Beginner natural signs

[SopranoSimon]

if the 1st note of a bar has a natural sign infront of it do they all get played natural or only that 1 note with the sign infront of it?
e.g Bnatural B B B do all the b's in the bar play natural or play as flats as there is a main flat sign at the start of the music piece

 

[Ivan]

You stick with the natural for all the affected notes in that bar only. The next bar reverts to the signature key.

 

[Chris]

Just be careful in case the last note of the bar is tied to the first note of the next bar.

Chris.

 

[Ivan]

I thank you

Just be careful in case the last note of the bar is tied to the first note of the next bar.

Chris.

I thank you

 

[MandyH]

And only the note on the line with the accidental. So if your middle B has the accidental (natural in this case) then top B and bottom B would still be Bflats. (Unless they have a natural too, of course)

 

[SopranoSimon]

And only the note on the line with the accidental. So if your middle B has the accidental (natural in this case) then top B and bottom B would still be Bflats. (Unless they have a natural too, of course)

sorry very confusing, i was told that in the same bar if the 1st b is natural then the rest follow as natural even tho the sng has a b flat sign at the start as every note in a bar the same letter follows the same rule

 

[MandyH]

The accidental only applies to the notes in the bar which follow it on that line (or in that space) not to any other notes of the same name, but an octave up or down.

 

[kevgermany]

sorry very confusing, i was told that in the same bar if the 1st b is natural then the rest follow as natural even tho the sng has a b flat sign at the start as every note in a bar the same letter follows the same rule

Yes, but as Mandy said, only the one on that line or gap in the stave.

 

[Jeanette]

sorry very confusing, i was told that in the same bar if the 1st b is natural then the rest follow as natural even tho the sng has a b flat sign at the start as every note in a bar the same letter follows the same rule

That's right if it is on the same line in the bar. You could have a B below and above the stave, and these would be played as B flat.

 

[kernewegor]

One picture is worth a thousand words.

I guess this one is now sorted, but if you are able to scan anything you are having problems with (or photograph it) and paste it here it would make explanations a lot easier to make and to understand.

 

[kevgermany]

Simon, just thinking a touch more.

Key signature: group of sharps/flats/naturals at the beginning of a bar or stave - applies to all notes of the same name, irrespective of where they are in the stave. This sets the overall key of that part of the music and is in effect either until the next key signature is reached - or until the end of the music.

Accidental: sharp/flat/natural in front of a specific note - temporary change, valid for the rest of the bar, overrides the key signature for that note only for the rest of the bar, or until another accidental supersedes it in the same bar. Other notes of the same name in the bar are not affected. However there are rare instances where the rule is broken and all notes of the same name for the bar are affected. This you generally don't need to worry about, unless what you're playing sounds wrong and sounds right when you apply the accidental to all notes of the same name. Sometimes you'll see an accidental where it's not necessary, often in brackets - this is put in as a reminder that the accidental in the previous bar no longer applies.