Accidentals & Semitones (half-steps) Explained - Music Theory

[@irebustini]

This is a fantastic source of information and it is incredibly generous of you sharing with us for free. Thank you very much! Really encouraging learning music using such didactic tools!

[@Avryg00]

Thanks for this. I've been working with Sibelius recently and this cleared some things up.

[@YourOnlineMusicTeacher]

Sibelius is awesome

[@hanzimaster]

1/2 sharp: remove one vertical line. 3/4 sharp: add another vertical line 1/2 flat: either (a) reverse the flat symbol or (b) add a stroke to the stem of the flat symbol 3/4 flat: add the (a) above to the left of the flat sign

[@Cloncurrify]

An extraordinarily clear video. I had no idea what any of these terms meant prior to watching this video.

[@V.Z.69]

2:56 Why is this a B-flat? The accidental is not on this line... I don't understand. Please help?

[@nkemani8372]

The accidental that makes it a flat is all the second one from the bottom, it affects all b’s

[@AlbertGyorfi]

That part is in the key of Eb, which has 3 flats: Bb, Eb, Ab. That means that every B note will be played as a Bb. The first B is played as a normal B, because it has a (natural) accidental placed before it, which cancels the flats on that line. The B you're talking about is one octave higher though, there's no accidental before it, so it respects the rules of the key; therefore, all the B's on that line will be played as Bb. The KEY flats apply to every notes, no matter if it's played one octave up or down. You might have found the answer meanwhile, but I thought I could answer your question - it may help someone else, too. :)

[@MagaKurai]

thanks for explaining but what about the last B? why it is not affected? i mean i get that the flat will affect only a bar but how do i know that the bar is finished?@@AlbertGyorfi

[@Avryg00]

@@MagaKurai that B is natural because of the first B natural. The bar line signifies the end of that measure.

[@calinblaga2055]

This is not only helpful, I find it to be the best one on Accidentals. Huge thanks! 😊

[@roycanriz]

Thank you for an excellent programme. Your explanation is very clear.

[@lapisofhousepencil97]

I spent the whole day looking for answers. thank you sire

[@voidofmisery4810]

Thank you for these videos :) they are unique on KZbin and a good gem

[@michendo1]

Goodness, you cleared up a lot of confusing things for me in this vid. Thank you so much!

[@ylchen77]

Absolutely clear! Thank you for teaching .

[@StermaPerma]

Really good video! Always struggled with theory more than playing but this helps.

[@mikesmusicden]

Very useful information and explained very clearly - thank you for posting the video!

[@mattych4pes]

You said that accidentals only apply to the notes in the line or spaced in which it is placed. Today, this is true, but traditionally it applied to any appearance of that note in the bar. When chromaticism became the norm, accidentals became more specific because harmonies change more often. There are some editions of music where the accidentals are still not written in every octave.

[@Zdrange03]

Agreed. I actually was thought accidentals always apply to any octave.

[@samfortunato]

how is the note at 9:47 "A ##" (A double sharp)? i thought it would be A flat double sharp because of the key signature making it an A flat instead of an A. same with the E double flat later on... how is that not an E flat double flat? my reasoning for this is that the note is already being flatted once, then sharpened two semitones, so (0 - 1) + 2. then the second one would be flatted once, then flatted 2 more times (0 - 1) - 2. confused!

[@dongsilapan5309]

samfortunato to get the money from my bank

[@nicgin3945]

Yeah in my mind I'm thinking, ok it's an Ab , put an x in front of it makes is an Ab double sharp, so the note would be a Bb... But since there is an accidental on the same line for the b with the sharp symbol, in turn it would make it a B ? Yes or no lol

[@ajbreezy11]

@@nicgin3945 I actually came to this video in hopes that this particular matter would be clarified. But the way that I reasoned it was like this: Say you're in the key of E Flat Major. This key signature has three flatted notes, A, B, and E. The act of flatting these natural notes causes them to become E flat and B flat and A flat. But if for some reason the A note on the staff was sharped (#), the rule of raising a sharped note a semitone or one half step only applies to the note in its NATURAL state. So if looking at a piano, you would disregard the key signature, thus the flatted A note in the key signature and start counting UP (since we're sharping it) from the natural A note or the white key. That makes the note A#. And if it's double sharped, same rule applies, up two semitones from the NATURAL A note, which would sit you at B. Just remember, an accidental does not take into account the key signature. It's suddenly as if the key signature was C, which has no sharps or flats, which means no black keys are being played. That was a lot, but I hope this clarifies.

