If you have trouble identifying the notes you can put your mouse cursor over the section with the sheet music and it will display the letter of the note shown on the sheet music. Or look at the bottom of the page. Don't worry, if you get a wrong answer you can always try again.
Piano for Beginners
The piano is a very popular instrument, and many people want to learn how to play it. However, such a large instrument with so many keys can seem like quite a challenge, especially for a beginner who doesn't know much about notes. However, picking up basic piano can be simple if you're willing to dedicate some time to it, and you can even pick up a little bit of piano online. For additional piano learning, consider taking private lessons, or finding a basic piano book.
The piano is made up of 88 keys, 36 back keys and 52 white ones. If you're playing on a smaller keyboard, and not a full piano, there will be fewer keys. A piano is made up of several octaves, and each octave is made up of eight notes. Music notes are designated A-G, so an A is one note, a B is another note, and so on. There are several of each note on a piano, each at a different octave, either higher or lower than the others.
Notes on a piano center around the note that is known as Middle C. Middle C is obviously found in the middle of the computer and is the note directly to the left of the two black notes. The black notes are found in groups of either two or three across the piano, and you can identify the white keys by their position in relation to the black keys. For example, every white key to the left of the group of two black keys is a C, in the middle of the two black keys is a D, and to the right of the two black keys is an E. E is followed by F, G, A, and B, and then you reach C again, an octave higher. Try to familiarize yourself with this pattern, until you can easily identify each music note, no matter where it is located on the keyboard.
Another important thing to learn about the piano if you're a beginner is hand position. Typically, your right hand will center around middle C, with your thumb on middle C, your first finger on D, and so on, up to G. Your left hand will be positioned similarly, an octave down. Your pinky finger on your left hand will be on the next lowest C below middle C, your ring finger on D, and so on. This position allows you the most flexibility in playing and lets you reach most of the keys that are commonly played very easily. For keys that are not covered by this position, you will either stretch your fingers to reach them, or completely move your hand, though this comes with more complex playing.
The black keys are called either sharps or flats. A black key to the right of the note is a sharp; to the left it's flat. For example, the black key to the right of C is C sharp. Because it's to the left of D, this note is also D flat.
This basic information is a good way to get an understanding of piano for beginners.
