// the musical alphabet
Music uses only 7 letters — A, B, C, D, E, F, G. That's the entire musical alphabet. After G it starts again at A, just higher in pitch.
Each letter represents a specific frequency — a specific pitch. When you play an A on any instrument, it vibrates at the same frequency. That's why musicians in different countries can play together without confusion.
Key idea: The distance between one note and the same note higher up is called an octave. An A and the next A up are the same note — just one octave apart. The higher A vibrates exactly twice as fast.
// the piano map
The easiest way to see notes is on a piano keyboard. White keys are the 7 letters. Black keys are the sharps and flats — the notes in between.
The pattern of white and black keys repeats every 12 notes. That group of 12 is called a chromatic scale — every note available in Western music.
C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B — then back to C
// sharps and flats
A sharp (#) raises a note by one step. A flat (♭) lowers it by one step. C# and D♭ are the same key on a piano — just named differently depending on context.
Don't worry about when to use which name yet. Just know they exist and they're the black keys.
Notice: There is no black key between E and F, or between B and C. Those pairs are naturally just one step apart. This is why the piano looks the way it does.
Open a free piano app on your phone — GarageBand, Piano by Yokee, or any browser piano. Find middle C — it's usually marked. Play C D E F G A B C slowly. That's your first scale. You just played music.