Courtesy accidentals

A courtesy accidental, also called a cautionary or reminder accidental, is one that, according to the rules of accidental occurrence, isn’t strictly necessary before a note. But there are times when the composer wants to remind the player that an accidental is (or is not) in effect for a particular note. For example, in a measure containing several E flat accidentals, the first E in the next measure often has a courtesy natural attached, even though the E flat is technically canceled in the new measure.

To create a courtesy accidental

• Click the Speedy Entry Tool  , and click the measure in question. The editing frame appears.
• Click the notehead for which you want the accidental displayed. You can also position the insertion bar and crossbar on the notehead using the arrow keys.
• Press the asterisk (*) key. If there was no accidental on the note, a courtesy sharp, flat, or natural now appears. (If there was an accidental on the note, it’s now hidden. Press the asterisk key again to restore it.)