

Accidentals in the key signature always live on the staff line of the note they affect. You will find it right next to the clef symbol at the beginning of the staff. It means that you play the pitch without modification.Ī key signature will only contain one kind of accidentals, either sharps or flats, but never both.


This symbol means you raise the pitch by a half step. When you see it, you lower the pitch by a half step. These accidentals apply throughout the entirety of the piece unless otherwise noted either by a new key signature (called a key change) or with new accidentals attached to a note (one-off flat, sharp, or natural signs.) A flat sign looks like this: A key signature is a collection of accidentals (sharp and flat symbols) that let you know what key a piece of music is in.
