below you can see where the C note is and where the C sharp note is.
Another important rule to know is that when you are reading music a note stays sharp or flat until the end of the barline. You can take a look below for an example.
Below is a list of all your sharp notes. As you look you may notice that the C note also has the name B sharp as well as E sharp and F are the same note. This is something in music we call the Enharmonic Equivalent. So that means that you have one note that has two different names.
Flats
Flats are the exact the exact opposite of sharps. So instead of going one note higher you are going to go one note lower to the left. Down below you will see the E note and the E flat note.
Once again, if you look below, you have the rule that a note stays flat until the end of the barline.
Below you will see the notes that are flat. You may also see that once again we have some enharmonic equivalents with C flat and B as well as F flat and E.
Naturals
Naturals are used to cancel a sharp or a flat. If you look below you can take an G sharp and turn it back to an G.
Of course, just like the sharp and the flat a natural stays natural until the end of the barline.
Double Sharp
The double sharp is a more rare accidental and is only seen in more advanced music. A double sharp doubles the notes twice. It also stays double sharp until the end of the bar line or until a natural cancels it. See Below for examples.
Double Flat
The double flat works like the double sharp except it lowers the note by two notes. It also stays double flat until the end of the barline or until a natural cancels it. See below for examples.
I hope this helped to bring some clarity on how sharps, flats, and naturals work. I look forward to giving you more piano and voice lessons for your musical adventure.
Linnea Loves Music
HERE ARE SOME THEORY WORKSHEETS TO HELP YOU LEARN YOUR ACCIDENTALS:
Grab my FREE eBook “The Piano Scale Book”
This handy eBook has the fingering for every major and minor piano scale. So that you can build your technique and strength as a piano player.
To Find Out More About Linnea Loves Music Go To:
Check Out Some Of My Other Blog Posts:
Piano Note Names and Finger Numbers
Pin It!
