8/14/2019 PL 1 Note Names

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Piano Lession #1: Note Names

The musical alphabet is only seven letters long: A through G.

Each white key is assigned a letter name, and the short pattern repeats all the way up the keyboard. For nowconsider the black keys only to help you identify the names of the white keys.

The black keys are spaced in alternate groups of two and three. As the pattern repeats, so do the names ofthe white keys, as you can see in the diagram at the top.

A full-sized keyboard will have one black key at the low end, like this:

This is done so the first key is the beginning of the alphabet. It just starts the pattern of black keys at the endof a group of three.

Spend as much time as you need to on memorizing the names of the white keys before you go on to the next

lesson. One helpful tip is to remember that the D is always in the middle of the Double black keys. Somegood exercises/tests to make sure youve got this down:

- Start at one end of the keyboard and play all of one note name in order. Start at the low end, for example,and play all of the Es. Repeat with a different note.

- Have someone who is familiar with a keyboard play random notes and see how quickly and accurately youcan name them.

- Print out a page of blank keyboards and write names on all of the notes in a random order, then see if youralphabet is correct from left to right.

A AB B CCC D D

A B C D

DE E EF FG G