How to Read Keyboard Notes
The keyboard is arranged in a repeating pattern of notes that cover multiple octaves. This can seem quite intimidating, but the note locations are quite easy to remember once learned. The keyboard is based around the middle C note, which is also the note located on the line just below the treble staff and just above the bass staff. Starting with the location of this key, finding the location of any other note is quite straightforward.
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Instructions
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Look for the group of two black keys together closest to the center of the keyboard. The white key just to the left of the first black key in the two group is the middle C note. This key should have a white key on its left and the leftmost black key of the group of two to its right.
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Go to the right of the middle C key going through the alphabet for each white key. Ignore the black keys for now. When you get to G, go back to A. Keep repeating A-G for the rest of the white keys.
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Go to the left of the middle C key going backward through the alphabet for each white key. When you get to A, loop back to G and keep repeating.
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For each black key, look at the note of the white key to its right and add "Flat" to it. If the white key to the right of the black key was B, then the black key is B Flat (Bb).
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For each black key, look at the note of the white key to its left and add "Sharp" to it. If the white key to the left of the black key was A, then the black key is A Sharp (A#).
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Tips & Warnings
The keyboard pattern is repetitive, so no matter where you are located on the keyboard, the note, for example, between the group of two black keys will always be D. The only difference is what octave that note is in, with the further left on the keyboard being the lower octave. The black keys each have two names, one sharp and one flat name. For example, A Sharp (A#) and B Flat (Bb) are played by the same key.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/people/midiman/
