Accidental across clef changes
The clef changes from bass to treble and then back to bass. When this happens, does the B-flat carry over? In other words, even in the treble clef and later when returning to the bass clef, should all B's still be played as B-flat, even if the flat sign isn't written again?
The piece is in F Major—Sonatina in F Major, Op. 168 No. 1 by Diabelli.
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Key signatures are not rewritten when the clef changes, but they are still in force. All Bs are B flats in these measures. (You can probably tell that it would sound terrible if that weren't the case.)
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Dan Schmidt thank you!
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Of course. The flat symbol is written at the beginning of the staff on B and not in front of a note. This means it is a key signature (in this case F major or d minor) and it is valid until replaced by another key signature. — If, however a flat is written immediately in front of a note B within a bar, then all B's (same octave) in that bar are B-flats. In the next bar the B is natural again.
So:
Accidentals (flats, sharps, naturals etc.) at the beginning of a staff, right behind the clef, come in fixed combinations and indicate a key signature. They tell you to play that note half a tone higher or lower and it applies to that note in all octaves.
Accidentals in front of a particular note are valid only for that note in that octave and that bar. It applies to that particular note irrespective of whether you repeat it in different clefs.
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Yes all B's are "B-flat" since the key signature overrides every B!
If Clementi wants something different, he will write a "natural" sign!
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Thank you Dominic Cheli and René Grosheintz-Laval !
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Ambs Absolutely! It's so wonderful to see the community come together to support each other, especially on complex topics like this. If you ever find yourself needing more clarity on how accidentals work across clefs or in different contexts, feel free to reach out. There's so much to discover in the world of music theory, and we're all here to learn from one another!
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Ambs Absolutely! It's so wonderful to see the community come together to support each other, especially on complex topics like this. If you ever find yourself needing more clarity on how accidentals work across clefs or in different contexts, feel free to reach out. There's so much to discover in the world of music theory, and we're all here to learn from one another!
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