Accidental Notes

Introduction

Accidental, in music is just the opposite concept of the term accident. An accident occurs unintentionally, whereas accidental in music is deliberate. It is a sign of music notation that increases or diminishes a natural note by one or two half steps. These are the special symbols that can be placed before the signature notes to raise or lower them, to create a difference. They are a note or pitch that is not part of the key signature.

Different Accidental notes

There are five types of accidental notes. These accidental notes are marked by using the sharp (♯), flat (♭), or natural (♮) signs.

• The sharp symbol (♯) raises a pitch a half step by a semitone.

• The flat symbol (♭) lowers a pitch a half step by a semitone.

• The double sharp symbol—𝄪—raises a pitch by two semitones.

• The double flat symbol—𝄫—lowers a pitch by two semitones.

• The natural symbol—♮—cancels out any other accidentals that may have occurred earlier in a measure or in Major Key Signatures or Minor Key Signatures.

Accidental notes

A note with a sharp (♯) is played a half step above the original note. The seven sharp notes are C♯ (pronounced “C-sharp”), D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, and B♯:

Notation of accidentals

By about the 10th century, accidentals were applied to note B. Accidentals are written in front of the notes. An accidental note can be applied to:

Note immediately following the accidental
to following notes on the same line or in the same space
until a barline or a new accidental for the same note.

Courtesy accidentals are accidentals that are not necessary but added to define & mention the correct pitch. Courtesy accidentals are written as normal accidentals, sometimes enclosed by brackets.

Songwriters and musicians use accidental notes to bring variety to playing music. It applied to all notes became increasingly common in the music of today’s modern periods.