Notes, accidentals and the staff

Seven letters

Western music uses seven note names: C D E F G A B. After B the pattern starts again at C, one octave higher. Two notes with the same name but different pitch are an octave apart.

Note for Czech users: in Czech and German naming, B natural is called H and B♭ is called B. You can switch this in settings.

Sharps, flats and naturals

Between most letters there is a note in between. We name it by changing a neighbour:

• Sharp (♯) raises a note by a semitone (the smallest step).
• Flat (♭) lowers it by a semitone.
• Natural (♮) cancels an earlier sharp or flat.

Two names for the same pitch, such as F♯ and G♭, are called enharmonic. A double sharp raises a note by two semitones.

The staff

Music is written on a staff: five lines and four spaces. A clef at the start says which line is which note.

• Treble clef (G clef): its curl circles the G line. Lines from the bottom: E G B D F.
• Bass clef: lower notes. Lines from the bottom: G B D F A.

Vertical bar lines divide the staff into bars (measures).

Remember

Seven names, twelve pitches. Sharps and flats fill the gaps, and the clef tells you where the names sit on the staff.