PIANUMERO
Where is middle C?
Middle C is the C nearest the middle of the keyboard, called C4. It is the landmark most beginners start from, and most easy songs stay close to it. Here is how to find it on any piano or keyboard.
From C3 to C6 there are four Cs: middle C (C4) is the second one from the left.
Find it in three steps
- Look at the black keys: they come in groups of two and three.
- Every C is the white key just left of a group of two.
- Middle C is the C closest to the middle of the keyboard; on a piano, it is often right under the maker's name.
On your keyboard
| Keyboard | Middle C |
|---|---|
| 88 keys (a piano) | the 4th C from the left |
| 76 keys | usually the 3rd C |
| 61 keys | the 3rd C |
| 49 keys | the 3rd C, in the middle |
Keyboards of the same size don't all start on the same key, so count the Cs from the left and check that yours is near the middle. How many white and black keys each size has: piano keys labeled.
Why it matters
Middle C is where the two hands meet: in sheet music it is written between the treble staff (right hand) and the bass staff (left hand), and many beginner books start with both thumbs on it. Its pitch is about 261.6 Hz.
Middle C on Pianumero
Every song page says where its key 1 is, from middle C: Find key 1: C4 (middle C), or E4 (above middle C). Mary Had a Little Lamb has its key 1 on middle C; Ode to Joy uses the G just below it. The songs stay between the G below middle C and the G two octaves above, for the right hand alone.
Middle C: questions
Why do some keyboards call middle C C3?
In the most common naming, middle C is C4 (MIDI note 60). Some keyboards and music software call it C3, and French-speaking countries often say do 3: it is the same key.
Where is middle C on a 61-key keyboard?
On most 61-key keyboards, which run from C to C, middle C is the third C from the left, a little left of centre. On a full 88-key piano it is the fourth C.
What is the frequency of middle C?
About 261.6 Hz with the standard tuning, where the A above it (A4) is 440 Hz.
Why is it called middle C?
Because it sits near the middle of the piano's keyboard, and in sheet music it is written between the treble and bass staves, on its own short line.
More guides
How piano numbers work
What 1 means, why key numbers are not finger numbers, what numbers teach and what they don't, and how to move on to letters.
Do Re Mi or C D E?
The same seven white keys have different names around the world: letters, do re mi, the German H, and where they come from.
Falling notes
The next step after numbers: each note falls onto its key, and its length shows how long to hold it. Free on every song.
Piano letter notes
How to read a song written in letters (E E F G…): the seven letters, sharps and flats, which octave, and what letters leave out.
Piano keys labeled
Every key named: the white and black keys of one octave, how many keys each keyboard has, and how the pattern repeats.
Written by Loïc Berthod, who makes Pianumero.