THE 12 NOTES ON A PIANO

Have you ever noticed the black keys on a keyboard or a piano? They follow a pattern...

2Black-3Black-2Black-3Black...and between these black keys are your white keys.

We already know that there are 12 notes that are used to compose any type of "western" music.

The keys on the piano have been assigned names for these 12 notes.

Look at the picture below and try to memorize the names of the keys. However many keys the piano has, it will only have these 12 notes. Try and memorize the names of the keys...

If you start on any note and count out 12 notes in any direction, you will come back to the same note - only the note will be one "octave" lower or higher.

For example, in the picture above, there are 12 notes from C-to-C. Once you hit the next C, you begin another octave.

When you are ascending (playing up) the keyboard or fretboard you will use a # to denote that. If you are descending (going down) the fretboard or keyboard, you will use the b symbol to denote that. And therefore...

A# is the same as Bb

C# is the same as Db

D# is the same as Eb

F# is the same as Gb

G# is the same as Ab

In the next chapter we'll learn the names of the 12 notes on a guitar!