Sharp (music)

In music, sharp, dièse (from French), or diesis (from Greek)[lower-alpha 1] means, "higher in pitch". More specifically, in musical notation, sharp means "higher in pitch by one semitone (half step)". A sharp is the opposite of a flat, a lowering of pitch. The ♯ symbol itself is conjectured to be a condensed form of German ligature ſch (for scharf) or the symbol ƀ (for "cancelled flat").

For the use of the sharp sign in mathematics, see Musical isomorphism. For the use of the sharp sign in computational complexity theory, see ♯P.
"♯" redirects here. Not to be confused with the # or the well-field system.
For the Japanese electronics company, see Sharp Corporation.
♯
Sharp (music)
In UnicodeU+266F ♯ MUSIC SHARP SIGN (♯)
Different from
Different fromU+0023 # NUMBER SIGN (#)
U+2317 ⌗ VIEWDATA SQUARE
U+22D5 ⋕ EQUAL AND PARALLEL TO
U+4E95 井 JING

Examples

A sharp symbol, ♯, is used in key signatures or as an accidental. For instance, the music below has a key signature with three sharps (indicating either A major or F♯ minor, the relative minor) and the note, A♯, has a sharp accidental.

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \key a \major \time 4/4 ais1 } }

Under twelve-tone equal temperament, the pitch B♯, for instance, sounds the same as, or is enharmonically equivalent to, C natural (C♮), and E♯ is enharmonically equivalent to F♮. However in other tuning systems, the enharmonic relationship is generally different from 12-EDO.

Key signature
{ \time 1/8 \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f { \clef treble \key cis \major s16 ^\markup "" } }
The order of combining sharps is basically "F C G D A E B" from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 7.

When used as a key signature, the key is indicated by writing one or more letters to the right of the clef.

If sharps is used as a key signature, the effect continues to be applied regardless of measure and octave, unless the key changes midway or is affected by another accidental effect such as natural.

The key signature is basically applied as follows: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯ The major scale with one sharp is G major. In all scales of the key signature for sharps, the tonic note of the major scale is a minor second above the last symbol, and the tonic note of the minor scale is a major second below the last symbol.

If there are three or more sharps, the tonic note of the minor key is the note of the third to last symbol of the key signature. For example, in the case of a minor (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯) composed of four sharps, the third sharp from the last is C♯, which represents C♯ minor. Each new scale begins a fifth above (or a fourth below) the previous scale.

Number

of sharps

 Major key Sharp notes Minor key
0 C major – A minor
1 G major F♯ E minor
2 D major F♯, C♯ B minor
3 A major F♯, C♯, G♯ F♯ minor
4 E major F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ C♯ minor
5 B major F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯ G♯ minor
6 F♯ major F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ D♯ minor
7 C♯ major F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯ A♯ minor

Order of sharps
Main article: Circle of fifths

The order of sharps in key signature notation is F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯, each extra sharp being added successively in the following sequence of major keys: C→G→D→A→E→B→F♯→C♯. (These are sometimes learned using an acrostic phrase as a mnemonic, for example:   Father Can Grab Dogs At Evenings Best   or   Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle   or   Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket   or   Fat Cows Go Down And Eat Buttercups   or   Father Christmas Goes Down All Escalators Backwards   or   Fried Chicken Goes Down All Easy Baby.)

Similarly the order of flats is based on the same natural notes in reverse order: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭ Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles's Father or Blanket Exploded And Dad Got Cold Feet, encountered in the following series of major keys: C→F→B♭→E♭→A♭→D♭→G♭→C♭.

In the above progression, the key of C♯ major (with seven sharps) may be more conveniently written as the harmonically equivalent key D♭ major (with five flats), and likewise C♭ major (with seven flats) may be more conveniently written as B major (with five sharps). Nonetheless, it is possible to extend the order of sharp keys yet further, through C♯→G♯→D♯→A♯→E♯→B♯→Fdouble sharp→Cdouble sharp, adding the double-sharped notes Fdouble sharp, Cdouble sharp, Gdouble sharp, Ddouble sharp, Adouble sharp, Edouble sharp, and finally Bdouble sharp, and similarly for the flat keys from C♭ major to Cdouble flat major, but with progressively decreasing convenience and usage.

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 bis1 } }

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

Variants

A double sharp is indicated by the symbol double sharp and raises a note by two semitones, or one whole tone. It should not be confused with a ghost note which is notated with "×".

