Sharps and Flats
A sharp (#) raises the pitch of a note by one semitone. A flat (b) lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone. In music notation the # and b signs (called accidentals ) are always placed before the note heads.
This example illustrates that the same note has two different names (i.e., F# and Gb have the same position on the fretboard). These are referred to as enharmonic notes. Other examples of enharmonic notes are: A#/ Bb, C#/ Db, D#/ Eb, F#/ Gb, G#/ Ab. (This principle also applies to the naming of chords e.g., A# Major = Bb Major, C#m7 = Db m7 etc.)
A natural ( @ ) cancels the effect of a sharp or flat. A sharp or flat, when placed before a note, affects the same not if it recurs in the remainder of that bar. It does not, however, affect notes in the next bar, e.g.:
With the inclusion of sharps and flats, there are 12 different notes within one octave, e.g.:
Note that there are not sharps or flats between B and C, or E and F.
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