[@Jadesmorot]

This video was absolutely perfect, thank you for helping to demystify music theory for a lot of people such as myself ☀️

[@siddharthsharma147]

Super helpful!! I got 10 out of 10 for this part of the exam

[@LouLen10]

thank you so much. :) this really helped. now i understand it even better.

[@pocketguidetotech]

i was never able to get it untill now nobody has ever explained it to me this way and in great detail :)

[@pearl8515]

Thank you so much for such clear and helpful videos that are free!

[@Mario-xr3jo]

8:30 "double sharps in videos on minor scales"... Which videos on minor scales? There are a lot of them in your channel... My question is: If there is already a G# in the key signature, and there's a double sharp before a G note in a bar, so do I sharp the note three times? Do you deal with this issue anywhere in your channel?

[@MrSAP1988]

I`ve watch nearly all your videos,thanks musictheoryguy !

[@mnr146]

thank u so much! this is very helpful.

[@k.suliman8539]

In 3:36 why is the C not flat, and the B and A flatten? Please somebody answer

[@Texy88]

The C remains a C because, as he said, there is no accidental before the note-head and the flats in the key signature in that example do not affect Cs (they only affect Bs, Es and As).

[@zack_120]

The semitones make sheet music reading very tricky and slow. In summary, the next notes of 1st and 3rd line upwards are always semitone, whereas the downward note of the 5th (top) line is always semitone. This is not too difficult to remember. But when key signatures (#s or bs) are present, these semitone tricks have to be remembered always or you will make mistakes. It takes a great deal of practices to master it.

[@davednz1264]

Sorry, I have a question: why at 10:25 that note is an Eb? Isn't that outside any influence of the flat symbols on the key? And if it is, than why is the first C not affected? Thanks to whoever will answer

[@venetziagajardo7376]

Because Accidentals Only affect the same line and same space in staff

[@7hg742]

This does not help venet

[@BillEvans007]

Excellent! As always. Very helpful explanations. Thanks. Bill

[@sibbiizzi5097]

Confused on one point! When Ax (A DOUBLE SHARP) is played, that becomes a B, therefore is that played as a B natural or B flat if the key signature suggest playing all B notes as flat? So which note would you be playing a B flat or a B natural?

[@melonydever]

Do you think you could make worksheets to go along with your videos? And possibly put parts of your videos into pdf form for easier reference? Taking notes by hand could leave a margin of error.

[@NjabuloHadebe]

That would be awesome.. this is what i do: pause a video and use a snipping tool to take pics.

[@eluhdiehl2352]

No lol

[@Thelonelyscavenger]

Great vid! The C#/Db or enharmonic equivalent used to be confusing, and seems rather unnecessary. I'm guessing it's based on the C Major scale which has no sharps or flats, but still follows the TTSTTTS.

[@ification11]

thank you so much . . . i have been reading up on semitones and tones yet nothing seemed to explain it simple enough for me . . . then i found your video and i understand. . . you helped alot thanks !

[@rudygolchha]

Awesome video very well explained

[@yukkiroshii1037]

thank me aced my music exam and this was made 11 years ago wow!

[@Critique808]

Can you do a video on why and what countries use do, re, mi in their music notes instead of abc.

[@Texy88]

That sounds like the piece is actually in the relative minor, C minor -- the harmonic minor scale uses B-natural but retains the flattened Es and As.

[@manj123789]

this video is amazing its really helpful

[@hanzimaster]

questions: how do you type a natural? where is E#, Fb, B# and Cb? good reason for writing double sharps/flats: imagine reading eg, key of Ab, Db D-natural, Db, D-natural, Db etc. so you could write D-natural as Cx or Ebb

[@darkoFNFN]

2:55 why are they Bb and Ab when there are no symbols near them?

[@matthewgreiner2448]

I know I am 4 months late but it is because it is already stated that they are flat in the key signature (the flats on the right side of the treble clef symbol). The key signature shows that A, B, and E are flat, so, rather than always having a flat next to them, you simply remember they are flat. The only times this is not the case is if they have a natural or a sharp next to them, or the key signature changes.

