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Your First Notes: Find C and Explore the Keyboard

Play the labelled keys, learn their seven names, then find C without the labels. No instrument or musical knowledge needed.

Start from zero · Reading notesLesson 1 of 6Read and practise without an account

Play C, then D

Each white key below makes a note. The letter on the key tells you its name.

Pitch means how high or low a note sounds. Moving right makes the pitch higher; moving left makes it lower. This is different from loudness.

Try two neighbouring notes

Tap C at the left end, then D beside it. Now go back to C. Listen for higher, then lower. Only the white keys are playable; you can also follow the feedback with sound off.

Tap a white key, or use Tab then Enter.

Your turn. Choose a white key.

You move to a white key farther right. What changes?

Follow the seven letters

Musical note names use seven letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. After G, the names start again at A. There is no H in this naming system.

Our keyboard starts on C, so its labels read C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. These same letter names are used by singers and other instruments too.

Play through the alphabet

Tap F, then G, then A. Watch the letters restart. Next, play all the white keys from left to right. Try reading them backwards too.

Tap a white key, or use Tab then Enter.

Your turn. Choose a white key.

You play F, then G, moving right. Which letter comes next?

Find C without the letters

The black keys help you find the notes even when there are no labels. The brackets below show a group of two and a group of three.

C is highlighted just to the left of the two black keys. D sits between them.

See C, then find it yourself

Tap C, then D. Compare where each sits beside the pair. Use the button below to try without letters.

Black-key groups, left to right: 2 black keys, 3 black keys.2 black keys3 black keys
Tap a white key, or use Tab then Enter.

Use the labels first. Then try without them.

Now name this highlighted key without the letter labels.

Piano keyboard with highlighted keys

Which C is middle C?

You have seen C at both ends of our small keyboard. A full piano has several Cs. Middle C is one particular C near its centre, marked on the map below.

The playable keyboard starts on that same middle C. The C at the other end is higher; the distance from one C to the next is called an octave. Keyboard sizes vary, so middle C does not mean the exact centre key of every keyboard.

Compare the two Cs

Tap Middle C, then Higher C. They share a letter name, but the second sounds higher. The small full-piano picture shows where middle C belongs.

Full piano: the marked key is middle C
Full 88-key piano with the example keys highlighted

Zoom in below: this is the same C as the first playable key.

Tap a white key, or use Tab then Enter.

Your turn. Choose a white key.

Middle C and the next C to its right share a name. Do they make the same pitch?

Practise what you just learned

These checks use only this lesson and its prerequisites. Take your time, use a hint if needed, and try a check again to revisit the idea.

Without letter labels, name the highlighted white key.

Piano keyboard with highlighted keys

The highlighted key is just left of the C at the right end. What is its name?

Piano keyboard with highlighted keys

A friend says, "Middle C must be the exact centre key on every keyboard." What would you tell them?

Bring it together

In this lesson, you explored:

  • Tell higher and lower pitch apart.
  • Find C beside a group of two black keys.
  • Locate middle C and follow the repeating A-to-G alphabet.

Completion records that you worked through the lesson, not a test score.

Next: Meet the Staff: Lines, Spaces and Moving NotesRevisit this lesson’s practice