In music, flat (Italian bemolle for "soft B") means lower in pitch. The flat symbol, ♭, indicates that the note to which it is applied is played one semitone lower. The opposite of flat is sharp, indicating a raising of pitch. The flat symbol is derived from a stylised lowercase 'b'.[1][2]

Example

The flat symbol is used in key signatures or as an accidental. The staff below has a key signature with three flats (E♭ major or its relative minor C minor). The flat symbol placed on the note indicates that it is a D♭ instead of a D♮.

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c'' { \key es \major des1 } }

In twelve-tone equal temperament tuning (the predominant system of tuning in Western music), lowering a note's pitch by a semitone results in a note that is enharmonically equivalent to the adjacent named note. In this system, B♭ and A♯ are considered to be equivalent. In most tuning systems, however, this is not the case.

Key signature

Number

of flats

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

The order of flats in key signature notation is B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭. Starting with no sharps or flats (C major), adding the first flat (B♭) indicates F major, adding the next (E♭) indicates B♭ major, and so on through the circle of fifths.

Some keys (such as C♭ major with seven flats) may be written as an enharmonically equivalent key (B major with five sharps in this case). In rare cases, the flat keys may be extended further, F♭→Bdouble flat→Edouble flat→Adouble flat→Ddouble flat→Gdouble flat→Cdouble flat, requiring double flats in the key signature. These are called theoretical key signatures. This principle applies similarly to the sharp keys.

Accidental

When used as an accidental, the flat symbol is placed to the left of the note head.

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c'' { bes1 } }

Accidentals apply to the note on which they are placed, and to all subsequent similar notes in the measure. In modern notation they do not apply to notes in other octaves, but this was not always the convention. To cancel an accidental later in the same measure, another accidental may be used.

A double flat (double flat) lowers a note by two semitones, or a whole step.

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c'' { beses1 } }

A quarter-tone flat, half flat, or demiflat indicating the use of quarter tones, may be marked with various symbols including a flat with a slash (flat stroke) or a reversed flat sign (half flat). A three-quarter-tone flat, flat and a half or sesquiflat, is represented by a demiflat and a whole flat (three quarter flat).

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c'' { ceh1 deseh } }

Although very uncommon, a triple flat (triple flat) can sometimes be found.[3] It lowers a note three semitones, or a whole tone and a semitone.

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c'' { \tweak Accidental.stencil #ly:text-interface::print \tweak Accidental.text \markup { \concat { \flat \doubleflat }}beses1 } }

The symbol of a quadruple flat[4] or beyond could be used but would be extremely rare.[5]

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c'' { \tweak Accidental.stencil #ly:text-interface::print \tweak Accidental.text \markup { \concat { \doubleflat \doubleflat }}beses1 } }

Unicode

The Unicode character ♭ (U+266D) can be found in the block Miscellaneous Symbols; its HTML entity is ♭. Other assigned flat signs are as follows:

  • U+1D12B 𝄫 MUSICAL SYMBOL DOUBLE FLAT
  • U+1D133 𝄳 MUSICAL SYMBOL QUARTER TONE FLAT

Other notation and usage

  • Historically, raising a double flat to a flat would be notated using a natural and a flat sign (♮♭ or ♭♮). In modern notation the natural sign is often omitted.
    { \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c'' { beses2 bes2 \accidentalStyle modern beses2 bes2 } }
  • To allow extended just intonation, composer Ben Johnston uses a flat as an accidental to indicate a note is lowered 70.6 cents.[6]
  • In environments where the double flat symbol is not supported, or in specific text notation, a double flat is sometimes written as ♭♭, bb or etc. Likewise, a triple flat can also be written as ♭♭♭.

See also

  • Sharp (music) – Accidental raising the pitch of a note by one chromatic semitone (♯)
  • Electronic tuner – Device used to tune musical instruments

References

  1. ↑ Benward & Saker (2003). Music in Theory and Practice, Vol. 1, p. 6. McGraw-Hill, Seventh edition. "Flat (♭)—lowers the pitch a half step."
  2. ↑ Flat, Glossary, Naxos Records
  3. ↑ Byrd, Donald (October 2018). "Extremes of conventional music notation". Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.
  4. ↑ It lowers a note by four semitones or two whole tones.
  5. ↑ Wen, Eric (2011). "E-quadruple flat: Tovey's Whimsy". Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (in German). 8 (1): 77–89. doi:10.31751/612.
  6. ↑ John Fonville. "Ben Johnston's Extended Just Intonation- A Guide for Interpreters", p. 109, Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Summer, 1991), pp. 106–137. "...the 25/24 ratio is the sharp (♯) ratio ... this raises a note approximately 70.6 cents."
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