Piano sheet music notation?

Question

What do the # sign mean in musical notation? Its at the very begining next to the trebel clef. I've seen sheet music with out it also and I've seen sheet music with up to 4 hash signs. I suspect it has something to do with scales, can anyone explain them to me?

I know the hash sign (#) means a note is a sharp but thats if its right next to a note. I play guitar so I know this. I am refering to hash symbols right next to the trebel and bass clefs.

Answer 1

It's the key signature for the song and you may see several of them next to each other. The easiest way to tell what key the piece is in is to look at the last sharp and move up one step to find the Major Key and 1 step down to find it's relative minor.

For instance if you have 2 #s, the first # is on F (they will always start there) and last # falls on C the third space up. The Major key is one step up to D and it parallel minor is Bm.

This tells you that in the key of Dmaj and Bmin there are two #'s F and C and they are to be played as sharps throughout the song unless the note is preceded my a natural sign (looks like an L and a 7 squished together) in which case the sharp is cancelled out *for that measure*, after the measure the note resumes it's sharped status.

You will also see Flats (they look like a "b")next to the treble clef and similar to #'s indicate the key and what notes are to be played as flats.They way to recognize them is slightly different than sharps. To find out what key you are in you look at the last on and move up 4 steps for Majors and 2 steps up for their relative minor.

So if you have 5 b's next to the clef they will fall on the B,E,A,D and last one will fall on the G line of the staff so counting up 4 steps we end up on the D line, counting up 2 steps we end up on the B line so our key signatures are Dbmaj and Bbmin. And all B,E,A,D and Gs are to be played as flats throughout the song.

So when you sit down and jam with someone and they tell you that the song is in the key of D, you knnow that you have to play all Fs and Cs as sharps.

Key signatures are a very important concept in music and to become an accomlished musician you will eventually need to have them memorized.

Oh and when there are no #'s or b's then the key is in C.

P.S. Do a google search for "Circle of Fifths" sometime and you will find a diagram that shows you all of the key signatures.

(phew! aren't you glad you asked? ;-)

Answer 2

i thought that was a sharp sign???that's what it sounds like to me.maybe you can post a pic.I've been playing piano for 6-7 years.

In piano music the sharp signs are near the trebel cleft signs and aren't beside a note unless the note is changed a little during the song.

Answer 3

there some of the black keys thats a key signature you go up half a step suppose you were on a c key you go up half a step which brings you to a c sharp if you play a song with out them on some music it wont sound right you read it like a note if the center is on a c line its a c sharp # good luck

Answer 4

Those are sharps. They indicate which notes in the piece should be played a half step higher than shown on the staff.

Answer 5

It's in the key signature. That mark in that place means that all notes for it are sharps. It just depends on what line it's on.

Answer 6

The note is flat. #= Flat
Or Shap maybe, ah damn it!
I hate all of you!