Natural (music)

Template:Short description In modern Western music notation, a natural (♮) is a symbol that cancels a previous sharp or flat in the written music. It indicates that the note is at its unaltered pitch.Template:Infobox symbol

The natural symbol can be used as an accidental to cancel sharps or flats on an individual note. It may also be shown in a key signature to indicate that sharps or flats in a previous key signature are cancelled. A note is referred to as 'natural' when the letter-name note (A, B, C, D, E, F, or G) is not modified by a flat or sharp (either from a key signature or an accidental). These notes correspond to the white keys on the keyboard of a piano.

<score>{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \key c \major \time 2/1 ais'1 a'1 aes'! a'}</score><score>{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \key e \major s8^"" \bar "||" \key g \major s^"" \bar "||" \key aes \major s^"" \bar "||" \key f \major s^""}</score>

Before the invention of the natural symbol, a new B note was invented for use in a certain hexachord. To distinguish the two, the original natural B was written of a square form, and the new flatter one with a rounded form. This square B eventually because the natural symbol of today.

Usage

Like all accidental markings, the natural symbol is written to the left of the note head and applies to subsequent notes of the same pitch through the remainder of the measure.

<score>{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c { b!1 }}</score>

A note marked with a natural sign can be changed to a flat or sharp by simply applying the new accidental.

<score>{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \key c \major \time 4/4 b'!2 bes' b'! bis'}</score>

A natural sign (♮) cancels a flat or sharp from a previous note or key signature.

<score>{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \key aes \major s8^"" \bar "||" \key f \major s^""}</score>

<score>{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \key e \major s8^"" \bar "||" \key g \major s^""}</score>

Sometimes these cancelling naturals at a key change are omitted, but they must be used if the new key has no sharps or flats.

<score>\relative c' { \omit Score.TimeSignature \set Staff.printKeyCancellation = ##f

 \key aes \major s8^"" \bar "||"
 \key f \major s^"" \bar "||"
 \key e \major s^"" \bar "||"
 \key c \major s^""

} </score>

Double natural

A double natural is a symbol that has two naturals (♮♮). It may be used to cancel a double flat or double sharp, but in modern notation a single natural sign (♮) is acceptable.

<score> {

\omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c {

 beses2_"Older Practice" \tweak Accidental.restore-first ##t b bisis \tweak Accidental.restore-first ##t b beses_"Modern Practice" b bisis b

} } </score> Similarly, a double flat or double sharp can be changed to a single flat or sharp with a simple ♭ or ♯, but older notation may use ♮♭, ♭♮, ♮♯ or ♯♮ instead. Triple sharps and triple flats are extremely rare, but may be canceled using the same notation options. When changing a flat to a sharp or vice-versa, the combined symbols ♮♯ or ♮♭ can be used.

<score> {

\omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c {

 beses2_"Older Practice" bes bisis bis \accidentalStyle modern beses_"Modern Practice" bes bisis bis

} } </score>

Unicode

The Unicode character MUSIC NATURAL SIGN '♮' (U+266E) should display as a natural sign. Its HTML entity is &#9838;. Other assigned natural signs are as follows:

• U+1D12E 𝄮 ()
• U+1D12F 𝄯 ()

See also

• Flat (music)
• Sharp (music)
• Accidental (music)
• Key signature