double sharp

9.1

A sign that tells you to play a note two piano keys higher

noun

Specialized

: doble sostenido

The composer used a double sharp in the second measure to raise the note F by two semitones.

OK, well, this note, this G natural is really an F double sharp.

Examples

When you see a double sharp on the staff, play the note two half steps higher.
She was confused by the double sharp notation in her piano sheet music.
The piece requires a double sharp on the F note.
A double sharp raises the pitch significantly.
When you see a double sharp in sheet music, it means the note will be played two semitones higher.
The composer used a double sharp to raise the F note to G in the performance.
To accurately play the piece, she needed to understand how a double sharp affects the melody.

How Low

double flat

Specialized

8.4

flat

Specialized

45 6.9

natural

Specialized

28 5.8

sharp

Specialized

31 6.8

double sharp

Specialized

9.1

Surface Forms

double sharp singular

double sharps plural

Morphology

double + sharp

The meaning is directly compositional: 'double' means twice and 'sharp' denotes raising a pitch by one semitone, so 'double sharp' transparently implies raising the note by two semitones. This follows a predictable modifier+noun pattern used cross-linguistically in technical terminology, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The musical term double sharp comes from the idea of making a note sharp twice, with double meaning two. The symbol looks like two sharp signs or an X, so it tells the player to 'raise' the note by 'two half steps'.