Key signatures and naturals

by Philip Paxton
(Udonthani, Thailand)

If a piece of music has a key signature of D major (#C and #F) - does that mean that all instances of C and F are played sharp wherever they appear on the staff unless they are preceded by a natural??

I am an adult learner, attempting self-teaching...

I have tried uploading a file but your system keeps telling me it will not accept my jpg file ...

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by: Maria

Hello,
Short answer- Yes! You've got it! :)

A Key Signature is valid for the whole piece and all the notes that are altered by the key signature.

Unless, as you said, they are preceded by a natural. But this is valid only until the end of that measure, then it's back to key signature rules again!

But watch out! A piece can also change the key signature. It will be written in the score as it happens though, so it's easy to see.

Strange about the jpg file. Perhaps it's too large or corrupted somehow? It should work. I checked and it worked for me. Sorry about that.

Happy practicing,
Maria

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