Half flats lowers a note by a quarter tone and can be written in different ways: The double flat can be found in some scales, such as in the F flat major scale.ĭon't worry, triple flats do not exist, but half flats do exist! Quarter tone accidentals are not frequently used and are used in contemporary music or to transcribe the melodies of Western music. The double flat lowers the sound of the note in front of which it is writen by two half steps (semitones), that is to say, it lowers the sound by one whole step (tone). And of course it is the same for C flat which is played with the B key of the piano.ĭon't worry, the double flat concept is very simple, here's a double flat: We have learn that there is only one half step between E and F, and that flats lowers the sound by a half step, so a F flat is played with the E key on a piano keyboard. This key signature with five flats tells you that B, E, A, D, and G are lowered by one half step: But on a staff (stave ), the flat, like all the other accidentals, is written before the note, and here is a B flat:Īnd here are flats in the key signature of D flat major scale: With letters, we write 'E flat' or 'E♭' for short. The position of the flat: The flat can be placed in front of a note (it is an accidental) or next to the clef in the key signature. This does not mean that it is impossible to play an F flat or an C flat, but we will see it later. You will also notice that there are no black keys between the E and F notes and between the B and C notes, because as you just understood there is only one half step between E and F and between B and C. Here are all flat notes (this is the descending chromatic scale): We will be able to play these black keys with accidentals and in particular with flat notes (notes lowered by one half step). You will notice that there are black keys between the keys C and D, D and E, F and G, G and A, A and B. And off course, one whole step equals two half steps. The smallest distance between two notes is a half step, and in the C major scale, there is one whole step between two consecutive notes except between E and F and between B and C where there is only one half step. The white keys on the piano keyboard correspond to the notes of the C Major scale, that are: C D E F G A B. Little reminder of the half step and whole step concept: The flat in front of a music note, lowers the sound of the note by a half step (semitone ). In music theory, flat is a musical sign from the family of symbols called accidentals.

Double flat symbol