Hello, Im a beginner. I really feel fortunate to have found your site. My question is that in looking at some of the notes in different scales like A sharp harmonic minor & C sharp melodic minor, I see a B# in the note line & an E#. I was under the impression no Sharps or flats could occur after B or E going up in pitch. Also I don’t understand how to play a note that contains ## after it or double flats. Does that mean I need to find another equal note at a different octave and play them simultaneously?
Hi Sean.
It’s difficult to explain in a few short sentences but I’ll try 🙂
First and foremost, these note names are correct, but if you don’t read music then don’t worry about it. Read the note exactly as it says. # is up one semitone, ## is up two semitones, b is down one semitone, bb is down two semitones.
Semitone = Half step = one fret on the guitar, just so we’re clear.
If you see B#, it’s the same note as C, i.e., one semitone up from B. Here’s a few more.
E# = F
C## = D
Fb = E
Fbb = Eb
It seems a very stupid way to do something doesn’t it? Well, it is and isn’t. The problem is when you get into theory and music notation, it just makes much more sense. Music notation puts the seven musical notes, A to G into specific lines and spaces on a musical staff, depending on which clef is used. We then use accidentals to say whether any note is flat or sharp. For someone who reads music, we need things to stay consistent and clear. Let’s look at the notes in the key of Ab major.
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G
All the C notes (3rd of the scale) will go on the “C” lines or spaces. If we now have a melody which uses the B and flat third (Cb) quite often, we have two choices, either keep C on the same line and call it Cb or call it B. If we call it B then we will need to put it on the B staff lines and call it B natural which will not only make the B staff lines messy, it can mess with the musician’s thinking. When you get used to always calling something a Flat third, it gets messy when you need to start thinking about that same thing as a sharp 2nd.
That’s the short version, but essentially it. Hope it makes sense. Keep asking if not and we’ll get there in the end.