[@onnih4482]

Key signature lowers both B and A to Bb and Aa

[@michaelwarner1863]

I'm googling everywhere trying to find the correct naming of all accidentals in all keys. Say for example D: what symbols are applied to D#, F, G#, A# and C? Should any of those be written as flats? Thanks for your tutorial. Good work.

[@maximilimusgang2922]

This really helped me on my sharps and flats so thanks

[@Cloncurrify]

Have another look at the video. E# is the equivalent of F (goes from left to right). Eb goes in the opposite direction (right to left), so locate the E key on the piano and go left... you'll see a single black key Eb (or D#).

[@patricktobin7033]

Very well explained….thanks!

[@emphisisonthef]

helped me so much im writing a music exam tmmrw😭😭

[@V.Z.69]

Without looking at accidentals, what is the rule of flat notes? Is it anything above the top line on the staff and anything below the bottom space on the staff? I can't seem to find this question as I might be asking it incorrectly. Thanks.

[@helo155]

This has been so helpful. Thank you so much!!

[@hsienyewyap7184]

I have not seen the double sharp and flat because I'm taking the grade 3 ABRSM theory exam.

[@Texy88]

They tend to be most commonplace whenever the key signatures have lots of sharps or flats.

Im I getting it right? In the excercise at the end: 2nd note is B, because the natural sign CANCELS "b" from signature. But 6th is Ebb, because "bb" REPLACES "b" from signature. So if the 6th note had only single "b", it would have NO EFFECT and result would be Eb? But if it had #, this would COMBINE with "b" from signature and result woud be E, because -halfstep + +halfstep = zero? Seems very chaotic, looking at the upper-key actions that I wrote.

[@fimfie]

I've been playing noise on a guitar for a while and when I was a little fella I played bad violin for a while. I'm keen to get into / understand music theory. I've just had a good lesson on Guitar Bass starting with the circle of 5ths. This lesson was on holidays though and will be hard to stay with that teacher. Any hints as to the path of lessons I should take?

[@raghavs2001]

Very informative. Thank you!

[@aditidasadhikary6117]

If A is a flat in the Key Signature then what note does A double sharp translate to?

[@JohnDAvery-tf4td]

A## = B. Accidentals within a measure ignore the key signature.

[@milestailsprower4555]

A## will translate to a B natural if A is flat in key signature.

[@joetambe2620]

What do u do if theres a G sharp in one bar and a tie to a G in another bar?

[@Texy88]

If it is a tie, then the sharp would carry across to the G in the next bar, making that a G#, and if that note was tied to another G in the next bar then the sharp would also carry across to that one and so on. However, once all the ties across bar-lines stopped then the sharp would no longer apply as it would belong to an earlier bar. MusicTheoryGuy actually has a separate video about slurs and ties, and also goes into the rules regarding accidentals when used with tied notes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZSolYpujsigqc0

[@Skorpios-78]

This is not a tie,it is a slur(you play legatto)

[@yaseminplaceboful]

I thought that the placement of the key-signatures ment specific notes are to be played in b-flat, like in another lesson where he says "all f's and c's are to be played in sharp when referring to the sharp-symbol placement in the key-signature. But here in this lesson thats not the case, because if so in my mind then all e, b and a must be played in flat, but thats not the case.... from how I understand the lesson. I would have so much liked for him to inform which notes are to be played from the key.signature, unless other symbols cancels it.

[@RSTAR2009]

Thanks for clearing up accidentals!

[@zummyizhere]

Thanks for the vid, its very helpful. Question, if the notes are lets say G to A flat then is the note still being lowered by a semitone (the notes are on the same line)

[@Yorubatroublemaker]

Ok im lost. A key signature affects the whole clef until the end of the bar but when you were summarising you said the key signature doesnt affect the note. Someone please explain, maybe im missing something

[@Texy88]

Seun ADEBOWALE The key signature ONLY affects the notes whose letter names match those of the lines and spaces occupied by flats or sharps within it. Any other note names are just the usual natural notes. Also bear in mind that key signatures last for either the entire piece of music, or until the key signature changes (assuming that it even does change), whichever is sooner. Starting at 2:38, the first note is C. The key signature has no effect on it because the flats in the key signature only affect Bs, Es and As. There is no flat in the C-space in the key signature, hence the reason that the C remains a C.

