88 keys looks like a lot. The good news: it’s one small pattern repeated seven-and-a-bit times. Learn the pattern and you know the whole keyboard. Keep the online piano open in another tab and try each step as you read.
The 12-key pattern
Look at the black keys. They come in groups of two and groups of three, alternating all the way up. Those groups are your landmarks. Every pattern of 2 + 3 black keys, plus the white keys around them, makes 12 keys in total: 7 white and 5 black. That’s one octave.
A full piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black, from A0 at the bottom to C8 at the top.
The white keys: A to G
Music uses just seven letter names: A B C D E F G, then it starts again.
- C is the white key just to the left of every group of two black keys.
- F is the white key just to the left of every group of three black keys.
Find all the Cs and all the Fs on the online piano. Then fill in the rest: C D E going up across the two black keys, F G A B across the three.
The black keys: sharps and flats
A black key is named after its white neighbours. The one just above C is C♯ (C sharp); it’s also D♭ (D flat), because it sits just below D. Same key, two names — which name is used depends on the key of the music.
Sharp (♯) means one key higher. Flat (♭) means one key lower. The distance from any key to the very next key, black or white, is a semitone (half step). Two semitones make a tone (whole step).
Two white-key pairs have no black key between them: E–F and B–C. They’re already a semitone apart.
Octave numbers and middle C
Notes repeat, so we add a number to say which one. Numbers go up at each C: the C in the middle of the keyboard is C4, called middle C. The B just below it is B3; the D just above it is D4. The A above middle C, A4, vibrates at 440 Hz and is the note orchestras tune to.
On the Play Piano Live keyboard, every C is labelled (C3, C4, C5…) and middle C is the Q key on your computer keyboard.
Exercises
- C hunt: play every C from bottom to top. Say the octave number out loud.
- Landmarks: play every F, then every B (just left of each C).
- Name game: play a random white key, then name it using the nearest black-key group.
- Black-key names: play C♯, E♭, F♯, A♭ and B♭, saying both names of each.
- Middle C anchor: right thumb on middle C, play C D E F G. Left thumb on middle C, play C B A G F going down.
What next?
You know the map — now learn the first shapes: piano chords for beginners and piano scales for beginners. Or follow the full 30-day plan.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there only seven letter names?
Western music divides the octave into 12 semitones, but the most-used scale (the major scale) uses seven of them. The letters name those seven; sharps and flats name the others.
Is middle C exactly in the middle?
Nearly. On an 88-key piano it’s the fourth C from the bottom, slightly left of centre.
How many octaves does a piano have?
Just over seven: seven full octaves plus three extra keys (A0, B♭0, B0 at the bottom and C8 at the top).
Try it now: everything in this guide works in the free free practice mode. For lessons, backing tracks and transcriptions, subscribe to GrooveForte on YouTube.