Accidentals in action
See accidentals on the page as they help the music come alive
Doubling up What do you get when you double your sharps and flats?
A double flat is signified by using two flat
symbols (‘bb’), and the double sharp symbol
looks like an x. Whereas a flat or sharp alters a
note’s pitch by one half-step/semitone, you’ll
find that a double flat or double sharp alters
the note by a full step/tone. In our examples,
Gbb is the same as F natural because it’s two
semitones (a tone) lower, while Gx is the same
as A natural as it’s two semitones higher.Top tip
Enharmonic
equivalents
On a piano, look at the black
key between C and D. This is
C#, as it’s a half step above C.
But it’s also a half step below
D, so it can also be called Db.
This is an enharmonic
equivalent.C naturals
These notes would be C sharps, but the natural sign means
you must play C naturals. Unless dictated otherwise, the
rest of the Cs in the bar – such as the following note – are
naturals. This resets after the bar line, thoughA tricky bar
The first note here is a C sharp, as a bar has passed
since the C natural before it. However, the second
note is C natural as it a carries a natural accidental.
If the next note had no accidental it would be C
natural, but the sharp sign means it’s C sharpD major/B minor
Here you can see the key signature
of D major/B minor. It tells you to play
two sharps throughout the music,
which are F# and C#“A double flat or
double sharp alters
the note by a full step
(two half steps)”
Back to sharps
Although we had a C natural in
the previous bar, since the bar has
finished we’re back to obeying the
key signature. This note is C sharpC D E F G A B C D E F G A B