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Rule
Gradus GE-017 · cite this code — it is permanent. Rule id anachronistic-natural-before-opposite-accidental
Older editions habitually insert a natural before an accidental of the opposite type even with nothing to cancel, purely for emphasis. Modern convention omits this as clutter.
A note with no prior accidental history for that letter/octave is authored with a natural-then-flat pair when a plain flat alone suffices.
Gould, explicit modern-practice guidance against unnecessary cautionary naturals; Read notes the older practice as a historical curiosity; Ross does not recommend it.
AGREEMENT this is an anti-pattern; RECOMMEND flagging/removing for Gradus, which teaches modern reading conventions.
Our own judgement, not a sourced convention — shown separately so the two are never confused.
This rule can be decided from pitches, durations and voices — no layout required. A validator can check it before anything is drawn.
Gradus GE-017 — Do not precede a sharp/flat with a redundant natural in modern notation (older-practice anti-pattern). Gradus Engraving Rulebook v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/engraving/rule/anachronistic-natural-before-opposite-accidental
Rulebook v1.0 · text licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/engraving/rules/anachronistic-natural-before-opposite-accidental