Accidental (music) Accidental (music) In music, an accidental is a note of a pitch (or pitch class) that is not a member of the scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the sharp (), flat (), and natural () symbols, among others, mark such notes—and those symbols are also called accidentals. In the measure (bar) where it appears, an accidental sign raises or lowers the immediately following note (and any repetition of it in the bar) from its normal pitch, overriding sharps or flats in the key signature. A note is usually raised or lowered
E (musical note) in pieces where E is in the key signature, in order to represent a diatonic, rather than a chromatic semitone; writing an E with a following E is regarded as a chromatic alteration of one scale degree. E (musical note) E is the third note of the C major scale, and mi in fixed-do solfège. It has enharmonic equivalents of F♭ (which is by definition a diatonic semitone above E) and D, amongst others. When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle E (E) is approximately 329.628 Hz.