Understanding Note Names
Before we jump into the apps, let's understand how the piano actually works. This is the foundation of everything you will play.
The Great Puzzle: 88 Keys, but only 7 Names?
If you look at a full-sized piano, you will see 88 keys. That means the piano can play 88 different sounds (notes). However, in music, we only have seven note names:
A B C D E F G
You might wonder: How can seven names possibly be enough to cover 88 keys?
The Secret: It's like the Calendar
Think about the days of the week. There are only seven days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Even though there are only seven days, they are enough to cover a whole year! Why? Because after Sunday ends, we don't need a new name—we simply start over again with Monday.
Music works exactly the same way. After we reach the note G, we don't invent a new letter. We simply start over at A. This pattern repeats over and over again across the entire keyboard until every single one of those 88 keys has a name.
Seeing it on the Piano
Below is a look at the piano keys. We focus on the range from the Low B to the High C (9 key names total in this section). Notice how the colors help you identify where one group of A-G ends and the next one begins.
(Study the image above carefully to see how the names repeat!)
Ready to Put This into Practice?
Now that you understand how the names repeat like the days of the week, you have the knowledge you need to use our practice tools.
Go to the Practice Apps