Flat (music)

In music, flat (Italian bemolle for "soft B") means "lower in pitch". Flat is the opposite of sharp, which is a raising of pitch. In musical notation, flat means "lower in pitch by one semitone (half step)", notated using the symbol ♭ which is derived from a stylised lowercase 'b'.[1][2]

Example
{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \key es \major \time 4/4 des1 } }

Under twelve-tone equal temperament, D♭ for instance is enharmonically equivalent to C♯, and G♭ is equivalent to F♯. In any other tuning system, such enharmonic equivalences in general do not exist.

Key signature

Flats are used in the key signatures of

  1. F major / D minor (B♭)
  2. B♭ major / G minor (adds E♭)
  3. E♭ major / C minor (adds A♭)
  4. A♭ major / F minor (adds D♭)
  5. D♭ major / B♭ minor (adds G♭)
  6. G♭ major / E♭ minor (adds C♭)
  7. C♭ major / A♭ minor (adds F♭)

The order of flats in the key signatures of music notation, following the circle of fifths, is B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ and F♭ (mnemonics for which include Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father and Before Eating A Doughnut Get Coffee First).

Accidental

When used as an accidental, it is written to the left of the note head.

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 bes1 } }

When used as an accidental, flat is applied to the note following sharp within the measure. However, unlike the key signature, it does not apply to notes that have the same note name but a different octave.

However, if it is written as an accidental, all key signatures and other signs are ignored, and it is read based on the basic tone (natural tone).

To cancel the flat used as an accidental in the same octave within the same bar, use other accidentals such as a natural (♮).

A double flat also exists, which looks like double flat (similar to two flats, ♭♭) and lowers a note by two semitones, or a whole step.

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 beses1 } }

A quarter-tone flat, half flat, or demiflat indicating the use of quarter tones, may be marked with various symbols including a flat with a slash (flat stroke) or a reversed flat sign (half flat). A three-quarter-tone flat, flat and a half or sesquiflat, is represented by a demiflat and a regular flat (three quarter flat).

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 ceh1 deseh } }

Although very uncommon, a triple flat (triple flat) can sometimes be found.[3] It lowers a note three semitones, or a whole tone and a semitone.

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 1/1 \tweak Accidental.stencil #ly:text-interface::print \tweak Accidental.text \markup { \concat { \flat \doubleflat }}beses1 } }

And theoretically, the symbol of a quadruple flat[4] or beyond could be also considered sometimes.[5]

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 1/1 \tweak Accidental.stencil #ly:text-interface::print \tweak Accidental.text \markup { \concat { \doubleflat \doubleflat }}beses1 } }

Unicode

The Unicode character ♭ (U+266D) can be found in the block Miscellaneous Symbols; its HTML entity is ♭. Other assigned flat signs are as follows:

  • U+1D12B 𝄫 MUSICAL SYMBOL DOUBLE FLAT
  • U+1D133 𝄳 MUSICAL SYMBOL QUARTER TONE FLAT

Etc.
  • Historically, in order to raise a double flat to a flat, it would be denoted as ♮♭ or ♭♮ instead of ♭. In modern notation, the natural sign has been often omitted.
    { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 beses2 bes2 \accidentalStyle modern beses2 bes2 } }
  • To allow extended just intonation, composer Ben Johnston uses a flat as an accidental to indicate a note is lowered 70.6 cents.[6]
  • In intonation, flat can also mean "slightly lower in pitch" (by some unspecified amount). If two simultaneous notes are slightly out-of-tune, the lower-pitched one (assuming the higher one is properly pitched) is "flat" with respect to the other. Furthermore, the verb flatten means to lower the pitch of a note, typically by a small musical interval.
  • In environments where the double flat symbol is not supported, or in text notation for specific reasons, a double flat is sometimes written as ♭♭, bb or etc. Likewise, a triple flat can also be written as ♭♭♭ or etc.

See also

References
  1. Benward & Saker (2003). Music in Theory and Practice, Vol. 1, p. 6. McGraw-Hill, Seventh edition. "Flat (♭)—lowers the pitch a half step."
  2. Flat, Glossary, Naxos Records
  3. Byrd, Donald (October 2018). "Extremes of conventional music notation". Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.
  4. It lowers a note by four semitones or two whole tones.
  5. Wen, Eric (2011). "E-quadruple flat: Tovey's Whimsy". Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (in German). 8 (1): 77–89. doi:10.31751/612.
  6. John Fonville. "Ben Johnston's Extended Just Intonation- A Guide for Interpreters", p. 109, Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Summer, 1991), pp. 106–137. "...the 25/24 ratio is the sharp (♯) ratio ... this raises a note approximately 70.6 cents."
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