Piano notes chart
The 12 notes are C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭, B, then they repeat. Find C just left of any two black keys. Press a key to hear it.
Press a key
How the keys are named
Only seven letters are used: C D E F G A B. After B the pattern starts again on C, one octave higher. The black keys come in groups of two (C♯/D♭ and D♯/E♭) and three (F♯/G♭, G♯/A♭, A♯/B♭).
A black key has two names because it sits between two white keys: raised from the left (sharp, ♯) or lowered from the right (flat, ♭). Which name you use depends on the key you’re in — see the scale explorer.
There’s no black key between E–F and B–C: those white keys are already a half step apart.
Reading sheet music? Each key also has a place on the staff: see the treble clef notes (right hand) and bass clef notes (left hand), each with a note-reading drill.
Quick quiz: find the note
Tap start, then press any key with the asked-for name. Black keys join after five in a row.
C in every octave
| Note | Frequency | Where |
|---|---|---|
| A0 | 27.50 Hz | lowest key on an 88-key piano |
| C1 | 32.70 Hz | |
| C2 | 65.41 Hz | |
| C3 | 130.81 Hz | |
| C4 | 261.63 Hz | middle C |
| C5 | 523.25 Hz | |
| C6 | 1046.50 Hz | |
| C7 | 2093.00 Hz | |
| C8 | 4186.01 Hz | highest key |
Concert A (A4) is tuned to 440 Hz, the international standard (ISO 16). Each octave up doubles the frequency.
Questions
What are the 12 piano notes?
C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭ and B. Seven are white keys (C D E F G A B) and five are black keys, each with a sharp and a flat name. After B the same 12 repeat an octave higher.
How do I memorize the piano keys fast?
Use the black-key groups as landmarks: C is just left of every group of two black keys and F is just left of every group of three. Find all the Cs, then all the Fs, then fill in the rest alphabetically. A minute or two a day with the find-the-note quiz on this page works better than one long session.
What is the easiest piano note to learn first?
Middle C. It is easy to find (left of the two black keys nearest the middle of the keyboard), most beginner books start there, and it sits between the treble and bass clefs on sheet music.
What are the names of the piano keys?
The white keys are named with the seven letters A B C D E F G, repeating up the keyboard. Each black key is named after its neighbours: the black key between C and D is C♯ (C sharp) or D♭ (D flat).
Where is middle C on a piano?
Middle C (C4) is the fourth C from the left on an 88-key piano, usually right under the brand name. It sits just left of the pair of black keys nearest the middle of the keyboard.
Why are there no black keys between E and F or B and C?
Because those pairs are already a half step apart. Everywhere else, two white keys are a whole step apart and the black key fills the half step between them.
What do the numbers after note names mean?
They show the octave, in scientific pitch notation. A piano runs from A0 to C8. Each octave number starts at C, so the B just below middle C is B3 and the C above is C5.