Sharp (music)
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In music, sharp means higher in pitch. More specifically, in musical notation, sharp means "higher in pitch by a semitone (half step)," and has an associated symbol (
), which looks somewhat like a "#" (number sign). The Unicode character '♯' (U+266F) may display as a sharp sign on some computers, and '𝄪' (U+1D12A) may display as a double sharp.
Under twelve tone equal temperament, B sharp for instance is the same as, or enharmonically equivalent to, C natural, and G sharp is the same as A flat. Note that in any other tuning system, such enharmonic equivalences in general do not exist.
Double sharps also exist, which look like 
and raise a note by two semitones, or a whole step. Less often (in for instance microtonal music notation) one will encounter half, or three-quarter, or otherwise modified, sharps.
The note C sharp is shown in musical notation in Figure 1, together with C double sharp.
In tuning, sharp can also mean "slightly higher in pitch". If two simultaneous notes are slightly out of tune, the higher-pitched one (assuming the lower one is properly pitched) is said to be sharp with respect to the other.
[edit] See also
| Musical notation | edit |
| Staff : Bar line | Clef | Key signature | Ledger line | Time signature | Rehearsal letter | |
| Notes : Accidental | Dotted note | Note value | Rest | Slur | Tie | |
| Expression marks: Articulation | Dynamics | Octaves | Ornaments | Tempo | |
