On a piano, each key will play a different note when it is pressed. In this lesson we will go over how to identify where each note is located, so that you can learn how to play piano notes.

Each of the keys on the piano corresponds to a specific note value. In order to learn the piano, your first step is knowing how to identify and determine the note value of each of the keys on the keyboard. Luckily, the piano is set up so that if you know the patterns that occur throughout the keyboard, you should have no problem finding the value of each note. The most basic distinction between the keys (you should be able to tell just by looking) is that some are black and some are white.

• The white keys cover the entire length of the keyboard and represent all of the natural notes on the piano. These notes are represented by the first 7 letters of the alphabet (A - G). Lets take a quick look at the white keys. Notice how the pattern repeats every 7 letters.

• Because the black keys are grouped together in alternating pairs of twos and threes, they can be a useful tool for finding specific notes. Take a minute and find all of the groups of 2 or 3 black keys that can be found on the keyboard.

• Using these groups, we can quickly identify where each of the notes are. For example, the C note can always be found to the left of a group of 2 black keys. Middle C (so called because it is around the middle of the keyboard and is often used as an orientation device) is always the 4th C from the left.

• Here is how to find the other notes on the keyboard:

1. The D note can be found in the middle of the group of 2 black keys.
2. The E note can be found to the right of the group of 2 black keys.
3. The F note can be found to the left of the group of 3 black keys.
4. The G note can be found in between the 1st and 2nd black keys within the 3 black key group.
5. The A note can be found in between the 2nd and 3rd black keys within the 3 black key group.
6. The B note can be found to the right of the group of 3 black keys.

• The black keys can be seen along the top of the keyboard and are found in groups of 2 or 3. Learning the note value of the black keys is a little more difficult than the white keys because the black keys can be labeled in two different ways. Black keys take their names from the white keys that surround them and can be labeled with either a # (Sharp - meaning that the key is a half-step higher than the white note to its left) or a b (Flat - meaning the key is a half-step lower than the white note to its right). Here is how the black keys are labeled:

• In order to determine the value of a specific black key, you need only to look at the two white notes that surround it. For instance, if you are trying to determine the value of the first black key in the group of two, simply identify the white notes that fall on either side. In this case they would be C and D. Because the black key is a half-step higher than the C, it can be labeled a C#. And, because it is a half-step lower than the D, it can also be labeled as a Db.

• Return to Lesson 1: How to Play Piano for Beginners | Continue to Lesson 3: Learning Piano Chords

When it comes to learning how to play piano notes (as well as learning other aspects of the piano or other musical instruments), practice is key. Practicing allows you to retain information and technique through repetition, and there is simply no other way to become proficient. Experts recommend that time be set aside each and every day for practice, and doing so can allow you to truly master the instrument.

By practicing your fingering, you should be able to learn how to not only play the notes but use all of your fingers while playing (instead of searching for the notes with just one finger). Be sure to practice playing up and down the keyboard, and not just in the middle area.http://www.learningtoplaypiano.org/learn-to-play-piano/how-to-play-piano-by-ear.html