Sheet Music Without Sharps and Flats: How It Works

Many piano players search for sheet music without sharps and flats, and usually find two kinds of answers: pieces in C major that avoid the black keys, or completely different notations. There is a third way, and it works with any piece of piano music.

The problem with sharps and flats

In standard notation a note on the staff does not tell you on its own which key to play. You also need to check the key signature, any accidental earlier in the bar, and any natural sign that cancels it. For a beginner that is a puzzle. For an experienced player it is a small delay on every black key, repeated hundreds of times a page.

Show the black key in the note

In iCanPiano Style there are no sharp, flat or natural signs. A note that is played on a black key is drawn half black and half white, like an eye looking left or right. The black half points to the black key.

• F sharp: right half black. Play the black key to the right of F.
• B flat: left half black. Play the black key to the left of B.
• B natural: no natural sign. A note that is all black or all white is played on a white key.

What stays the same

• The staff, the clefs and the position of every note.
• The rhythms, rests, ties, time signatures and bar lines.
• The music itself: every piece keeps its original key and every original note.

Nothing is simplified or transposed. A Chopin nocturne in D flat major is still in D flat major. You simply do not have to work out which notes are flat.

Who it helps most

It helps players who once learned to read music but read slowly, adults returning to the piano, and anyone who loves music with many sharps and flats. Chords become especially easy to read, because you see at a glance where the hand goes.

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