[@Yorubatroublemaker]

Thank you

[@hanzimaster]

the B is cancelled ONLY FOR THAT MEASURE, so it is still in Eb.

[@maracachucho8701]

They're in the same measure, though, so it actually _is_ E, *not* Eb.

[@ratan0409]

Excellent explanation. Thanks a lot!

[@raneetan2334]

This was very useful... thank you!

[@michaelbellinger3540]

When you actually play #3 A-doublesharp, doesn't that become A-sharp due to the key signature of A-flat? Same thing for #6, E doubleflat played will be played as Dflat due to the the Eflat key signature...

[@Texy88]

No, the way it works is that a sharp or flat in the key signature affects a note sharing the same name as the line or space in which said sharp or flat sits unless an accidental against such a note says otherwise, in which case the accidental affects it and all other notes in the same space or on the same line for the rest of the bar or until overridden with another accidental, whichever comes first. So that A-double-sharp that you mention is just that - an A-double-sharp. Accidentals temporarily replace what the key signature would otherwise be saying, rather than combine its effect with the usual effect of a key signature. For that note to be played as an A-sharp it would have to be notated as an A-sharp, regardless of the fact that the key signature in this instance would normally flatten As. It would be far too complicated if you had to effectively do maths in your head to calculate semitones in relation to the effect of a sharp or flat in the key signature whenever you saw an accidental; it is far easier and quicker to sight-read what note you are supposed to play with the current accepted method: that an accidental replaces and overrides what a sharp or flat in the key signature would otherwise have done to the note (as well as others like it for the rest of the bar as described above).

[@brenthollingworth9473]

Great video thanks for creating

[@dionstephens6062]

Great video

[@elovique]

This is very helpful! Thank you!

[@briangreene7085]

Great vid, many thanks

[@LadyBennedetta27]

fantastic,,! thats helpful :) good depth in explaining !!

[@junechchun336]

what if there is a F double sharp, do I play A or A flat , due to the key signature ?

[@arikasiket3274]

June CH Chun you would play a g actually. if you sharp an f twice, it goes up two half steps so f then #f then g

[@milestailsprower4555]

@@arikasiket3274 Why is this F##?

[@joebhomenye]

Do naturals also cancel out key signatures?

[@milestailsprower4555]

Yes to white keys.

[@MrCwchass]

Thank you! Well done!

[@MrArtisticsound]

I can never understand why, for example, a G double Sharp being the note A ,why that note is not put A in the first place. Secondly Lets say the Key signture is 3 Flats. The note is A flat but a double flat signature before it. Does this take into consideration the natural note of A and double flat it from there or A flat then double flat it, which makes it F Sharp. Same question for Sharps, if the note is sharp already from the keysignature or from the natural note, ignoring the keysignature. Its easier to double flat if the note in question is a natural, but what if it is already sharp or flat from the key signature, then doubled. Please explain.

[@VeElOsTh]

He explains it in another video :-) Look at his ones on the circle of fifths and intervals.

[@Texy88]

It’s easier if you think that a sharp or flat in a key signature apply to all notes that share the same letter name as the line or space in which they sit unless an accidental against such a note says otherwise. An example would be the A double-sharp as the third note in the example beginning at 09:25 in this video. Normally As would be flattened due to the third flat in the key signature, but the double-sharp against this note replaces the flat from the key signature and overrides it. This would be (and indeed is) a lot easier for a musician playing a piece of music to follow than the idea of combining the effect of the double-sharp with the flat from the key signature. In your example of As being flattened and an A in the piece having a double-flat before it, that particular note would be A-double-flat (two semitones lower than A). The double-flat REPLACES the flat from the key signature, it does not combine its effect with the effect of that flat (which would have effectively resulted in a triple-flat). Again, the idea of coming across such a situation and having to mentally combine the effect of an accidental with that of a sharp or flat in a key signature would make music much more difficult to read at a glance compared to the correct idea of accidentals replacing and overriding them. As for why we need double-sharps (and double-flats, for that matter), look at his videos on minor scales, as he recommends. (As an added note, the chances of you seeing double-sharps in music that is in a key that has flats in its key signature is extremely slim. You are far more likely to see them in sharp keys, especially those with four or more sharps).

[@joelrobertandersen]

awesome video, thanks.

