key signatures and accidentals

[algebun]

Fairly new to music reading. I know how to interpret key signatures and I know how to interpret accidentals. I'm confused about how to deal with it when they are together.

For example, if a key signature shows all C's to be sharp, how do you interpret a note of C with a sharp accidental? Would it be a double sharp?, Basically does one take precendence over the other or does it just add to it. And would the accidental affect every C (as a key signature does), or just that particular note.

As you can tell, I'm a bit confused

Terry

[Malcolm]

This should give you the answer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_(music) Important point is sheet music does not have enough room for all the sharp or flat signs in the cleft. If all of them were put into the cleft the cleft would be impossible to read. So there is a set of rules of how long an inferred accident is carried forward in the sheet music, i.e. how long beyond the currect measure, etc.

That is explained in the site I gave. For what it is worth - I use a # 2 pencil and mark my sheet music.

Good luck.