Pop Music Theory


Lessons in Order

1-7 (Intro & Pitch) +
5: Sharps & Flats
8-18 (Major Scale) +
19-29 (Chord Progressions) +
30-34 (Hook Chords) +
35-41 (Written Notes) +
42-50 (Song Chorus) +

Lessons by Topic

Strategy +
Pitches -
5: Sharps & Flats
Scales +
Written Notes +
Chords +
Chord Progressions +
Melody +
Songwriting Steps +
Science +
Games & Tools +
Song Examples: Crazy +
Song Examples: Rolling Stone +

Detailed Contents

Lesson 5: Sharps & Flats

This lesson teaches the names of the black-key pitches, using sharps and flats.

Before taking this lesson, you should know: the names of the white-key pitches on the keyboard (Lesson 3: Pitch Names and Lesson 4: Letters Game).

In music, sharp means "raise the pitch" and flat means "lower the pitch". Here are the symbols for sharp and flat:
= sharp (raise the pitch)
= flat (lower the pitch)


We use "sharp" and "flat" to name the black pitches. For example, the black pitch just above C is called C sharp (C♯). But this black pitch is also just below D, so it can also be called D flat (D♭). Here it is on the keyboard:

C C♯ D♭ D

Now we can name all the black pitches:

C C♯ D♭ D D♯ E♭ E F F♯ G♭ G G♯ A♭ A A♯ B♭ B C

Notice that every black pitch has two names; it can be named with either sharp ♯ or flat ♭. Study the keyboard above until you understand how to name all the pitches, white and black.

Next:
Learn about half-steps and whole-steps in Lesson 6: Half-Steps & Whole-Steps, which you will need to understand scales, chords, and melodies.


Lessons in Order

1-7 (Intro & Pitch) +
5: Sharps & Flats
8-18 (Major Scale) +
19-29 (Chord Progressions) +
30-34 (Hook Chords) +
35-41 (Written Notes) +
42-50 (Song Chorus) +

Lessons by Topic

Strategy +
Pitches -
5: Sharps & Flats
Scales +
Written Notes +
Chords +
Chord Progressions +
Melody +
Songwriting Steps +
Science +
Games & Tools +
Song Examples: Crazy +
Song Examples: Rolling Stone +

Detailed Contents

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