Lesson Nine -- Sets of Two and Three Black Keys

Today's brief music theory post builds on yesterday's post in which I said it was essential to locate the C and F keys on the piano. I have not labeled those notes on the keyboard because I don't want to be an enabler. If you do not know where C and F are, please scroll down on my timeline and find the previous diagram and embed a synaptic groove in your brain with a map to the C and F piano keys.

Even not-very-careful observation, provided that you've had at least half a cup of coffee or tea or some other eye-opener, will show you that there is a repeating pattern on the keyboard in which two white keys hang out together. (Insert lack of diversity joke here.)

We know that C is the white key to the left of any pair of black keys. The white keys follow the alphabet, so if C is to the left of two black keys, then D is between two black yes and E is to the right of two black keys. This works out well as we've established that F is to the left of THREE black keys and that's where we are once we've gotten to the right of two black keys. Thus and forsooth, verily even, the white key between the first and second of the black key triplets must be G and the white key between the second and third black key triplets must be. . .H. Wait a darn minute. I mean, A. The scale starts over.

Two lessons ago (scroll down as needed) we learned that sharps go up and flats go down. This is helpful to know now.

So we have C, and where can we find C sharp? Since sharps go up it's above C. It's "above" in both senses. "Up" and "above" both mean playing or singing a higher note, and we know from the first few lessons that higher notes go to the right on the keyboard. So C sharp must be to the right of C.

The second way C-sharp (C#) is "above" C is vertically. See the raised black key to the right of the white C key? That black key is the C-sharp key. And the raised black key to the right of the white F key is F sharp.

And now if you look again, you'll see that there is a black key between each set of white keys, except in two repeating patterns. In between the groups of two black keys and three black keys. In those two places, which repeat along the keyboard, you find two white keys next to each other with no black key in between.

Next lesson, we'll pick up from this point.