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What is a Flat?
In music notation, a Flat is when you go down in pitch. In reference detail, you are “lowering” the note in pitch. The note is going to sound deeper in tone, like someone singing in a high pitch then singing in a “deep voice”.
Example: A flat from B, is a semitone or half-step down to the left, giving you B flat.
This is the FLAT symbol. It looks like a lowercase B: “b”
Flats relation to the white keys.
If you take a look at the image above.
The black keys represent these flats.
An easy way to learn the flats is to look at the white note directly to the right of the flat you want to play.
From right to left,
The first black key, a semitone to the left of the B key is Bb.
The second black key, a semitone to the left of the A key is Ab.
The third black key, a semitone to the left of the G key is Gb.
The fourth black key, a semitone to the left of the E key is Eb.
And lastly the fifth key, a semitone to the left of the D key is Db.
Notes without Flats.
The only keys without any black keys next to them are F and C. These two notes don’t have flats.
So if you go one semitone to the left from F, you will be landing on E.
And from C if you go a note or semitone to the right you will land on B.
As you can see on the piano key image above. No black keys, no flats.
Last, Important Note.
Music is very complex… the black keys went from being Sharps to being Flats??????… Yes, I know right, confusing.
This is because these notes are
En-harmonic equivalent[In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but “spelled”, or named differently.].
Since music is complex, people interpret it in many ways. If you ever hear someone reference F flat… just know they are telling you to play an E note. Vice versa with B being C flat.
These notes are also En-harmonic equivalent.
Quick Review
In music notation, a Flat is when you go down in pitch. In reference detail, you are “lowering” the note in pitch. The note is going to sound deeper in tone, like someone singing in a high pitch then singing in a “deep voice”.
The black keys will contain letters with a flat symbol when going notes to the left.
There are 5 flats: Db, Eb, Gb, Ab, Bb.
Sharps and flats have the same piano keys.
Why? because they are En-harmonic equivalent.
En-harmonic equivalent: In modern musical notation and tuning, an en-harmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but “spelled”, or named differently.
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