How to Learn The Keys On The Piano

Learning the keys on the piano will greatly increase your ability play written music. The piano consists of 88 keys, with the exception of a few specialized pianos such as the Bosendorfer piano, which has 97 or 101 keys depending on the model. Even with modified pianos, the basic pattern to white and black keys stays the same, so you will be able to identify notes on any piano.

Step 1 Identify the difference between a white key and a black key on the piano. The white keys are natural keys that play the notes C through B. The musical scale consists of the notes A through G, when you reach G, you start again at A.

Step 2 Sets of two and three black keys help to identify pitch. Learn the difference between the double set of black keys and the triple set of black keys. Both sets represent sharps on the piano. The first double set of black keys represents C sharp on the left and D sharp on the right. The set of three black keys plays F sharp, G sharp and A sharp from left to right.

Step 3 Find middle C on the piano. It is the first white key to the left of the set of two black keys closest to the middle of the piano.

Step 4 Learn the rest of the white keys. The notes follow alphabetically from middle C: C, D, E, F, G, A and B represent the names of the seven white keys. They then repeat throughout the piano at different octaves.

• C will always be to the left of the set of two black keys. 
• F will always be to the left of the set of three black keys. 
• The black keys include the flat notes. 
• C sharp is the same note as D flat, D sharp is E flat, F sharp is G flat, G sharp is A flat, and A sharp is B flat.