Re: accidentals

Howard Peirce ( howard.peirce@sdrc.com )
Thu, 02 Apr 1998 11:30:34 -0500

Patrick M. Howard wrote:
>
> Can someone please tell me what the standard way of notating accidentals is
> ? I've always thought that when you have a sharp or flat for a given note
> it applies to all notes on that same line for all subsequent measures until
> there's a natural indicated. I'm studying a transcription of Coltrane's
> solo on "So What" (from the Coltrane solo book from Hal Leonard pub's).
> Maybe these are simple oversights, but I'm seeing things like 1) a sharp
> sign on the same note for two consecutive measures, and 2)a natural sign on
> a "B" when a "B" an octave lower in a previous measure had been flat. Both
> things are consistent with what I'm hearing, but the notation is confusing.
>
> Pat Howard

An accidental applies only through the current bar. You don't need to
apply a natural in subsequent bars. It just reverts back to natural.

In very chromatic music, it's not uncommon to put extra accidentals in
parentheses--(b), (#)--if there might be confusion. At least, that's in
classical notation.

In jazz, the rules are not so hard and fast. I'd be inclined to indicate
whatever accidentals and naturals I think will help the musician read
the music easily. But, I have never seen an accidental apply to more
than one bar, unless the altered note is tied across the bar line. Even
then, if the same note appears later in the second measure, it's assumed
to be natural.

Remember, though, jazz notation is a language of convenience. A good
jazz score will break all the "rules" of enharmonics, rhythmic notation,
and accidentals if it means you can read down the chart that much
easier.

HP