PIANUMERO
Piano keys labeled
A piano looks like a sea of keys, but it is one pattern of 12 keys, 7 white and 5 black, repeated from one end to the other. Learn one octave and you know every key.
C4 to B5, every key named: C, C♯, D, D♯, E, F, F♯, G, G♯, A, A♯, B, then again.
One octave, labeled
| Letter | Do re mi | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| C | Do | white |
| C♯ / D♭ | Do♯ / Re♭ | black |
| D | Re | white |
| D♯ / E♭ | Re♯ / Mi♭ | black |
| E | Mi | white |
| F | Fa | white |
| F♯ / G♭ | Fa♯ / Sol♭ | black |
| G | Sol | white |
| G♯ / A♭ | Sol♯ / La♭ | black |
| A | La | white |
| A♯ / B♭ | La♯ / Si♭ | black |
| B | Si | white |
Each key is a half step (semitone) above the one before. Two half steps make a whole step: C to D, with C♯ in between. E–F and B–C are half steps with nothing in between, which is why there is no black key there.
How many keys?
| Keyboard | From and to | Keys |
|---|---|---|
| 88 keys (a piano) | A0 to C8 | 52 white, 36 black |
| 76 keys | usually E1 to G7 | 45 white, 31 black |
| 61 keys | usually C2 to C7 | 36 white, 25 black |
| 49 keys | usually C2 to C6 | 29 white, 20 black |
The names repeat in every octave; the number after the letter says which one (A0 is the lowest key of a piano, middle C is C4, C8 the highest). Most easy songs only need the octave or two around middle C.
Labels on Pianumero
On a song, the keyboard shows only the keys the song uses, each with its number; the song page also gives their letters and octaves. On the free piano, the computer-keyboard letters are shown on the keys. For the names in other languages, see do re mi or C D E; to read a song in letters, see piano letter notes.
Piano keys: questions
How many keys does a piano have?
A modern piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black, from A0 at the bottom to C8 at the top. Keyboards often have 76, 61 or 49 keys.
What are the black keys called?
Each black key has two names, from the white keys on either side: the one between C and D is C♯ (C sharp) or D♭ (D flat).
Why are the black keys in groups of two and three?
An octave has 12 keys, a half step apart: 7 white and 5 black. There is no black key between E and F or between B and C, because those white keys are already a half step apart; that gap splits the black keys into groups of two and three.
Should I put stickers on my piano keys?
Letter stickers can help at the start, if they peel off cleanly. Pianumero's numbers change from song to song, so they are shown on the screen, not stuck on the keys.
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.
Where is middle C?
Find middle C (C4) on any piano or keyboard, 88, 76, 61 or 49 keys, and why so many songs start around it.
Written by Loïc Berthod, who makes Pianumero.