In this article we will get acquainted with the keyboard of the piano and other keyboard musical instruments. You will learn how piano keys are called, what an octave is and how to play sharp or flat.
As you know, the number of keys on the piano is 88 (52 white and 36 black), and they are arranged in a certain order. First of all, what has been said refers to the black keys: they are arranged according to the alternation principle - two, three, two, three, two, three, etc. Why exactly? - for the convenience of the game and for ease of navigation (orientation). This is the first principle. The second principle is that when you move along the keyboard from left to right, the pitch increases, that is, in the left half of the keyboard there are low sounds, in the right half there are high sounds. When we touch the keys in a row - we as if go up the steps from low sounds to an ever higher register.
White piano keys are also called as 7 main notes - do re mi fa salt la ci. This "set" of keys is repeated throughout the keyboard several times, each repetition is called octave. In other words, octave - this is the distance from one note "before"until the next (you can postpone the octave both up and down). All other keys (re mi fa sol la si) between two before included in this octave, placed inside it.
Where is the note before?
You already understood that note before on the keyboard is not the only one. Remember that the black keys are arranged in groups of two and three? So, any note before adjacent to a group of two black keys, and is to the left of them (that is, as if in front of them).
Well, now count how many notes before on the keyboard of your instrument? If you are at the piano - then there are eight of them, if behind the synthesizer, it will be smaller. All of them belong to different octaves, in this we shall understand. But first, look - now you know how to play all the other notes:
You can come up with some convenient guidelines for yourself. Well, for example, such as: note F to the left of the three black keys, or note re between two black keys, etc. And we move on to the octaves. Now count them. The full octave should contain all seven basic sounds. There are seven such octaves on the piano. On the edge of the keyboard, we don’t have enough notes in the “set”: there’s only for and si, and one note at the top - before. These octaves incomplete, nevertheless, they will have their own names, therefore we will consider these pieces as separate octaves. Total we got 7 full octaves and 2 octaves "ogrezochnye".
Octave names
Now about how are called octaves. They are called very simple. In the center (on the piano is usually directly opposite the name) is first octave, it will be higher second, third, fourth and fifth (one note before in it, remember, yes?). Now from the first octave we move down: to the left of the first is small octave, farther the big, counterclave and subcontracting (this is in which white keys for and si).
We look once more and remember:
So, the octaves of us repeat the same set of sounds, only at different heights. Naturally, all this is reflected in the musical notation. For example, compare how the notes of the first octave are recorded and how the notes in the bass clef for the small octave are recorded:
Probably a long overdue question: why do we need black keys, not just one for navigation? Of course. On the black keys, too, they play, and press them no less than white ones. So what's the deal? The thing is: except major steps-notes (these are the ones that we just played on the white keys), there is also derivatives - they are located mainly on the black keys. Black piano keys are called exactly the same as white keys, only one of two words is added to the title - sharp or flat (eg, C sharp or sol-flat). Now we will understand what is sharp and what is flat.
How to play sharps and flat?
Consider all the keys that are included in any octave: if you count black and white together, then it turns out that there are 12 of them in total (7 white + 5 black). It turns out that the octave is divided into 12 parts (12 equal steps), and each key in this case is one part (one step). Here, the distance from one key to the nearest neighbor is semitone (it doesn't matter where the semitone is put off: up or down, between two white or between a black and white key). So, the octave consists of 12 semitones.
Sharp - this is an increase in the basic level by a semitone, that is, if we need to play, say, a note C sharpthen we press no key "before"and that note, which is a semitone higher. C sharp - the adjacent black key (to the right of the "before").
Flat has the opposite effect. Flat - This is a lowering of the main stage by halftones If we need to play, for example, B flat, then we play not white "si", and press the adjacent black key, which is lower than this "si" (to the left of the key "si").
Now it is clear that each black key is either a sharp or flat one of the neighboring “white” notes. But not always a sharp or a flat takes exactly the black key. For example, between white keys such as mi and fa, or si and up no blacks And then how to play to flat or mi sharp?
Very simple - all by the same rule: Sharp half a tone higher, Flat half a tone lower. I remind you that semitone - this is the shortest distance between any two adjacent keys. So in order to play to flatgo down a half tone - we get that to flat matches the height of the si note. Similarly, you need to play mi sharp - rise to a semitone: mi sharp matches key F. Sounds that are the same in height, but are recorded differently, are called anharmonic (enharmonically equal).
Well that's all! I think everything is clear. It remains for me to add on how sharp and flat are designated in notes. To do this, use special icons that are recorded before the note that you want to change.
Small conclusion
In this article, we have figured out how the piano keys are called, which notes correspond to each key, and how easy it is to navigate on the keyboard. We also found out what an octave is and learned the names of all octaves on the piano. You also now know what is sharp and flat, and how to find sharps and flat on the keyboard.
The keyboard of the piano is universal. Many other musical instruments are equipped with keyboards of this type. It is not only a piano and piano, but an accordion, harpsichord, organ, celesta, keyboard harp, synthesizer, etc. The samples of such a keyboard are arranged on percussion instruments - xylophone, marimba, vibraphone.
If you are interested in the internal structure of the piano, if you are curious to find out how and where the sound comes from this marvelous instrument, I recommend reading the article "The piano device". See you! Leave your comments below, click "Like" to share the found material with friends and like-minded people in contact, my world and Facebook.
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