Whats an Accidental?

Timbo · #1 01-07-2005, 06:35 PM

Sorry if this is wrong place, didn't see a better place..
But yeah, what exactly is an accidental?

jonasp · #2 01-07-2005, 06:38 PM

If IIRC, an accidental is when a note appears in a piece of music that is from a different key you are playing in. For example: if you were playing a song in Eb Major, you would have the flats of A, B, and E. An example of an accidiental would be if at sometime you had to play an E natural.

EDIT: Accidental = Playing a note not in the key signature youre playing in.

nashvillebill · #3 01-07-2005, 06:44 PM

In sheet music, it's a note that is sharp or flat....but not from the key the song is in.

Look at an A major scale:

A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A

Now look at the sheet music for a song in that key.
The C# and F# and G#occur naturally, they will have sharps (or flats) on the ledger lines by the staff. That's how you tell what key the song is in.

But if the song has a spot where an Eb is played, for whatever reason, just that note has a flat symbol by it. It's an accidental.

Timbo · #4 01-07-2005, 11:19 PM

I see. Thanks for clearing it up. So the reason for using accidentals would be to what, color the song up?

nashvillebill · #5 01-07-2005, 11:38 PM

It could be:sticking in passing notes as you walk up: E-F-F#-G

or sticking a chord in, to add color as you suggest, say an A7.

Or anything to add variety or accomplish something outside of a plain vanilla major scale.

Timbo · #6 01-08-2005, 02:19 PM

I see.. I see.. Thanks again.

Getao · #7 01-08-2005, 05:30 PM

also, sometimes the natural key center of the song will change for a very short period of time, so the key itself wouldn't change.

xyllion · #8 01-08-2005, 06:46 PM

I think it is interesting that nobody chose the simpler key of C to use as an example key.

paniak17 · #9 01-08-2005, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyllion

I think it is interesting that nobody chose the simpler key of C to use as an example key.

there just trying to show off

nashvillebill · #10 01-08-2005, 07:20 PM

No, it was because C doesn't have any natural sharps or flats to compare the accidentals to...

Aaron Saunders · #11 01-08-2005, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nashvillebill

No, it was because C doesn't have any natural sharps or flats to compare the accidentals to...

Yeah, but you could have said:

The C major scale is CDEFGABC, right? Well, any note that isn't in the key -- for example, any sharp or flat -- is an accidental.

Two sentences, bub.

Two sentences.