Understanding sharps and flats

Later in this chapter, we'll explain how to use the music chord wheel tool for composing. But the chord wheel requires that you first understand what sharps and flats are. On a piano, you'll notice there are white notes and black notes. The white notes are whole tones. We assign whole tones the letter names C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The black notes on a piano are semitones between the white notes. We call these sharps and flats. Sharp are indicated by a # symbol. Flats are indicated by a ♭ symbol. The following diagram shows piano notes with note labels.

Figure 3.19 – Sharps and flats

You'll notice the black notes each have two names on them. For example, the black note between the C and D note has the name C# and D♭. C# and D♭ mean the same note.

To clarify, sharps and flats don't mean black notes. Sharp just means a raised note by a semitone and a flat just means to lower a note...