Notes of the Piano

Learn the Notes of the Piano Keyboard

In this lesson you will learn:

1. Notes of the white piano keys.
2. What the black piano keys do.
3. Sharps and flats on the piano keyboard.

Notes of the White Piano Keys

White piano keys are called naturals. They sound a natural note when pressed, as opposed to a sharp or flat.

There are seven naturals on the keyboard: C-D-E-F-G-A-B

After the B, the scale repeats itself on the next C. This means you only have to memorize seven notes!

Look at picture #1, and take note of the pattern. Observe:

• The alphabetical order, from left to right.
• There is no H note!* After G, the letters start back at A.
  
  * In Northern European countries, H signifies a B natural, while B signifies a B flat.

Try It: Find a C note on your keyboard. Identify the note of each white key until you reach the next C. Do this a few times, until you feel more comfortable with the keyboard layout.

Notes of the Black Piano Keys

Black piano keys are called accidentals. Accidentals are modified notes, named after the natural note they modify.

There are 5 black accidental keys on the piano keyboard, and you can identify them using C as your guide. Fortunately, the accidentals stand out visually, so it’s easy to identify them as notes. The tricky part is that each accidental key can be called by two different note names.

Here are the two accidentals, and how they modify notes:

• Sharp (#)
  A sharp makes a note slightly higher in pitch by a half step.
  On the keyboard, a note’s sharp is the black key directly to its right (See picture #2).
  
  Try It: Find a C note on your keyboard, and identify its sharp. *



• Flat (b)
  A flat makes a note a half step lower in pitch.
  On the keyboard, a note’s flat is the black key directly to its left.
  
  Try It: Find a D note and identify its flat on the keyboard. *

* Notice these two examples point to the same black key. This black key is called either a C# or a Db (depending on the song’s key signature), and the same principle applies for every accidental on the keyboard.

Memorize the Notes on the Piano Keyboard

Identify the white keys individually, and practice naming them until you can find each note without counting from C.

You don’t need to memorize each sharp and flat by name just yet, but remember how to identify them on the keyboard using the natural keys' names.

Let’s play already! You need to know which fingers touch which notes on the keyboard, so you can begin playing.