Cant follow the sheet music to gentle breezes dennis alexander

[oceanobsession]

 Hi folks ,  this piece of music is in d minor  ,  harmonic minor   apparently you raise the seventh note  from c
to c sharp , im confused    how do you read the sheet music    the first six bars  have b sharp and c sharp
cheers phil.

[keypeg]

Hi folks ,  this piece of music is in d minor  ,  harmonic minor   apparently you raise the seventh note  from c
to c sharp , im confused    how do you read the sheet music    the first six bars  have b sharp and c sharp
cheers phil.

A piece is in a  major key or a minor key.  You may know about relative majors and minors now, for key signatures.    The key of D minor shares the key signature of F major - It's like starting F major on D instead of F.

F major - F G A Bb C D E F
D minor - D E F G A Bb C D

The notes I wrote out for D minor would give you a D natural minor scale.

As you noticed, a piece in D minor doesn't always use the natural minor scale.  You can also get a harmonic minor scale, or a melodic minor scale.  The piece is simply "in D minor" - not in a particular minor scale.

For the harmonic minor scale, the 7th note is raised by a semitone.  That means it's played a half step higher than the note in the key signature --- half a note higher means going to the adjacent key to the right.   So:
D natural minor - D E F G A Bb C D
D harmonic minor - D E F G A Bb C# D

"How" to play it?  You simply play the desired note C# by pressing that key. (not sure I understood the question).

We also have the melodic minor scale, where you again raise the 7th note (to C#), but you also raise the 6th note.  The 6th note is Bb.  If you go up a semitone (move to the adjacent key to the right of your black key) you get B natural. (B)  In your score you will see natural signs, which "cancel" the flat.

D natural minor - D E F G A Bb C D
D natural minor - D E F G A B C# D

This is probably where you got confused about how to play the actual notes.  You thought you had a B#.  You don't.  But if you did, you would simply move to the right of B and you'd get another white note, C.  Essentially on the piano, B# "is" C.  But for D harmonic minor, you have a simple B (natural).

==============
I noticed in an earlier key you referred to "black keys" for the keys that have accidentals.  I've never liked that name though it's used. 
* A sharp means to move a semitone up (to the adjacent key to the right)
* A flat means to move a semitone down (to the adjacent key to the left)

There are two places on the piano where the two adjacent keys are both white so the black-white-black-white pattern is broken, the the adjacent key will also be white.  Thus you get:

Fb = E
E# = F
Cb = B
B# = C

Try it.  For Fb, play F, and then go to the left for semitone lower, and you'll notice the key you usually call E.  Do that for all four.

[oceanobsession]

Thanks very much for your help and advice  ,   i have managed to work out the correct notes  ,  with your help so thanks , i think i understand what you are saying about sharp and flat  and 2 white keys next to each other  as you say a semitone lower ,  thanks for your detailed explanation phil.

[keypeg]

Glad it helped!