Piano keys labeled: every note on the keyboard
A standard piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black. They run from A0 at the left to C8 at the right. The white keys are named A to G in a repeating pattern, and the black keys are named as sharps or flats of their neighbors. Middle C (C4) is the fortieth key.
The piano keyboard looks complicated, but it follows one short pattern that repeats. Learn that pattern once and you can name any key without labels. This page shows the names of every key, how the black keys are grouped, and how to find any note from the black key landmarks.
How many keys does a piano have?
A full-size piano has 88 keys. Of these, 52 are white and 36 are black. The lowest key is A0 and the highest is C8. That is a range of a little more than seven octaves. Some digital pianos and keyboards have fewer keys, such as 76, 61 or 49, but the pattern of white and black keys and the names are the same.
What are the names of the white keys?
The white keys use the seven letters A to G, in order, again and again. After G comes A, one octave higher. Going left on the keyboard the notes go lower, and going right they go higher. The note names in one repeating group, starting at C, are C, D, E, F, G, A, B. To tell apart the same letter in different octaves, each name gets a number, so the C near the middle is C4 and the next C up is C5.
What are the names of the black keys?
Each black key sits between two white keys, and can be named from either of them. It is the sharp of the white key to its left, or the flat of the white key to its right. The black key between C and D is C♯ or D♭. That double naming is the idea of enharmonic notes. The five black keys in each octave are C♯/D♭, D♯/E♭, F♯/G♭, G♯/A♭ and A♯/B♭. For more, see sharps and flats.
| Black key | Sharp name | Flat name |
|---|---|---|
| Between C and D | C♯ | D♭ |
| Between D and E | D♯ | E♭ |
| Between F and G | F♯ | G♭ |
| Between G and A | G♯ | A♭ |
| Between A and B | A♯ | B♭ |
How do the black key groups help me find notes?
The black keys come in alternating groups of two and three. This is your map. C is always the white key just to the left of a group of two black keys. D is the white key between the two black keys of that group. E is just to the right of the group of two. F is just to the left of a group of three. G, A and B are the white keys within and after the group of three: G is between the first and second black keys, A between the second and third, and B just to the right.
- Find a group of two black keys.
- The white key to the left of the two is C.
- Name the next white keys in order: D, E, F, G, A, B.
- The next C starts the next group of two black keys.
Which keys have no black key between them?
Two pairs of white keys sit side by side with no black key between them: E and F, and B and C. These are the places where the distance between the notes is only a half step. Everywhere else, two white keys have a black key between them, and the distance is a whole step. This uneven spacing is why the major scale needs sharps or flats in most keys.
What is the lowest and highest key, and where is middle C?
The lowest note is A0 (27.5 Hz) and the highest is C8 (about 4186 Hz). Middle C is C4, the fortieth key from the left, near the center. The A above it, A4, is the note usually used for tuning, set to 440 Hz. The piano has seven full octaves from C1 to B7, with three extra keys (A0, A♯0 and B0) at the low end and one extra key (C8) at the top.
Memory trick: Every C is next to a group of two black keys. Learn to find C first and you will never be lost on the keyboard.
How do the keys match the notes on the staff?
Each key matches one position on the staff, and the sharps and flats are written with a sign before the note. The page on piano notes shows how the keys line up with the lines and spaces of the grand staff. The page on half steps and whole steps explains the distances between the keys.
Check yourself
1. How many keys does a standard piano have?
Answer: 88. A standard piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black.
2. Which white key is C?
Answer: Just left of a group of two black keys. C is the white key just to the left of the two black keys.
3. What are the lowest and highest piano keys?
Answer: A0 and C8. A piano runs from A0 up to C8.
4. Which pair of white keys has no black key between them?
Answer: E and F. E and F, and B and C, are neighbors with no black key.
5. What is another name for the black key between F and G?
Answer: F♯ or G♭. The black key between F and G is the sharp of F and the flat of G.