Piano keyboard are made of Black & White Keys
Let’s first of all take a look at an unlabeled
piano keyboard layout, i.e. without the note
names. The one shown in the first piano
keyboard layout has two octaves, a total of 24
notes. In an 88 key piano, there are 36 black
keys and 52 white keys. 76 key keyboards come
with 31 black keys and 45 white keys, 61 key
keyboards come with 25 black keys and 36
white keys, while 49 key keyboards have 20
black keys and 29 white ones.
Someone new to the piano may feel
overwhelmed when they first take a look at its
keys. “How do I remember so many notes?”
But as we shall see later it is very simple to
understand. Hint: repetition.
Here’s a simple piano keyboard diagram (below
this paragraph). The white keys are all labeled.
If you look closely, you will realize that the
same note names are being repeated over and
over. These notes are A, B, C, D, E, F and G.
Whether it’s a 49, 61, 76 or 88 key keyboard,
this is the note pattern of a piano.

In the piano keyboard layout immediately
below this paragraph, I have ventured to add a
more complete piano keyboard diagram. As
you will see, both the black and white keys
have been named. As for the black keys, they
each have two note names. There’s D-Flat (or C-
Sharp), E-Flat (or D-Sharp), G-Flat (or F-Sharp),
A-Flat (or G-Sharp) and B-Flat (or A-Sharp).
jegwin
To help you better understand sharps (♯) and
flats (♭), let’s find out what a semitone is. A
semitone is also called a half step or half tone
and is the smallest interval used in Western
music. It is the distance between two notes
which are next to one another in pitch. So the
distance between C and C-Sharp is one
semitone, the distance between D and D-Sharp
is one semitone and the same can be said for
the distance between A and A-flat.
What is the note that is one semitone higher
than C? The answer is C-Sharp. What is the note
that is one semitone higher than D? The answer
is D-Sharp. Let’s go the other way around. What
is the note that is one semitone lower than D?
The answer is D-Flat. One semitone lower than
E? It’s E-Flat.
A whole tone means a distance of two
semitones, i.e. the distance between two notes
which are separated by one other note in pitch.
For instance, C and D, D and E, and F and G are
each one Whole tone apart.