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→Sharps and Flats
{{sharp}} or '#' means <u>sharp</u>. {{flat}} or 'b' means <u>flat</u>. These terms indicate the named note is raised or lowered one semi-tone, respectively. Looking back at the chromatic scale above, we now see that either a sharped version of the note below or the flatted version of the note above fills in the gaps between the notes without such symbols.
Multiple sharps and flats can be used. For example, A{{flat}}{{flat}} is 2 semi-tones below A. A{{flat}}{{flat}} corresponds to the same frequency pitch as G. Similarly, G{{sharp}} is the same frequency pitch as A{{flat}}, and B{{sharp}} is the same frequency pitch as C. For our purposes, we are unlikely to deal with double (or more) sharps or flats. But it's important to understand what they are to remove some of the mystique from them.
We can even represent the entire 12-tone scale in terms of a single note, using flats and sharps: