Learn the notes on piano: Get started with the basics of piano notation, learn the names of the various black and white notes on a piano and how to play them on the piano. If you are new to piano or keyboard playing, your first lesson will be to understand the layout of a Piano Keyboard.
Introduction
If you are a beginner student of the piano/keyboard and wish to play this instrument, you have to first learn how to play the notes on the piano keyboard.
Here, I will teach you all about the various notes on a Piano, and the layout of the Piano keyboard.
If you are a beginner and want to learn how to play the piano, the very first thing that you need to learn is to know the basic Piano Notes. This Keyboard tutorial will show you how to learn and remember the notes on a Piano or Keyboard.
Most beginners dread reading notes and would prefer to skip this step, but unfortunately, you cannot do that. You will need to learn to read the notes so that you can do more exercises and play more sounds.
And it might look difficult at first, but the fact is that learning to read the piano notes doesn’t have to be difficult at all.
Notes on Piano and Electronic Keyboards are the Same
Piano notes vs. Keyboard notes
One thing that you need to understand is that the piano notes and the electronic keyboard notes are arranged in the same way.
Though the touch and feel of the keys are different on the two instruments (since they may be made from different materials), the notes will be called by the same name on both instruments.
That’s why it’s not a big deal if you’re unable to afford a piano in the beginning. You can always learn on an electronic keyboard to begin with, and those skills can then later be used on the piano.
So, if you learn the notes of one instrument. It will help you to locate the notes on the other instrument as well.
Various Notes on the Piano Keyboard
If you closely observe the layout of the keys, you will notice that there are actually twelve different keys or piano notes – 7 white and 5 black keys.
The same set of keys is then repeated throughout the instrument, from the left to the extreme right.
Even within this group of 12 notes, the 7 white notes are the ones that are named, whereas the black notes are derived from the names of the white keys.
Recommended books on Piano (theory, technique, songs)
12 Different Notes – If you carefully observe the layout of the piano keys, you will notice that there are 12 different keys or notes – 7 white and 5 black keys. The same group of keys then keeps on repeating itself.
So to summarize, the notes on a Piano/Keyboard notes are named as follows.
- The 7 white keys are identified as C, D, E, F, G, A, B
- The 5 black keys derive their names from the white keys, depending on whether the black key is to the left or right of the white key.
You need to be aware of this repeating pattern if you want to learn piano notes quickly. This is because at first look it seems the piano has numerous notes that need to be learned but the fact is it is just a handful of notes that gets repeated.
Examples – Piano Keyboard Layout/Learning
A black key to the right of C would be called as C# or C Sharp. “Sharp” means it is to the right of the white key.
A black key to the left of E would be called as Eb or E Flat. “Flat” means it is to the left of the white key.
Recently got a keyboard/piano? Get a helping hand using key stickers. These help you identify the various notes easily, and play songs quickly. A great aid in the first few months of lessons.
Read: Piano Keyboard key stickers
Now that you have an idea about the notes on a piano/keyboard, you can take it a step further and learn how these notes are written as music notation (the various marks and symbols that you see on sheet music and music books).
Related: How the piano notes are written as music notation on the grand staff.
Using Mnemonics to Easily Remember the Piano Notes
Using Mnemonics is an effective way to remember, and learn to play the notes of the piano.
You need to learn the notes on not just the Treble Clef, but also on the Bass Clef.
Each clef has five lines and four spaces, and between those two clefs you have the Middle C.
Here’s an easy way to remember the notes on the five lines and four spaces of both the Clefs (beginning bottom to top).
Use Mnemonics as follows:
Treble Clef
- The notes on the five lines of the treble clef in ascending order are E, G, B, D, F or Every Good Boy Does Fine
- The notes on the four spaces of the treble clef in ascending order are F, A, C, E or Face
Bass Clef
- The notes on the fives lines of the bass clef in ascending order are G, B, D, F, A or Good Boys Do Fine Always
- The notes on the four spaces of the bass clef in ascending order are A, C, E, G or All Cows Eat Grass
And always try look at the staff notes from bottom to top!
What are Accidentals?
What about the black keys? How do you identify them?
The black keys are identified by placing symbols called “accidentals” next to the name of the note.
For instance, the black key to the right of G would be called as G# or G Sharp. “Sharp” indicates it is to the right of the white key. A black key to the left of B would be called as Bb or B Flat. “Flat” indicates it is to the left of the white key.
You can read more on accidentals here, denoted by the symbols “#” and “b”.
What are Octaves?
The distance from one note to the same note, above or below it, is known as an Octave; this is true for any of the 12 notes. For instance the distance from the note “C” to the next “C” is one Octave.
You need to be aware that the various notes are basically sound waves having different frequencies and certain notes sound similar when their frequencies are in multiples of each other. Notes on a piano that are octaves apart have this property, and that is the reason the set of notes which we discussed above, keeps on repeating itself.
One C-to-C octave includes one set of 7 white notes and 5 black keys, so you may also call this set of notes as one octave. This will help you to know what size a keyboard is, since they come in various sizes. An octave has twelve notes, so a 61 keys keyboard will have 5 octaves (actually it has one more key but you can ignore that) and that is why it is also referred to as a 5-Octave keyboard. A Piano on the other hand has 7 and half octaves.
