Piano keyboard layout
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 forward; going down (to the left) they go backward. 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 neighbor:
- 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 practice
- 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. |