Glow Keys

Sharps and flats

A sharp or a flat tells you to play the next key along, not the white key you first thought of.

Look at C, then the black key just to its right. That black key is C sharp, written C♯. It is a little higher than C. The same black key can also be called D flat, written D♭, because it is a little lower than D.

Sharp means one key higher. Flat means one key lower. On this piano the black keys are the sharps and flats. Glow Keys prints C♯ and F♯ with a sharp, and E♭, A♭ and B♭ with a flat, so each key has one name.

A key signature is a little family of sharps or flats printed at the start of a piece. They stay on for the whole tune, so the writer does not have to mark every single note. C major, the key used for Twinkle’s chords, has an empty key signature. That is why the tune fits on the white keys.

The shiny keys are C♯ and E♭. Play the white neighbour, then the black key, and listen to the small step.