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Lesson Eight: Sharps and Flats

This is a Sharp Sign.

When a sharp is placed in front of a note, you don't play that note: you play the note located to the immediate right of that note. Always go up the keyboard, or to the right, when you're playing a sharp.

When a key is consistently "sharp" in a piece, the composer would not place a sharp sign in front of that note throughout the song. Instead, they would place a sharp sign in that note's position at the first of the piece. This is called the Key Signature.

When a key is sharp, like F is in the previous example, you play every F sharp, meaning you play the note to the right of F instead of F itself.

This is a double sharp sign. Double sharp signs raise a note a two half-steps, or a whole step.

This is a Flat Sign.

When a flat sign is placed in front of a note, you play the note to the immediate left of the note the flat sign precedes. Always go down the keyboard, or to the left, when you're playing a flat.

When a key is consistently "flat" in a piece, the composer would not place a flat sign in front of that note throughout the song. Instead, they would place a flat sign in that note's position at the first of the piece, just as we talked about with the sharp sign.

When a key is flat, like B in the previous example, you play every B flat, meaning you play the black key to the left instead of B instead of B itself.

This is a double flat sign. Double flat signs lower a note two half-steps, or a whole step.

If a note has been previously "sharped" or "flatted" in a measure, you would pretend they still have the sign in front of them. If an F in a measure has a sharp in front of it, and, a few notes later (in the same measure), there's another F, play the F sharp, even if it doesn't have a flat sign preceding it.

However:

A natural sign cancels out a previous flat or sharp sign. This is a Natural Sign.

So when a natural note is placed in front of a key, play the natural, or white, key, even if that note was "sharp" or "flat" previously in the measure.

Lesson Nine: Some New Notes

Emily Sigers
emily@thepianopages.com