Accidental (music)

Music uses special signs to change notes.

A sharp sign makes a note higher. A flat sign makes a note lower. These signs change the pitch of a note.

A natural sign can fix a note. It makes a note go back to its normal sound. This cancels a sharp or a flat.

Some signs are very strong. A double sharp or a double flat changes a note even more. These signs change the pitch by two steps.

These signs come from old letters. Long ago, people used the letter b to show different notes. These marks help us play music the right way.

Music uses special symbols called accidentals. These marks change the pitch of a note.

A sharp sign makes a note sound higher. A flat sign makes a note sound lower. Most of these changes move the note by one semitone. A semitone is a small step in pitch. You can also use double sharps or double flats. These move a note by two semitones. A natural sign is also used. It cancels a sharp or a flat. This brings the note back to its normal sound.

These symbols have a long history. They come from the small letter "b." Long ago, singers used different shapes of "b" to show different notes. A round "b" became the flat sign. A square "b" became the sharp and natural signs. In the past, singers used these to avoid sounds that felt wrong. This practice was called musica ficta. It helped them sing smooth melodies.

In modern music, accidentals usually last for one measure. This means the change stops at the barline. However, a change can carry over if a note is tied. A tie connects two notes together. This keeps the pitch the same across the line.

Music notation uses special symbols called accidentals to change a note's pitch. These tiny marks tell a musician to play a sound slightly higher or lower than usual. The most common accidentals are the sharp and the flat. A sharp raises a pitch by one semitone, which is a small musical step. A flat lowers a pitch by one semitone. There is also a natural sign used to cancel these changes. It brings a note back to its original, unmodified sound.

Accidentals follow specific rules to keep music clear. Usually, an accidental only affects the note right after it. It also stays in effect for any repeats of that note in the same measure. Most changes end when a musician reaches a barline. However, a change can carry over if a note is tied to another note. A tie connects two notes so they sound like one long sound.

These symbols have a very old history. They actually started as different versions of the lowercase letter "b." In old chant manuscripts, singers used a round "b" to show a soft note. This became our modern flat sign. They used a square "b" to show a hard note. This shape eventually turned into the sharp and natural signs. In the Middle Ages, this helped singers avoid sounds that felt wrong. This practice was called musica ficta.

Sometimes, musicians need even bigger changes. They can use double sharps or double flats. These move a note by two semitones instead of just one. Triple accidentals are very rare and move a note by three semitones. In some cultures, like in Turkey, musicians created their own special systems. They needed new marks to show notes that do not fit standard European scales. This allowed them to play beautiful, traditional melodies accurately.

Accidentals help make music more colorful and precise. Without them, we would only have a few basic notes to play. By using these marks, composers can create many different moods. Some modern music uses a special system to reduce the number of marks. This makes the sheet music easier for the performer to read. Whether it is a simple song or complex art, accidentals add the detail that makes music special.

In musical notation, an accidental is a symbol used to alter a specific pitch. These marks tell a musician to change a note from its standard sound. Accidentals are vital because they allow for a wider variety of tones and melodies. Without them, music would be limited to the basic notes found in a key signature. Most musicians interact with accidentals daily to navigate complex musical landscapes.

The most common accidentals are the sharp, the flat, and the natural. A sharp raises a note's pitch by one semitone, which is the smallest interval in standard tuning. A flat lowers a pitch by one semitone. To cancel these changes, musicians use a natural sign to return the note to its original state. Some compositions even use double sharps or double flats. These symbols alter a note by two semitones instead of one. Triple accidentals are extremely rare and change a note by three semitones.

Accidentals follow strict rules regarding how long they last. In standard notation, an accidental applies to the note immediately following it. It also applies to any subsequent instances of that same note within the same measure. The effect usually ends when a musician reaches a barline. However, an accidental can carry over a barline if a note is tied to another. A tie connects two notes so they sound as one continuous tone. In these cases, the accidental continues to apply to the tied note.

Sometimes, notation can become confusing, requiring courtesy accidentals. These are also called cautionary or reminder accidentals. They are used to prevent mistakes when a note might be misunderstood. For example, they are used if a note in a new measure is the same as a note with an accidental in the previous measure. They can also appear after a tie carries an accidental across a barline. Some publishers put these signs in parentheses to keep the score clean.

The history of these symbols traces back to medieval music. Modern accidentals actually derive from different forms of the lowercase letter "b." In Gregorian chant manuscripts, two versions of "b" were used to signify different pitches of the note B. The round "b," or "b rotundum," eventually became the flat sign. The square "b," or "b quadratum," diverged into the sharp and natural signs. In French, the flat is called "bémol," meaning "soft b." The natural and sharp signs come from "bécarre," meaning "square b."

This system grew from a practice called musica ficta in the late 12th century. During the High Middle Ages, music was often based on the hexachord system. This system used groups of six notes called hexachords. Musicians sometimes encountered "undesirable" sounds called dissonances. To avoid these, they began using "feigned" or "false" notes. At first, this only involved flattening the note B to move between different hexachords. This practice eventually evolved into the formal accidental system used in modern notation.

Different musical traditions have developed unique ways to handle pitch. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Turkish musicians adapted European staff notation. They refined the system to include intervals smaller than a standard semitone. One major system, created by Rauf Yekta Bey, uses four specific sharps and four flats. These do not match standard European sharps or flats. Similarly, composers of microtonal music use special notations for very small pitch changes. These systems allow musicians to express scales that fall outside the standard 12-tone system.

Modern music has also changed how accidentals are written to improve readability. In atonal music, accidentals appear very frequently. This can make standard notation look cluttered and difficult to read. Because of this, some musicians use an alternative system described by Kurt Stone. In this method, accidentals affect only the notes they immediately precede. This reduces the number of natural signs needed on the page. In some atonal scores, every single note receives an accidental. This treats every pitch as having equal status rather than being an inflection of a natural note.