What are sharps and flats?

A sharp raises a note by one fret. A flat lowers it by one fret. On a chord chart, you'll see them written as # for sharp and b for flat.

A note that is sharp (#) is a note that is raised by one fret (half step) from the original note. For example if you play a G note and then sharp it to become G# (read this as 'g sharp'), you would play G# up one fret higher on the guitar fretboard.

A note that is flat (b) is a note that is lowered by one fret (half step). For example if you play a G note and then flat it to become Gb (read this as 'g flat'), you would play Gb down one fret lower on the guitar fretboard.

F# means F sharp, the note one fret above F. Bb means B flat, the note one fret below B. On the guitar, moving up one fret will sharp a note, and moving down one fret will flat a note.

The same fret can have two names depending on context. The fret between A and B is both A# and Bb. They're the same note with two different names, which is why you'll sometimes see a chord chart from one source write Bb where another writes A#. Same chord, different label. This is called an enharmonic note.

You'll see sharps and flats most often in chord names on a chart, like F#m, Bb, or Cadd9, and in key signatures at the top of the chart, like "Key: Db" or "Key: F#."

  • Music alphabet - the seven natural notes that sharps and flats are built around
  • Root note - the letter name that identifies a chord, scale, or key
  • Capo - one way to avoid sharp and flat chord shapes entirely
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