When children (or adults) start out learning the names and locations of the notes on the piano, they usually start with middle C and its immediate neighbors (that C being the most convenient one, directly in front of the player and usually very close to, or underneath, the nameplate of the piano near the middle of the keyboard. And since there are at least 3 or more of these systems in general use today, it can get quite confusing, since the systems often use the same names to refer to different keys. What do you call the C two octaves below middle C? -Or the one two octaves above? How about the A at the bottom of the keyboard? Over the many years since the invention of keyboard instruments, there have been several systems devised to specify which note is being referred to. The (1) would normally be written as a superscript (slightly above the height of the C) but,īecause some browsers will garble the text when we use the superscript, we have put superscripts in () insteadĪ problem often arises from the fact that on the piano keyboard there are several different C's, D's, A's, etc. There are several places where references are made to c(1), C(2), etc. What to call the keys, or -Which C is that one over there? by Kendall Ross Bean Key numbering or naming systems

Labeling your piano keys