Piano for Beginners 6th ED - 2016 UK

Understanding theory

T

he term ‘accidentals’ is given to little

symbols that turn a note into a sharp or

flat, or back to a natural. Essentially, the

symbols tell you how to modify the pitch

of the note. Flat lowers the pitch by one half step/

semitone and sharp raises the pitch by a half step/

semitone. You’ll see these symbols to the left of note

in question, and you will also notice them clinging

on to the treble and bass staves between the clef

and the time signature. This is what is known as the

key signature.

Key signatures tell musicians which key the tune

is played in, and refer to the sharps and flats that

are to be used throughout the piece – you’ll need

to memorise the ones to play from the signature. If

you’ve learnt the different scales, you will be able to

recognise key signatures much faster. For example,

if the music tells you that the key is G major, you

will know to use all of the notes from the scale of G

major, including F sharp. All key signatures except for

C major/A minor have sharps and flats in them. The

signature itself will have the little sharp or flat signs

on the corresponding line of the stave for that note.

Another accidental is the natural. When this is

next to a note it cancels out the sharp or the flat

instructed by the key signature or prior accidentals,

so you should play the natural note, ie the white key.

Alter a note’s pitch

with accidentals

Learn what these quirky symbols mean and whip

your sharps and flats into shape

Sharps, flats and naturals

Master using accidentals in just a few very simple steps

01 Simple symbols

Here are the basic symbols for sharp, which looks like a hash symbol (#), flat,

which looks like a ‘b’, and natural, which looks like a box with a stick at alternate

corners. These appear next to notes and in key signatures.

03 Playing with flats

In this example the symbols are on the B line and the E space on both clefs,

instructing you to play a B flat and an E flat every time you see a B or an E in the

music. G flat is not in the key signature, so an accidental must be used.

02 Key it in

Notice the key signature next to the clefs. The symbols are on the F and C lines

to tell you that these notes are sharps. G sharp is not in the key signature, so an

accidental must be used if you want to notate it.

04 Natural symbols

Here, F and C are played as sharps. However when you see the natural symbol,

you play the white key. You should play C natural for the duration of the bar, so

there are two C naturals in the second bar, even though there’s only one symbol.