Sharps, flats and naturals

Semitones and the three signs

On a piano the very next key, black or white, is a semitone away. Three signs move a note by a semitone:

• a sharp raises it a semitone: F sharp is just above F;
• a flat lowers it a semitone: B flat is just below B;
• a natural cancels a sharp or flat, so the plain note is played again.

These signs written before a note are called accidentals. They go in front of the note, on the same line or space.

An accidental lasts for the bar

An accidental affects every later note on the same line or space in that bar, not just the note it is written beside. At the barline it stops, and the note goes back to normal.

1. In bar 1, the third note is B flat.
2. In bar 2 the flat would carry on to every B in the bar, so the last B needs a natural to be B again.

Tip: when you name a note, look back along the bar for an accidental on the same line or space. If there is one, it still applies.