Piano keyboard layout
The piano's black keys come in groups of two and three, and they are the map for every white key: C is just left of a group of two, D between them, E just right; F is just left of a group of three, then G, A and B. The same pattern repeats in every octave.
The black keys come in groups of two and three, all the way along the keyboard, and they are the map for every other key. C is the white key just left of a group of two; D sits between the two; E is just right of them. F is just left of a group of three; G and A sit between them; B is just right. The same twelve-key pattern repeats in every octave.
The twelve keys of an octave
| Note | Where it is |
|---|---|
| C | Just left of a group of two black keys |
| C♯ / D♭ | The first of the two black keys |
| D | Between the two black keys |
| D♯ / E♭ | The second of the two black keys |
| E | Just right of the two black keys |
| F | Just left of a group of three black keys |
| F♯ / G♭ | The first of the three black keys |
| G | Between the first and second of the three |
| G♯ / A♭ | The second of the three black keys |
| A | Between the second and third of the three |
| A♯ / B♭ | The last of the three black keys |
| B | Just right of the three black keys |
After B comes the next C, and the pattern starts again. From one C to the next is an octave: eight white keys counting both Cs, twelve keys in all.
White keys: seven letters
The white keys are named with the first seven letters of the alphabet, A B C D E F G, over and over. Going up (to the right) the letters go forwards; going down (to the left) they go backwards. After G comes A again.
Two pairs of white keys have no black key between them: E and F, and B and C. Those gaps are what split the black keys into twos and threes.
Black keys: sharps and flats
Each black key takes its name from a white neighbour:
- Sharp (♯) means one key higher. The black key just right of C is C sharp.
- Flat (♭) means one key lower. The same black key, just left of D, is D flat.
So every black key has two names. Which one the music uses depends on the key the piece is in. (A sharp or flat can also land on a white key: E sharp is the key F, for example. That comes later.)
Middle C and the octaves
Middle C is the C nearest the middle of the keyboard, the fourth C from the bottom of an 88-key piano. In the usual naming, each octave is numbered from its C: middle C is C4, the C above it C5, the C below it C3. So the A above middle C is A4, and the G below middle C is G3.
How big is a keyboard?
| Keys | Range | Enough for |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | A0 to C8 | Everything written for piano |
| 76 | Usually E1 to G7 | Almost all beginner and intermediate music |
| 61 | Usually C2 to C7 | Most beginner music, and the whole of Octotune's reading path |
| 49 | Usually C2 to C6 | The notes of Octotune's reading path, just |
Common mistakes
- Counting white keys from the end to find a note. Use the black-key groups; it is faster and works in the middle of the keyboard.
- Mixing up C and F. C is left of the two, F left of the three.
- Looking for a black key between E and F, or B and C. There isn't one.
- Playing the right letter in the wrong octave. Every letter appears seven or eight times. Check which one the music means.
How to practise
- Play all the twos, bottom to top, with a flat hand. Then all the threes.
- Find every C, then every F, with your eyes closed, by feeling for the groups.
- Walk the white keys from C to C saying the letters, then back down.
- Name black keys both ways: C sharp or D flat, F sharp or G flat.
How Octotune helps
The first stop of Octotune's adult path, in Unit 1, is a keyboard card: the black-key groups, three Cs to find in different places, middle C and the finger numbers. In Kids mode the same ideas are games: "twos and threes", and finding every C just before the "bunny ears". Open Octotune.
Next: Finger numbers.
Questions
How do you find C on a piano?
Look for a group of two black keys. The white key just to its left is C. Every C on the keyboard sits in that place.
Why are the black keys in groups of two and three?
Because the white keys are the seven notes of C major, and there is a black key between each pair of white keys a whole step apart, but none between E and F or between B and C. That leaves gaps that split the black keys into twos and threes.
How many keys does a piano have?
A full piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black, from A0 at the bottom to C8 at the top.
What are the black keys called?
Each black key has two names: a sharp of the white key below it or a flat of the white key above. The black key between C and D is C sharp or D flat.
Every key, from the black-key groups
| Note | Where it is |
|---|---|
| C | Just left of a group of two black keys. |
| C♯ / D♭ | The first of a group of two black keys. |
| D | Between the two black keys. |
| D♯ / E♭ | The second of a group of two black keys. |
| E | Just right of a group of two black keys. |
| F | Just left of a group of three black keys. |
| F♯ / G♭ | The first of a group of three black keys. |
| G | Between the first and second of the three black keys. |
| G♯ / A♭ | The second of a group of three black keys. |
| A | Between the second and third of the three black keys. |
| A♯ / B♭ | The last of a group of three black keys. |
| B | Just right of a group of three black keys. |