Sharps And Flats

[sandmaster]

This will no doubt amuse or even disgust music lovers here but at 73 I am trying to teach myself to play the piano. I gave never received music lessons. My question is regarding those mysterious black notes. If E Sharp is the same note as F, and C flat is the same as B, why are they not simply written as F and B respectively?

[Old_Geezer]

Good for you. I'm theoretically trying to learn instruments too, but days seem to fly by and practice missed.

The white note is F (or B) so the black note can't be F too. Can't have two with the same name. In fact it would mess up key signatures to have two of one and none of another.

(According to some YouTube videos they aren't exactly the same anyway, just so close that a balance between the two is used. But I'll leave it to others to confirm or deny.)

Generally speaking there is a semitone between each note. Some notes are white as they are used to get the commonly used intervals, which means that the scale you listen to doesn't have the same jump between notes. Where the black key is missing on the keyboard the scale is jumping a full tone.

[Old_Geezer]

Actually I think I answer a slightly different question to that asked. But feel sure the answer still lies with keeping the key signatures correct. You get a form of all of ABCDEFG some may be sharp or flat for your piece of music, depending on the scale being used, but you still need just one of each to avoid confusion.

[bhg481]

It's of the order of 60 years since I learnt music at school but I seem to remember E sharp = F flat and B sharp = C flat; I am happy to be corrected by someone who knows about music. It's always puzzled me, if I am right, as to why some notes are sharp and others flat.

[EdmundD]

Don't know abut the piano but on the guitar the relationship is described as enharmonic.

When F is raised a semitone it becomes F Sharp.
When G is lowered a semitone it becomes G Flat.

Both notes are the same.

The correct name for the note between F and G depends on its relationship to a key. G Flat is in a flat key, F Sharp is in a sharp key.

[bhg481]

Thanks Edmund - your last paragraph answers my question as to why we have two names for the same pitch note.

[The Builder]

I think the others have said it all, sandmaster, but good for you anyway. Piano is quite a steep learning curve, but do remember to try and enjoy the ride :o)

Don't overthink the technicalities at the moment. There'll be plenty of time for those later.

If you want technical... it's mostly a matter of how the music is notated (written.)
If you consider the key of C# major. The scale includes a B#.
NOT a C. Simply because you can't notate a C (natural) when the C has already been sharpened by the key signature, so you have to mark it as B#.

Don't worry about it. Enjoy :o)))

[Gizmonster]

On a piano, there are no black notes between B and C and between E and F, so technically:
C = B sharp; B = C flat; F = E sharp and E = F flat.
They are not usually referred to in this way - it's just easier to refer to them as their natural keys.

As for all the other flat / sharp keys, they can all be referred to in 2 ways, but it's aaaaages since I learnt to play the piano, so I've no idea if one has precedence over the other:
C sharp = D flat
D sharp = E flat
F sharp = G flat
G sharp = A flat
A sharp = B flat

[sandmaster]

Thanks everyone. It is something that puzzled me

[JimF]

"When G is lowered a semitone it becomes G Flat."

Ah yes, but when G is raised a semitone it becomes G sharp when you're playing in a key with sharps but A flat when you're playing in a key with flats.

[bhg481]

When I sing anything all the notes are flats.