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 1/1 bisis1 } }

Less often (in for instance microtonal music notation) a score indicates other types of sharps. A half sharp, or demisharp raises a note by a quarter tone = 50 cents (Playⓘ), and may be marked with various symbols including half sharp. A sharp-and-a-half, three-quarter-tone sharp, or sesquisharp, raises a note by three quarter tones = 150 cents (Playⓘ) and may be denoted three quarter sharp.

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 dih1 eisih } }

Although very uncommon, a triple sharp (♯triple sharp) can sometimes be found. It raises a note by three semitones or one whole tone and one semitone.[1][2]

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 1/1 \tweak Accidental.stencil #ly:text-interface::print \tweak Accidental.text \markup { \concat { \sharp \doublesharp }} bis1 } }

Correctly drawing and displaying the sharp sign

The sharp symbol (♯) resembles the number (hash) sign (#). Both signs have two sets of parallel double-lines. However, a correctly drawn sharp sign has two slanted parallel lines that rise from left to right, to avoid obscuring the staff lines. The number sign, in contrast, has two completely horizontal strokes in this place. In addition, while the sharp also always has two perfectly vertical lines, the number sign (#) may or may not contain perfectly vertical lines (depending on typeface and writing style).

Likewise, although the double-sharp sign double sharp resembles a bold-face lower-case x it also needs to be presented in a way that makes the two typographically distinct.

Unicode

In Unicode, assigned sharp signs are as follows:

  • U+266F ♯ MUSIC SHARP SIGN (♯)
  • U+1D12A 𝄪 MUSICAL SYMBOL DOUBLE SHARP
  • U+1D130 𝄰 MUSICAL SYMBOL SHARP UP
  • U+1D131 𝄱 MUSICAL SYMBOL SHARP DOWN
  • U+1D132 𝄲 MUSICAL SYMBOL QUARTER TONE SHARP

Etc.
  • Historically, in order to lower a double sharp to a sharp, it would be denoted as a ♮♯ or ♯♮. In modern notation the natural sign has been often omitted. Furthermore, the same principle could be considered when canceling the symbol of a triple sharp or beyond.[3][4]
{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 bisis2 bis \accidentalStyle modern bisis2 bis } }
  • Basically, up to 7 sharps can be combined in a key signature, but theoretically, 8 sharps or more can be combined, and these keys are called 'theoretical key'. In other words, double sharps can be included in the key signature.
  • In intonation, sharp can also mean "slightly higher in pitch" (by some unspecified amount). If two simultaneous notes are slightly out-of-tune, the higher-pitched one is sharp, assuming the lower one is properly pitched; regardless of proper pitch, the higher note is sharp with respect to the lower. The verb sharpen means to raise the pitch of a note by a small amount, typically less than a semitone.
  • In other tuning systems except the Equal Temperaments, such enharmonic equivalences in general do not exist: In nearly every system differently notated pitches (e.g. F♯triple sharp and G♯) are distinct.[lower-alpha 2]
  • To allow extended just intonation, composer Ben Johnston uses a sharp to indicate a note is raised 70.6 cents (ratio 25:24).[5]
  • In environments where the double sharp symbol is not supported, or in text notation for specific reasons, a double sharp is sometimes written as ♯♯, ##, x or etc. Likewise, a triple sharp can also be written as ♯♯♯ or etc.

See also

Notes
  1. For the etymology of the words dièse and diesis, see Diesis.
  2. The conventions of western musical notation developed when unequal meantone temperaments and well temperaments were the most widely used tunings, and equal temperament was still a theoretical proposal.

References
  1. Ayrton, William (1827). The Harmonicon. Vol. V. Samuel Leigh. p. 47. ISBN 1276309457.
  2. Byrd, Donald (2018). "Extremes of conventional music notation". Bloomington, IN: University of Indiana.
  3. Max Reger: Clarinet Sonata No.2 (Complete Score), pp. 33.: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
  4. A ♮♯ can be also written when changing a flat to a sharp. Chopin: Études No. 9, Op.10 (C.F. Peters), pp. 429.: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
  5. Fonville, J. (Summer 1991). "Ben Johnston's extended Just Intonation – a guide for interpreters". Perspectives of New Music. 29 (2): 106–137, esp. 109. doi:10.2307/833435. JSTOR 833435. ... the 25/ 24  ratio is the sharp (♯) ratio ... this raises a note approximately 70.6 cents.
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