When you have started learning keyboards, whether through piano online lessons, or by visiting a tutor on a regular basis, there can be a lot to take in at the beginning.
But at the very heart of learning the piano is knowing where the keys are in the first place.
To give you some help with this, here are a few tips and exercises to get you more familiar with the keys.
There are only 7 different white keys on a piano.
The white keys are simply named after the first seven letters of the alphabet - A B C D E F G.
They flow from left to right, and repeat themselves each time you reach G.
When you are sitting comfortably at your piano, in your ideal learning environment, try this simple exercise.
Say out loud the letters in order, from A to G.
Then, say them aloud again, this time in reverse G to A.
Repeat this over and over again.
You will see that the black keys are grouped in 2's, then 3's, along the keyboard.
The white key at the left of each group of 2 black keys is C.
Practice finding all the C's, and playing them, in random order.
Similarly, the white key to the left of each group of 3 black keys is F.
Practice finding all the F's, and playing these randomly.
You will see there are 2 sets of white keys with no black key between them.
These are B and C, then E and F.
You can remember these by using the saying, "Brown Cows Eat Faster".
Finally, work your way back from middle C, to A.
Now repeat the first exercise above, playing the keys at the same time as you say each letter aloud.
You should find that repeating the above exercises easily familiarizes yourself with the positioning of the white keys and supplements your formal piano online lessons or classes.
There are only 5 different black keys on a piano.
They are named from the white keys that they lie between.
Any black key has 2 possible names.
It is either a sharp or a flat.
The term sharp means "go up one step.
" The term flat means "go down one step.
" A memory tip for this is "a flat tire goes down.
" So.
if the black key lies between A and B, it's called A sharp or B flat.
If it lies between C and D, it's called C sharp or D flat.
Which term is used in a musical piece? It depends on which note has been changed.
If you played the notes F, G, A, B flat, C, it is B that has been changed, so this note is known as B flat.
If you play the 5 notes F, G, A sharp, B, C, it is the A that has changed, so this note is called A sharp.
Getting familiar with the notes is obviously key (no pun intended) to progressing through your course of piano online lessons, or tutor based classes.
But you will find that by following the tips and exercises above, you will shortly come to feel more confident each time you play.