accidental

In music, an accidental is a note of a pitch (or pitch class) that is not a member of the scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the flat (♭), natural (♮) and sharp (♯) symbols, among others, mark such notes - and those symbols are also called accidentals.

Accidentals are symbols that pair with a notes to create new notes. Three common accidentals are: the sharp (♯), the flat (♭) and the natural (♮). The sharp raises pitch up one fret.

Accidentals are symbols like sharps and flats, which raise or lower a note a half step. For example, if you were to play a D on the piano, you would play the white key in the middle of a group of two black keys.

Accidentals last only until the end of the measure in which they appear. In the example below, note C sharp (in bar 1) is cancelled by the bar line. This means that note C in bar 2 (beat 1) is no longer affected by the sharp.

1. : happening unexpectedly or by chance. an accidental discovery of oil. 2. : not happening or done on purpose.

An accidental event happens by chance or as the result of an accident, and is not deliberately intended. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. His hand brushed against hers; it could have been either accidental or deliberate. A policeman accidentally killed his two best friends with a single bullet.

From left to right: Sharp, double sharp, flat, double flat, natural. An accidental in music is a symbol that indicates the modification of a pitch. A music accidental can turn a pitch sharp, flat, or back to its natural state.

Examples of accidental in a Sentence Adjective an accidental discovery of oil The timing of the announcement was purely accidental. The death was ruled accidental.

The natural symbol - ♮ - cancels out any other accidentals that may have occurred earlier in a measure or in Major Key Signatures or Minor Key Signatures.

A composer will include accidentals such as these to clear any confusion that may arise, and in so doing aid the performer's reading. EDIT: The one exception is when a note with an accidental is tied (with a slur) over to the next bar. In this case, the note will keep the accidental.

Sometime around the 11th century, Western composers began to make room on the page for a new kind of sound. These notes would fall outside the key of a piece of music - generally a half-step higher or a half-step lower. They could even sound like a mistake. And that's how accidentals were born.

adjective. occurring by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally. nonessential; incidental.