How to read our first notes on the Keyboard

Names of the notes

The notes we use are named after the first seven letters of the Alphabet:

A – B – C – D – E – F – G

Fundamentals of the pattern and note layout on the Piano

Notes on the G and F Clefs

When we read notes from the Music sheet or “Staff” we do it with two symbols called “Clefs” that correspond to the Right and Left hands respectively. Let’s see how the notes are written on them:

G and F Clef Notes – Click here to download the PDF File

How to reach G and F from Middle C

The Middle C note is exactly in the Middle of the Two Clefs, if we count 5 notes down from G on the Treble Clef we will find Middle C, and if we count 5 notes up from the F note on the F Clef, we will reach the same note!

Movement of the notes on the Staff

The notes can have two type of movements on the Staff: ascendant and descendant. When the notes move up this means we should play our following note to the right of the keyboard. Conversely, when we see a descendant motion, this will mean that we will play our next note to the left of the keyboard. This process works exactly the same either on the G or on the F Clefs.

Now let’s try to read the notes without the names taking into account the movement of the notes we discussed above:

Counting beats: 4 and 2 counts

Now that we know the notes on the score and how they move, we will add their Duration. For now, we will start with 4 and 2 counts each note:

 Counting beats: 4 and 2 beats exercises – Click here to download the PDF File

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Table exercise: Note practice

Now that you have a clearer understanding of how to find the notes on the staff, you can try the Table Exercise on the keys using this note chart:

Table exercise complete – Notes and fingering – Click here to download the PDF File