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This particular page was created 27/11/2003 and last updated 28/08/2004
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| | I'm not going to deal with keys and modes in detail right now. Let me just say that there is a system to this madness of sharps and flats. Usually either all notes of a given pitch is sharp (or flat) or none are. So rather than filling up the notes with accidentals, we can add a key signature at the beginning and use naturals if there is an exception or two in the tune. Key signatures can simply be seen as "global accidentals" - for example if there is a sharp sign on the f line at the beginning of the tune: 
all the fs in the tune are sharp. Here are the key signatures you are likely to see in irish traditional music: | One sharp (f) |  One flat (b) |  Two sharps (f and c) |  Two flats (b and e) |  Three sharps (f, c and g) |  Three flats (b, e and a) |  Four sharps (f, c, g and d) | |
Natural signs againSharps and flats in the key signature can of course be temporary cancelled out by the natural sign:  In this final example: 
The f is a natural f even though the key signature says it should be a sharp one.
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