Accidentals and Key Signature Basics

Accidentals and Key Signatures Basics

When accidentals occur repeatedly in music, this creates a key.

To save time, we read key signatures to identify repeated accidentals quickly.

Keys/Key Signatures

Accidentals change the pitch of a note by half (1/2) steps.

These include flats, sharps, and naturals.

Accidentals

Accidentals and Key Signatures

A flat lowers a pitch by a 1/2 step.

It looks like a flattened letter b!

Flat

​A sharp raises a pitch by a 1/2 step.

It looks like a sharp (pointy) and slanted tic-tac-toe board!

Sharp

​A natural cancels out a sharp or a flat.

Natural

Fill in the Blank

What are the three accidentals?

,

,

Match

Match the accidental to it's definition.

• Flat

• Sharp

• Natural

Lowers a pitch by a 1/2 step.

Raises a pitch by a 1/2 step.

Cancels out other accidentals

• Lowers a pitch by a 1/2 step.

• Raises a pitch by a 1/2 step.

• Cancels out other accidentals

When accidentals are needed repeatedly throughout a piece of music, this means we are playing in a specific key.

We use key signatures to avoid having to write each repeated accidental in the key over and over again.

Keys and Key Signatures

The key signature lives between the clef and time signature.

​

​Find the key signature!

Fill in the Blank

How many accidentals are in this key signature?

Fill in the Blank

What kind of accidentals to do you see in this key signature?

The accidentals in the key signature affect the pitch of the line or space the accidental is sitting on.

Example: if a flat is sitting on the 3rd line of treble clef, we know it is saying that all notes call B will be flat. (Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday)

What notes are affected by the key?

​F
D
B
G
E

​F
E
D
C
B
A
G
F
E

Drag and Drop

The pitches that will be affected in this key signature are​

Placeholder

and​

Placeholder

​

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

B

E

A

C

D

F

G

Drag and Drop

The pitches that will be affected in this key signature are​

Placeholder

​

Placeholder

​​

Placeholder

and​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

B

E

A

C

D

F

G

Accidentals in key signatures affect all notes with that same name.

In the example to the left, the key signature has a sharp on 5th line F. This sharp will also affect 1st space F.

​

​

​F
E
D
C
B
A
G
F
E

Dropdown

According to the key signature, the note shown will be​

Select answer

​Accidentals can also appear outside of the key signature.

If there is a special circumstance where a note needs to be flat/sharp/natural and it does not fit within the repeated accidentals in the key signature, the note can be marked individually.

​

​This note is only sharp for this measure since it is
not marked sharp in the key signature.

Individual accidentals​ carry through the measure and affect all notes of the same pitch that come after it, unless otherwise marked by another individual accidental.

Once we reach a bar line, any individual accidentals reset to whatever they are marked as in the key signature.

If they are not marked as anything in the key signature, they are automatically considered natural.

Individually marked as sharp.

Not sharp or flat in the key, so it returns to natural after the bar line.

​No sharp!

The natural sign on note 3 carries through the measure to any other note of the same pitch.
Since the highlighted note happens before a bar line and there is no other individual accidental marking it back to flat, it will also be natural like the note before it.

Fill in the Blank

Is the highlighted note flat, sharp, or natural?

(Remember to check the key signature and look for any individual accidentals!)

Fill in the Blank

Is the highlighted note flat, sharp, or natural?

(Remember to check the key signature and look for any individual accidentals!)

Fill in the Blank

Is the highlighted note flat, sharp, or natural?

(Remember to check the key signature and look for any individual accidentals!)

Fill in the Blank

Is the highlighted note flat, sharp, or natural?

(Remember to check the key signature and look for any individual accidentals!)

Open Ended

YOU DID IT!!!!

You're now a master in accidentals and reading key signatures:)

How confident do you feel about your understanding of accidentals and key signatures?