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Accidentals: sharps and flats In every day life, accidental means the opposite of intentional. In music, accidental refers to an altered pitch. There are two basic alterations to a pitch. One is to raise the pitch to a point halfway between the original note and the next note. This is called a sharp. For example, if we play an A note, the next note in the musical alphabet is B. However, the guitar fretboard includes a note between A and B. Starting with an A note, if we move up to the next fret, this will be an A# (A sharp). If we move up another fret, this will be a B note. Starting again at A, if we slide one fret toward the tuning keys, this will be an A Flat or Ab. You may have thought in this example that A# is the same sound as Bb. You are right! The point of reference will determine whether we call it an A# or a Bb. If we are playing in the key of A, then a raised A will be called an A#. If we are playing in the key of B, then we will call a lowered B note a Bb. It is the same sound. Look back at the note diagrams of the fretboard. This will make more sense to you now. Also, notice that there are no sharps/flats between the B-C and E-F notes. Memorize this: No accidentals between B-C and E-F.
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