[@GeniusFilms22]

If a piece of Music is in Eb Major, and the B is 'naturalised', what key is the music then in? I'm very confused because b is the first flat in beadgc, and no piece of music has just eb and ab?? Please help!!! :(

[@Texy88]

If you are seeing a piece with three flats in its key signature, then it *could* be in Eb major, but it could also be in C minor. If you are seeing a lot of B-naturals then it sounds like the piece that you are looking at is actually in C minor, as the C Harmonic Minor scale’s raised seventh is B-natural. The Bs can only be made natural with an accidental, as having a key signature with just Eb and Ab is not allowed as it breaks the very strict rules of key signatures.

[@Zdrange03]

In the same way that in A minor, all G's are raised by a semitone (G#) even though this sharp is not put at the clef, C minor would raised its Bb to B-nat without putting removing the Bb from the clef signature.

[@JohnDAvery-tf4td]

Judorange1980 - Not so. Pieces written in, say, A minor do not raise the 7th to a G# automatically as you wrote. They remain G's throughout as per the *natural minor* scale except when sharp accidentals are written alongside the note elsewhere in the piece. This is because there's nothing in a minor key signature to indicate whether it's in natural, harmonic, or melodic minor. There is no need to indicate that a G in A minor is to remain a G and not a G#; it's understood because there's no G# in the key signature. It's important to keep in mind that a minor key signature refers to the *natural* minor and that both the harmonic and melodic minor are adapted *from* the natural.

[@milestailsprower4555]

and G# minor and raise F to F## and not G.

[@djalitanaful]

hello beautiful person, I learned a lot here but this last exercise I watched 3 times and can't get it. hope to find a video about it. thank you

[@mirasahawneh1027]

i think he made a mistake when he said C and F# because the notes werent on F and C # can someone correct me if im wrong on the one, I would appreciate it.

[@baileys6346]

Excellent thank you.

[@arvindpadhiar3544]

hi i have sent you email to you but it came back some how,I have problem to find the scale of melody.Most of time i find melody but that not in which scale that i can't find it , so if you have any tips to find easyest way please let me know thank you.

[@armandcouze4242]

okay next year well do fine

[@arvindpadhiar3544]

can you repply [e-mail] thank you , be waiting, nice day.

[@nathanmcintosh3373]

thank you so much u all the help i got

[@huxleybosswell3196]

awesome thank you for teaching me

[@vipinabhishek]

Really helpful

[@70s.guitarist38]

Great ... It is lots help 4 me.

[@anweshanray6975]

Thank you. was very helpful.!

[@k.suliman8539]

Now I get everything, it's much easier now.

[@yaseminplaceboful]

If it is to be understood that every note, no matter placement of staff are to be played in flat due to the key sig, I dont understand why the F note beside the E flat note, not also is to be played in flat, and unfortunately he doesnt explain this.

[@musictheoryguy]

@BrophyBass That's correct. Best wishes.

[@profounddamas]

Well about the money illustration here in europe we write 12€ not €12. 12€ is the natural thing to write because that's how we say it.

[@faresash1819]

how i can make 1/4 ton to do arabic scals

[@artbridder]

Thanks.

[@michelleqi2849]

Thanks!

[@yusuf3728]

1:47 WHY THE HELL DOES NO ONE TOLD ME THIS I WAS GOING NUTS. Seriously other videos only tell you how to read single notes, this drived me crazy when reading THANK YOU

[@musictheoryguy]

👍🏻

[@hanzimaster]

If you wanted F to be written using an E, then you should write E#.

[@Texy88]

Neither. E double-flat is on the same note as D. A double-flat lowers a note by a tone.

[@5966ramesh]

Thank you.

[@rudygolchha]

@hong2u e E and B are never sharps (#)

[@TheMpganesh2009]

it is easy to learn flats and sharps

[@-lizzy-9664]

Tysm :)

[@artbridder]

No details missed out

[@pianoss4376]

B and A## are the same!

[@Shyne79]

I cant understand...😶😑🙂🤨

[@eternallyskz]

that's so real💀

[@sontrajamfemininegaze145]

I like this

[@astro_cat030]

Didn't understand about Semitones and Tones and i think its too advance for me and i actually learned about Accidentals

[@taddeito]

thank youuu

[@BennieGames]

I like your british acent