Equivalence

This word means that two or more things are more similar than they are different, to the point that in the context of the piano keyboard we can basiclaly think of them as the same thing, or functioning in the same way. And this leads us to very important idea, and that is or repetition of names.

Because 262Hz and 523Hz are roughly the same in function, we can name them the same thing, and this is how we get to the idea of Note Names. Because we can do this with all of the notes on the keyboard, so instead of having to memorize 88 different freqenices and their corresponding keys on the piano keyboard, we simply need to memorize 12 note names and their visual position relative to each other, which then repeats up and down the keyboard from bottom to top and top to bottom.

Since every 13th note is essentially a doubling of frequency, we can take a look at that on a keyboard:

This is very useful because we can start to see a pattern emerge. If we look at the black keys we notice that the note that we are currently calling “C” is to the left of each grouping of two black keys. Because all of the “C” notes share functional equivalence we can refer to them in the same way. The name for this is called a “Pitch Class”.

Pitch Classes

All of the notes on the piano keyboard that are doublings of each other are considered to be in the same Pitch Class and we refer to all of the notes in the same pitch class by the same letter name. In the previous example, that name is “C”, but every pitch class has a designated name. In music we use the first seven letters of the english alphabet to designate the seven White Keys before the pitch class repeats itself. The Black Keys use the names of the surrounding white keys plus an added symbol for their names.

…but why…the word “Note”?

Well, the word “note” means to write down for later, to remember, to keep track of, to save, so in this case, we are saving a series of names for each frequency on the keyboard that are hopefully very easy to remember and help to greatly simplify our understanding of the layout of a piano keyboard. This makes them very useful to us and will aid in our understanding of more complex musical relationships in the future.

Alright then, onward…

So, now that we have a better understanding of how note names work, let’s start learning the layout of the keyboard.

Two Zones

When we combine the zones together we get all 12 notes of the western musical scale.

You will hopefully notice that the two zones combined create what is referred to as an asymmetrical layout, meaning that the two zones are not the same.

…but…why?

Well, the basic idea is that an asymmetrical layout allows players to find notes as fast as possible, and with multiple senses. If the keyboard layout were symmetrical, for example, one white key nad one black key repeating, it would be difficult to locate notes by sight very quickly, as their is no visual indicator to signal the position of one note from another, and completely impossible to locate notes by touch…

…by…touch?

Why, yes :-) You see, it is often the case that piano players play notes and chords and all sorts of things without even looking at the keyboard at all. The asymmetrical layout allows this to be even possible at all, by ensuring that every note has a unique physical position on the keyboard, which can be found with only touch.

Try it yourself. Close your eyes and feel the keys on your keyboard. Now, try to locate zone 1 by feeling for the two black keys clustered together. If you feel three black keys, then you have found zone 2. After you have found zone 1, feel for the white key to the left of the two black keys and play and hold it. Now open your eyes and see what you played…

…it should be C!

The concept behind this layout is to help us find any note on the keyboard as fast as possible. If we were to divide the12 notes in half we would get 6 and 6. But if we laid out the notes alternating between white and black keys, it would be hard to find any one pitch. By dividing 12 into odd numbers of 5 and 7, and then dividing 5 into 2 and 3, we end up creating an asymmetrical pattern that allows each white key to have it’s own unique position against the black keys that can be seen instantly.

White Key Chart

To help memorize the position of the notes, we can break each notes position down to its physical relationship to the black keys. Each of the 7 white keys has a unique position that repeats itself up and down the full range of the keyboard.

You can use any acronym or memory device that you want to help you remember each white notes position in relationship to the black keys, but my personal technique is to describe each notes position in words.

• C
  is to the left of the 2 black keys
• D
  is in between the 2 black keys
• E
  is to the right of the 2 black keys
• F
  is to the left of the 3 black keys
• G
  is the left note in between the 3 black keys
• A
  is the right note in between the 3 black keys
• B
  is to the right of the 3 black keys

So every note to the left of the 2 black keys will be C, every note in the middle of the 2 black keys will be D, and so on. Practice finding one note at a time, up and down the full range of your keyboard. No matter the size of your board, this will always be true.

Let’s shorten these down even further to make them more memorable. This may seem like a trivial step, but it will help your memory retention immensely:

• C
  left of the 2
• D
  between the 2
• E
  right of the 2
• F
  left of the 3
• G
  left between the 3
• A
  right between the 3
• B
  right of the 3

Enharmonics

A note is a singular frequency (with overtones, of course :-), and no matter what we call that note, it will always be the same frequency. But because the context with which a note is referenced can change, we often end up having multiple names for notes. In fact, every note on the piano keyboard has at least two notes, if not more.

We consider these multiple note names for the same note as being enharmonically equivalent.

This means that any and all names for the same note are considered equal, as they are referencing the same underlying pitch. In the case of the black keys they don’t actually have note names of themselves, and instead rely on the white notes around them to recieve a name. So, in general, we refer to this concept as Enharmonics.

Both of these notes are the same exact pitch, but we use either the sharp version or flat version depending on the context that we are referencing the note from. This idea of Enharmonics will surface again and again, even with the white keys, so it’s important that we become familiar with it from the beginning, or else it will end up being an annoying and confusing thought that creeps into our music at unwelcome moments in the future.

Black Key Chart

Here are all the black keys and their associated names in each zone on the piano keyboard. Attempt to become as familiar with these notes as you endevour to become with the white notes, as your music will suffer greatly if you ignore them of otherwise relegate them to your future. The best music uses all of the notes all of the time.

Again, the best way to memorize the positions of the accidentals is to break them up into individual notes and practice finding each note, one at a time, up and down the range of the keyboard.