Article 3 of 9

Piano keys, semitones and accidentals

Scales follow rules — not every pair of white keys has a black key between them.

Counting neighbouring keys

Neighbouring keys (black ones included) are a semitone apart; two semitones make a whole tone. E–F and B–C are semitones between natural notes, while C–D is a whole tone. The white keys are just the keyboard layout — they don't always “belong to the major key”.

Sharps and flats

♯ raises a note by a semitone, ♭ lowers it, and ♮ cancels either. The same black key may be written C♯ or D♭; in equal temperament they're usually the same pitch, but in scales, chords and voice leading the spelling and function can differ.

Number labels here

Number labels use the major scale as the reference: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; ♭3 is a semitone below the 3 of the parallel major. In C minor ♭3 is E♭ — the third note isn't renamed as a second. The same degree in different octaves shares a number, though melodic dictation still checks the actual octave.

References: Functional Ear Trainer · Miles.be · Puget Sound · Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom · musictheory.net · Lessons