Notation in other Geographical Regions
Traditionally the seven music notes have always been named using alphabets but some regions do have their own ways of naming these seven notes. A few examples have been listed here.
European Style – Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si
Indian Style – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni
As you can see there are still seven basic notes, irrespective of whatever style it is. The European style, also known as Solfege is used mostly for sight-singing.
The Indian style of denoting the notes on piano is used for both singing as well as for playing musical instruments.
Piano Chart: Layout For Quick Reference
Here is a handy chart which will help you get a bigger picture of how the notes are arranged on a piano. The image below will show you how the keys on a Piano keep on repeating as a pattern across the keyboard (this is an important concept to remember if you want to learn to play quickly).
Meanwhile, you can even get hold of a handy reference chart for beginning students that shows the note names and the note positions on the treble and bass clefs clearly, and easily fits behind the 88 keys of any piano.
This keyboard chart will also show you how the keys on the keyboard correspond to the notes on a music sheet.
This piano chart shows notes on either side of the Middle C. It Shows both Bass and the Treble Clefs
Besides, the piano keyboard chart above shows only the names of the notes, which correspond to the white keys. Black keys are depicted by accidentals in written music, which will be covered in the advanced topics.
Another thing worth mentioning is that these notes are mentioned in the standard notation format. Certain European and Asian countries have a different way of naming the notes on a keyboard, though the basic concept still remains the same.
Practice makes Perfect
Learning to play the notes of written music can be daunting initially, especially to a beginner. It is also because of the fact that students do not try to visualize the relationship between the written notes and the keys on the piano / keyboard.
If you ever tried taking piano lessons and got frustrated with your progress, may be the style of piano teaching didn’t suit you. The piano lessons and the style of teaching should be as uncomplicated as possible. The piano lessons should give you a feeling that things are easier to learn and you should feel that you are making some real progress.
The piano keyboard chart displayed here will help you to make that visualization between the notes and the keys. Hopefully you should find it easy to play the written piano notes with the help of this chart. You can even choose to get yourself a handy reference chart that will easily fit behind the 88 keys of your piano.
There are a lot of students, taking piano lessons, who get frustrated with their progress. One reason for that could be because the style of teaching doesn’t suit them. It’s important that the piano lessons be as uncomplicated as possible. The piano lessons software or books should give you a feeling that things are easier to learn and you should feel that you are making some real progress.
If you are looking for some good books to get started, here are some excellent choices.
Also read:
Learn to Play Keyboard
Want to get started quickly on the keyboards or the piano, here’s an excellent course to play keyboard. It’s my number one recommendation on this web site.
Octave
So what is an octave? In musical terms, it purely means the distance from one note to the same note which comes immediately higher or lower. Basically from a C to the next C that comes lower or higher. It doesn’t have to be C, it can be any note.
To put it in a slightly technical or scientific term, an octave is defined as the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. And between these two notes, you have the 12 semitones that make up an octave.
Coming to the number of keys, all the Pianos have 88 keys. Keyboards on the other hand can contain lesser number of keys; you get either 61 keys or 76 keys. One group of 7 white notes and 5 black keys is known as one octave and the same set of notes gets repeated in the other octaves. So a 61 keys keyboard can also be referred to as a 5-Octave keyboard (the one extra key is ignored). A Piano on the other hand would have 7 and half octaves.
Song Notes on LCD Display
Most of the digital piano keyboard nowadays displays the piano keyboard notes of the built-in songs on the LCD display. So if you know the piano keyboard layout, you can understand what notes are to be played. With a few lessons under your belt, you should be able to play the built-in songs by yourself.
Useful Links
Unable to visit a piano teacher for private piano lessons? Here you’ll find several resources and piano books that will help you get started.
- Learn Music theory to build a sold musical base
- Piano-keyboard key stickers
- Learn to play piano chords
- Piano books for various ages and skills
- keyboard lessons vs piano lessons
- Top piano learning software
- Piano keyboard buying guide
Final Thoughts
I have tried to give you a brief overview of the layout/notes on a piano keyboard. Remember that there are seven basic notes, and the five black notes are their accidentals (derived from the names of the white keys). These 12 notes get repeated across the various octaves. Remember that the most widely used piano keyboards come in 61 keys (5 octaves), 76 keys (6 and half octaves) and 88 keys (7 and half octaves).
Basic understanding of fingering as well as the ability to recognise these notes in printed music forms the first steps in learning to play the piano. I hope this understanding of piano keyboard layout/notes encourages you to take the next step towards learning the Piano.
Learning to recognize and play the piano notes forms the basis of understanding music. It not only allows you to play the piano, you can also use that knowledge to play other instruments as well. Besides, it’s a language in which musicians can communicate with each other. And that is one of the primary reasons that you need to acquire this skill, to be able to read the notes on sheet music.
Learning to recognize the seven white notes and the five black notes on a piano keyboard is not that difficult. Once you know what they are called, you won’t forget their names. The next step for you is to use the correct fingering. You need to learn how to play the various keyboard/piano notes with the correct fingers, a fundamental step in piano technique. And just knowing the notes is half the job. You should also be able to recognize the piano keyboard notes in written form. And if you are going to use a piano learning software, ensure you go with the one that is more interactive. Good piano learning software and books structure the lessons in such a way, that you see some real progress and also sound well while playing them. Correct fingering, along with the ability to read the piano notes from sheet music forms the basics of piano learning.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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