What Are the Keys on a Musical Keyboard?

A musical keyboard is the part of any keyboard instrument, including pianos, electronic keyboards, organs, harpsichords and clavichords. It is divided up into separate keys, each of which produces a distinct tone. The keys are arranged in a very specific order and are divided into sections to make playing easier and more organized.

Features

A musical keyboard is made up of 12 distinct notes: C, C# (or Db), D, D# (or Eb), E, F, F# (Gb), G, G# (Ab), A, A# (Bb) and B. These notes are repeated every octave, or every eight tones.

Middle C

"Middle C" is the term given to the fourth C from the bottom of the keyboard. Piano students are typically introduced to this note first.

Identification

The notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B are called "natural" or "white" notes, since they are colored white on most pianos and keyboards. The other five notes (C#/Db, D#/Eb, F#/Gb, G#/Ab, A#/Bb) are referred to as "sharps," "flats" or "black" notes, and are generally colored black in order to distinguish them from the naturals. For example, the black note directly above Middle C is known as "C-sharp" or "D-flat."

Clefs

Notes above Middle C have higher pitches and make up the treble clef. Notes below Middle C sound lower and are part of the bass clef.

Size

Most modern pianos have 88 keys. Electronic keyboards can have 61, 76 or 88 keys, with the price of the keyboard rising along with the number of keys.

Fun Fact

Early keyboard instruments, like the clavichord, had as few as 20 keys. The Bösendorfer 290 Imperial piano has a mind-blowing 97 keys and is 9 feet, 6 inches long. Composers, including Béla Bartók and Claude Debussy, have written pieces especially for this giant piano.

Resources

• History of the Keyboard by PianoWorld