Finding Treble Clef Notes on the Piano
Review: Treble Clef
It is recommended that you complete the lesson on
The Treble Clef before reading this lesson.
That lesson is found on the
Writing Music page where you will find most of the lessons on writing and reading music.
Finding C
Notice that the black keys are grouped in groups of two black keys and three black keys.
C is the white key that is directly to the left of the two black keys.
A full sized piano with 88 keys will have 8 C's in different octaves.
The White Keys
As you play the white keys moving right from C you will go up the musical alphabet: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, etc.
As you play the white keys moving left from C you will go down the musical alphabet.
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
The Black Keys
The black keys make it possible to play notes with accidentals.
A flat (♭) will move the note one key left and a sharp (♯) will move it one key right.
In most cases that will move you to a black key, but in two places there are white keys without a black key in between.
These occur at B to C and E to F. In those locations an accidental can move you to another white key.
For instance, a C-flat is the same key as a B and an E-sharp is the same key as an F.
Double sharps (𝄪) and double flats (𝄫) move the note two keys right or left.
So an F-double-sharp will be the same key as a G and a C-double-flat is the same key as a B-flat.
When two different pitch names describe the same piano key, they are said to be enharmonic.
Finding Middle C
Middle C (C4) is located one ledger line down from the bottom of the treble clef.
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Middle C is the C that is nearest to the middle of the piano keyboard on a full sized (88 key) keyboard.
It is the 4th C up from the bottom of a full sized (88 keys) keyboard.
On smaller keyboards it is usually (but not always) the C that is closest to the middle.
The C located on the 2nd space from the top of the staff (C5) is the next C to the right on the keyboard.
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