Level 2 (like Grade 2) · Unit 8 of 24
Sharps, flats and naturals
Signs that raise or lower a note by a semitone – and how long they last.
By the end you will be able to:
- explain what a sharp, a flat and a natural do
- know that an accidental lasts until the bar line
- write notes with sharps and flats
Learn
Semitones and tones
A semitone is the smallest step on a keyboard: from one key to the very next, black or white. Two semitones make a tone. Most white keys next to each other are a tone apart, but E–F and B–C are only a semitone apart (there is no black key between them).
The three signs
- A sharp (♯) raises a note by a semitone.
- A flat (♭) lowers a note by a semitone.
- A natural (♮) cancels a sharp or flat.
The sign goes BEFORE the note, on exactly the same line or space. We say “F sharp” but write the sharp first.
How long a sign lasts
A sharp, flat or natural in the music (an accidental) lasts until the end of that bar, for that line or space. The bar line cancels it, so in the next bar the note goes back to normal unless the sign is written again.
Your turn
Watch and listen, then practise with new questions every time – reading questions, and writing tasks you answer on the stave. Take the check when you are ready: 80% passes the unit.
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Level 2 is like Grade 2 music theory. These are Classfern’s own levels, not an exam board’s. Questions are made and marked by rules in your browser.