Notation & Symbols

Sharp

Written as ♯

Definition

A sharp (♯) is a sign that raises a note by one half step. On the piano, F-sharp is the key just to the right of F. Sharps appear before single notes or, for a whole piece, in the key signature.

A sharp raises a note by one half step, the smallest step on the piano. Its sign, ♯, looks like a slanted hash mark; in typed text people often use # instead. Written before a note, the sharp is an accidental. Written at the start of each line, right after the clef, it is part of the key signature.

C-sharp is the black key just to the right of C. E has no black key to its right, so E-sharp is the white key usually called F.

Finding sharps on the piano

To play a sharp, go one key to the right: the very next key, black or white. Usually that is a black key; C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯ are all black keys. But E and B have no black key to their right, so E♯ is played on the white key F, and B♯ on the white key C. These are enharmonic equivalent spellings: two names for one key.

Reading sharps on the staff

The sharp sign sits right in front of the notehead, centered on the same line or space. You say it after the letter ("F-sharp"), but you see it before the note, so you are ready in time.

Two treble-clef bars in 4/4 with half notes: F, then F with a sharp; C, then C with a sharp. — F, then F-sharp; C, then C-sharp. The sharp sign sits just before the notehead, on the same line or space.

A sharp lasts until the end of the measure, for that line or space. A natural cancels it sooner.

Sharps in key signatures

Sharps in a key signature always appear in the same order: F, C, G, D, A, E, B. G major has one sharp (F♯), D major has two (F♯ and C♯), and so on, up to C♯ major with all seven. A handy trick: in a sharp key signature, the major key is a half step above the last sharp. The circle of fifths shows the whole series.

Sharp as a tuning word

Musicians also say a singer or an instrument is "sharp" when the pitch is slightly too high. That is a tuning problem, not a written sign. The opposite is flat.

Practice with The sharp: one half step up and Half steps & whole steps.

Common questions

Is a sharp always a black key?

No. Most sharps are black keys, but E-sharp is played on the white key F and B-sharp on the white key C.

What is the order of sharps?

F, C, G, D, A, E, B. Key signatures add sharps in that order.