As you look at the layout of a piano you will notice that the black keys are grouped in 2’s and 3’s. There are only 5 different black keys on a piano.

The white keys on the piano are named after the first 7 letters of the alphabet – A to G. There are only 7 different white keys on a piano.

A is the very first key on a standard piano; B is the second key, C is the third and so on. But how are the black keys named?

The black keys are named from the white keys that they lie between.

Any black key has 2 possible names. It is either called a sharp or a flat.

The black key that lies between A and B can be called A sharp or B flat.

The black key that lies between C and D can be called C sharp or D flat.

The term sharp in music means “go up a half step or semitone.”

The term flat in music means “go down a half step or semitione.”

Quick tip – a FLAT tyre has gone DOWN!

Which term is used in a piece of music? It depends on which note has been changed. If you play the 5 notes F, G, A, B flat, C; it is the B that has been changed to a black key, so it is called B flat.

If you play the 5 notes F, G, A sharp, B, C; it is the A that has been changed to a black key, so it is called A sharp.

http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/piano-lessons-for-beginners-what-are-the-black-keys-on-a-piano-called-1628274.html

beginner piano lessons

Filed under: Piano by Phil Bell
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