All 88 keys labeled
Two octaves around middle C, four octaves or the whole piano from A0 to C8. Every white and black key carries its name, and middle C is marked.
Piano Keys Labeled: Piano Notes Chart
Every piano key labeled with its note name. Tap a key to hear it and see it on the staff.
How to use the piano notes chart
No signup and nothing to install. It runs on a laptop, a tablet, a phone or the classroom projector.
- 01
Read the labeled keys
Every key shows its note name. Choose letters or Do Re Mi, sharps or flats for the black keys, and turn octave numbers such as C4 on or off.
- 02
Tap a key
You hear the note on a piano and see its name, its frequency, its number on the 88 keys and where it is written on the treble or bass staff.
- 03
Find the keys yourself
Switch to the quiz: the names disappear and you find the key the tool asks for, by name or from the staff. Print the chart for the piano at home.
A piano keyboard with notes you can hear
Made for first piano lessons, for music class and for anyone who wants to know which key is which.
Keyboard and staff together
Each key you tap appears as a note on the grand staff, with sharp or flat and ledger lines, so reading music and finding the key go hand in hand.
Quiz without labels
Hide the names and find C, F sharp or B flat yourself, by name or from a note on the staff. White keys first, black keys when you are ready.
Printable chart
Print the labeled keyboard plus a cut-out strip in real key width that lies behind the keys of your own piano. No stickers on the keys needed.
Piano notes chart: the names of all keys
A piano looks like a long row of identical keys, but it is one small pattern repeated: seven white keys and five black keys make an octave, and then the octave starts again. Once you know the twelve keys of one octave, you know the names of all 88 keys on the piano.
The white keys use the seven letters C, D, E, F, G, A and B. The black keys sit in groups of two and three. Each black key is named after a white neighbour: with a sharp ♯ it is a half step above the key on its left, with a flat ♭ a half step below the key on its right. The table shows the octave that starts at middle C with letter names, Do Re Mi names and the frequency of every key.
| Key | Letter name | Do Re Mi | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | C | Do | 261.63 Hz |
| C♯4 / D♭4 | C♯ / D♭ | Do♯ / Re♭ | 277.18 Hz |
| D4 | D | Re | 293.66 Hz |
| D♯4 / E♭4 | D♯ / E♭ | Re♯ / Mi♭ | 311.13 Hz |
| E4 | E | Mi | 329.63 Hz |
| F4 | F | Fa | 349.23 Hz |
| F♯4 / G♭4 | F♯ / G♭ | Fa♯ / Sol♭ | 369.99 Hz |
| G4 | G | Sol | 392.00 Hz |
| G♯4 / A♭4 | G♯ / A♭ | Sol♯ / La♭ | 415.30 Hz |
| A4 | A | La | 440.00 Hz |
| A♯4 / B♭4 | A♯ / B♭ | La♯ / Ti♭ | 466.16 Hz |
| B4 | B | Ti | 493.88 Hz |
How to find the notes on a piano keyboard
Use the black keys as landmarks. C is always the white key just left of a group of two black keys, and D sits between those two black keys, E just right of them. F is the white key just left of a group of three black keys, followed by G and A between them and B on the right. With these two landmarks you can name any key on any piano or keyboard, whatever its size.
Middle C is the C nearest the centre of the instrument, normally in front of the brand name or the keyhole. Beginner books start there because it is where the treble and the bass staff meet: the right hand plays from middle C upwards, the left hand from middle C downwards. In the tool, middle C carries a small dot.
Octave numbers: what C4 and A4 mean
The same letter appears on every octave, so a number tells them apart. In scientific pitch notation the octave changes at every C: the lowest C on the piano is C1, middle C is C4 and the top key is C8. The three keys below C1, A0, A sharp 0 and B0, belong to octave 0. A4 is the tuning A at 440 hertz, the note an orchestra tunes to.
Not every country counts the same way. Some Spanish and French method books call middle C Do3, and German books use Helmholtz names such as c′ for middle C. They all mean the same key; only the label changes. The table lists every C on an 88-key piano with its key number and frequency.
| Note | Key number | Where it is | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Key 4 | Lowest C of the piano | 32.70 Hz |
| C2 | Key 16 | Low bass | 65.41 Hz |
| C3 | Key 28 | Tenor range, one octave below middle C | 130.81 Hz |
| C4 | Key 40 | Middle C, in the centre of the keyboard | 261.63 Hz |
| C5 | Key 52 | Treble C, one octave above middle C | 523.25 Hz |
| C6 | Key 64 | High treble | 1046.50 Hz |
| C7 | Key 76 | Very high | 2093.00 Hz |
| C8 | Key 88 | Highest key of the piano | 4186.01 Hz |
Labeled keys, stickers or a printed strip?
Labels help most in the first weeks, while the eye is still learning the pattern of the black keys. Stickers on the keys work, but they often stay on long after they are needed and the student keeps reading letters instead of the keyboard. A paper strip behind the keys gives the same help and is easy to take away when the time comes.
That is why the printable chart on this page has two parts: the labeled keyboard in the range and naming you chose, and a strip of boxes exactly 23.5 millimetres wide, the width of a standard white key. Print it at full size, cut it out and lay it behind the keys. When the names are in the head, play the quiz to check that the strip is no longer needed.
For music teachers
Teach the piano keys on the classroom screen
Put the labeled keyboard on the projector in full screen, let students come up and find middle C, F sharp or B flat, then hide the names and play the quiz together, with no login for you or your pupils. When your students are ready to make their own music, Make a Beat gives you a whole classroom: students join with a code and their name, no email addresses, and you set assignments, listen to what they hand in and grade it. GDPR, FERPA and COPPA ready, servers in Germany, and every school licence starts with a free trial.
Questions about the piano keys
What are the names of the piano keys?
The white piano keys are named with the seven letters C, D, E, F, G, A and B, and the pattern repeats in every octave. The black keys take the name of a neighbour with a sharp or a flat, so the black key between C and D is C sharp or D flat.
Where is middle C on the piano?
Middle C is the C closest to the centre of the keyboard, usually right in front of the brand name. On an 88-key piano it is the fourth C from the left and key number 40, written C4. On the chart it carries a small dot above its name.
How do I find C on the piano?
Find a group of two black keys: C is the white key directly to the left of it. The black keys alternate in groups of two and three, and every two-key group has a C below it, so you can find any C on any piano in a second.
What do the numbers in C4 or A4 mean?
The number is the octave. In scientific pitch notation every octave starts at C and gets the next number, so C4 is middle C and B4 the key just below C5. A4, the A above middle C, is the tuning note at 440 hertz used by most orchestras.
Why do black keys have two names?
Each black key lies between two white keys, so it can be named from either side. Seen from C it is C sharp, a half step higher; seen from D it is D flat, a half step lower. Both names mean the same key, and the key of the piece decides which one is written.
How many keys does a piano have?
A full-size piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black, from A0 at the bottom to C8 at the top. That is just over seven octaves. Many keyboards for beginners have 61 keys, five octaves, which is enough for most school songs and first piano pieces.
Should I put stickers on my piano keys?
Note stickers can help in the first weeks, but they also stop you from learning the pattern of the black keys. Many teachers prefer a paper strip behind the keys instead. Print the chart from this page: it includes a cut-out strip in real key width.
Is this piano notes chart free?
Yes. The labelled keyboard, the sound of every key, the note on the staff, the quiz and the printable chart are all free, with no account and no download. It works in any current browser on a laptop, a tablet, a phone or the classroom projector.
From piano notes to your own beat
Open the beat maker with the keys you just played as a melody on the piano, then add drums, bass and chords around it.