

There's a term used to describe this and it's called enharmonics. But isn't this the same key? Why do they have different names, you might ask. On piano, this is the black key to the immediate left of D. The note which is one semitone lower than D is D flat. On piano, this is the black key to the immediate right of C. The note which is one semitone higher than C is C sharp. The distance between D and D Flat is also a semitone.

For example, the distance between C and C sharp is a semitone. It is the distance between two notes which are next to each other in pitch. A semitone is also called a half step or half tone and is the smallest interval in Western music. What does sharp and flat really mean? To help you understand this better let's talk for a moment about what is known as a semitone. Once you understand where all of the notes are located on a piano keyboard, you can start to focus on techniques.Įnjoy the experience and memorize the notes of the piano as quickly as you can to speed up your journey.Piano keyboard diagram, layout of keys and notes. Understanding basic piano notation is the first step to learning to play the piano.
#Piano keys notes portable#
Most portable keyboards will have 61 keys that are semi-weighted/velocity sensitive. This being said, there are only 12 different notes to memorize. A digital piano can vary from as little as 25 keys to 88. The circle of fifths is a deep subject that you won’t need to understand immediately. If you move to the left of the original note, you get D-flat, E-flat, G-flat, A-flat, B-flat. This means that the black keys would be: C#, D#, F# G# A#. Understanding the order of sharps flats will help with this. When you move to the right, you will be using sharps, and when you move to the left, you will be using flats. This is also how the circle of fifths is built. The five black keys names change depending on whether you are raising the note ( sharp) or lowering the note ( flat).Īnother way to look at this is if you are going to the right or to the left. While there is a more technical way to do this, let’s break this down in the most straightforward manner. You will often hear musicians refer to this is as “ middle C.” It is important to note that the starting note C is also located in the middle of the keyboard. While the notes reflect different key signatures, the easiest way to present the notes is as followed: There are a total of 12 piano notes. There are seven black notes and five white notes. How Many Different Piano Notes Are There? While the note structure will be the same between pianos and keyboards, the size of the keys can vary. These notes will be arranged in the same manner however, they might start on a different starting note. The structure of the notes themselves will always remain the same.įor example, you can see keyboards with 49 or 61 keys. The only thing that can change is that the keyboard may have fewer notes. It’s important to note that notes do not change from pianos to keyboards.
