Definition of Natural (music)
In modern Western music notation, a natural (♮) is a symbol that cancels a previous sharp or flat in the written music. It indicates that the note is at its unaltered pitch.
The natural symbol can be used as an accidental to cancel sharps or flats on an individual note. It may also be shown in a key signature to indicate that sharps or flats in a previous key signature are cancelled. A note is referred to as 'natural' when the letter-name note (A, B, C, D, E, F, or G) is not modified by a flat or sharp (either from a key signature or an accidental). These notes correspond to the white keys on the keyboard of a piano.
Before the invention of the natural symbol, another note designated as "B" was needed in a certain hexachord. To distinguish the two notes with the same letter name, the original (natural) B was written in a square form, and the new, lower one written with a rounded form. The square B became the modern natural symbol.
Related terms
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Frequently asked questions
What is Natural (music)?
In modern Western music notation, a natural (♮) is a symbol that cancels a previous sharp or flat in the written music. It indicates that the note is at its unaltered pitch.