{"id":34476,"date":"2022-08-27T09:55:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-27T07:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latouchemusicale.com\/?p=34476"},"modified":"2023-02-23T16:51:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T15:51:51","slug":"piano-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latouchemusicale.com\/en\/piano-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Piano Basics: Notes, Octaves, Scales and Tones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Understanding the logic of piano keys<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The piano is a musical instrument that was designed according to logical, even mathematical rules. When you stand in front of a piano, you can be intimidated by so many keys (88 for the largest). You don\u2019t know what to do and this is completely normal. In this part, we\u2019re going to dissect together piano white and black keys. That\u2019s one of the most piano basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You notice that a piano, regardless of its size, whether it\u2019s a digital or acoustic piano, always has the same sequence of notes. To make your task easier, you can pay attention to the black keys of the piano: you can see that the sequence is always the same: 2 black keys, then 3 black keys. This sequence is repeated in a loop until you reach the end of the piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"piano
Piano basics: The sequence of black keys on a piano: 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3, …
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When you\u2019re looking for a note on the piano, use the black keys to find it. For example, if you are looking for a C, you must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 \u2013 look at the sequence of the black keys;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 \u2013 stop when you are on a group of two successive black keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 \u2013 choose the white key located just to the left of these two black keys: this is your C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"piano
The note C is located just to the left of a group of two black keys.
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Now that you understand about how a piano is made, before we see the name of the notes, we are going to look at the notions of scale and octave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Octaves and scales on a piano<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In music theory, octaves and scales are fundamental notions. They are essential for understanding what you play, improvise or compose on piano. Octaves and scales allow you to structure your playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Octaves<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In music, an octave is an interval between two notes separated by eight notes. The octave is the consonant interval because two notes in an octave are identical. For example, when you press the note G, count eight notes on the left side of the piano to get to the G and move to the lower octave. Conversely, count eight notes on the right side of the piano to get to the G and move to the next higher octave. From a sound engineering point of view, when moving from one octave to the next, the frequency is doubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"octave
Piano basics: 8 notes separate a C from the upper C. We then go to the upper octave.
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To help you, you can use the model of the black keys mentioned above. You may notice that they are the same note because both are located just to the left of the group of the two black keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"c
The two C notes are just to the left of the group of the two black keys: this is an octave.
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The octaves allow you to know the structure of the piano and to play accordingly. It\u2019s important to know that a piano song can be played in all octaves. The song will be the same but will release a lower or higher tone depending on the octave you choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also important to know that an octave contains all the notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B and C. When you move to the next higher octave, you will reproduce exactly the same note sequence but with a higher pitch. That\u2019s why octaves are part of the piano basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 You can watch this short video to complete your learning about octaves on piano: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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