Collective word for sharps and flats in the key signature?

Question

On a mailing list I'm subscribed to, someone recently asked what the collective name was in English for the sharps and flats you find in the key signature. Apparently, the closest translation from several languages (German, Dutch, Russian) is "signs". My first thought was "accidentals", but this doesn't match the more 'musical' definition of an accidental as a "note whose pitch has been altered from that given by the current key signature" (or something pretty close to that). Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Hi there, I think I can help answer your question. My first thought was also "accidentals" and I would actually argue that this is the word you are looking for. While yes, accidentals can be included diatonically within a key, remember that in traditional Western Music staff paper, we put the accidentals that ARE in the key next to the clefs at the beginning of the piece(s). If you are to see a sharp or flat next to a note in a piece you are reading, it is clear that that note is outside of our key, which is why we use this system in the first place, to make it easy for the composer and performer to identify notes that are not within the key.

If there is another English music word for "note whose pitch has been altered from that given by the current key signature", I've never heard of one.

Hope that helps!

-Nic

Answer 2

I've always just used those terms. When asking a student, I'd say "what are the accidentals in this key? What are the sharps and flats in this key signature". I don't think we have a collective noun other than accidentals. I mean, the raised 7th in a harmonic minor is always written as an accidental, yet it's very clearly part of the key (if not the signature). So I'd stick with accidentals.

Also, I just ask "What's in this key/key signature". Again, it's not a collective noun for the sharps or flats or naturals that are used.