bemoles

Bemol is a musical term used in several Romance-language traditions to indicate that a note is lowered by one semitone. The standard symbol is the flat sign ♭, written before the note on the staff (for example, C♭ sounds one semitone lower than C natural). In ASCII representations, an informal "b" is sometimes used, but the conventional symbol is ♭. The plural form, bemoles, refers to flat notes collectively.

Bemoles apply to any natural note and interact with the key signature. For instance, a piece in F major has one flat in its key signature (B♭), which affects all B notes unless canceled by a natural sign. The pitch of a flat note is enharmonically related to its sharp counterpart in different contexts; for example, B♭ is the enharmonic equivalent of A♯. Flats are integral to constructing major and minor scales, chords, and harmonic progressions in tonal music.

Beyond single flats, composers may use a double flat (bemol doble or doble bemol), which lowers a note by two semitones. The corresponding sharp is its enharmonic opposite. The term bemol is part of standard musical terminology in many languages: Italian bemolle, French bémol, Spanish bemol, and Portuguese bemol. In common usage, bemol (singular) and bemoles (plural) denote notes lowered by a semitone within the tonal system.