# Enharmonic

Source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/enharmonic

**Two notes are enharmonic when they sound the same pitch but are written differently, such as F sharp and G flat.**

On a piano the two are the same key, which makes enharmonic spelling look like a mere convention. On a string instrument it is not quite: players tune expressively, and a leading tone spelled as a sharp is often placed slightly higher than the same pitch spelled as a flat resolving downward. The spelling encodes the note's harmonic direction.

Composers choose the spelling that makes the harmony readable. A dominant chord resolving upward gets sharps; a chord borrowed from the parallel minor gets flats. When a piece modulates far from its home key, an enharmonic respelling is often what keeps the page legible.

Canonical source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/enharmonic