Keyboard Notes

Learning keyboard notes is not absolutely essential for songwriting or even music theory. But it makes both much easier. And learning where notes are on a keyboard takes minutes. So why not memorize them?

If you know the place of only one note on the keyboard, the rest will be obvious.

This is what a keyboard looks like:

You can probably see a pattern here. There are several white keys next to each other and there are pairs and threes of back notes between them.

White Keys

Find a pair of black notes. C is always the white note to the left of the two:

All the notes on the keyboard which are to the left from the pairs of black notes are called C, only the pitch changes. The C's on the left side of the keyboard are lower than the ones on the right.

As you probably know, in music we identify notes by names: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Since they are in alphabetical order, it couldn't be easier to remember them. It's just that easy on the keyboard too. If you know where C is, you can identify the other notes. To the right of C there is the next white key D, the next white key is E and so on:

If I tell you to play Middle C, which note are you going to play? It's called "Middle C" for a reason, it's the C almost in the middle of the keyboard.

Black Keys

So if C, D, E, F, G, A, B are the names of the white notes, what's left for the black ones?

The shortest interval between two notes is called a semi-tone. Each key on the piano is a semi-tone away from the next. So for example, the black key to the right from C is a C# (C sharp). It means that it's a semi-tone higher than C. Therefore the black keys are called (from left to right): C#, D#, F#, G#, A#.

There is a semi-tone difference between E-F and B-C so there is no black key between them.

You can also approach these keyboard notes from another angle and instead of C# you could call the same black key a D♭ (D flat). It means that it's a semi-tone below D. If you look at a keyboard, you'll realize that C# and D♭ are identical.

If you'd like to master music theory in even more detail, I recommend Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory. It's an awesome self-study course. There are even ear training CDs included. You can practice music theory with music writing and reading exercises and tests. Answers are also included so you can really do it all without the help of a teacher.

If you'd like to learn to play the piano, you've made the first step by learning what keyboard notes are called. The next step is to find a systematic course that will take you from complete beginner to quite an advanced level. The best one I've found is called Learn and Master Piano. Will Barrow (a Grammy-winner pianist) is the instructor and he has a really clear, down-to-earth teaching style. Highly recommended!

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