1/25/22, 8:07 AM Keyboard Awareness - By Feel & Mental Visualization: MUS 101 003 15A SP22 - Piano I

Keyboard Awareness - By Feel & Mental Visualization

It is vital that all music students understand the layout of the typical piano keyboard. It is the basis for visualizing almost all aspects of
pitch related materials in scales, melodies, intervals, and chords.
 

Musicians use the alternating groups of two and three black keys as indicators of hand position. For example, all C’s are directly TO
THE LEFT OF A GROUP OF TWO BLACK KEYS. In other words, musicians find white keys by knowing where they are in relation to
specific groups of black keys. Learning the geography of the keyboard literally “by feel” allows them to play without watching their
fingers, leaving them free to read music.
 

The best way of learning the positions of each white key is to be able to describe it verbally in RELATION TO A GROUP OF BLACK
KEYS. For example, getting in the habit of locating “F” by finding “C” then counting upwards will not help you build the skill for mental
visualization and will enforce inefficient piano skills. A far more efficient method is to find it by remembering it is directly to the left of a
group of THREE BLACK KEYS. Doing so will allow you to find all F’s quickly “by feel”.
 

The following list of descriptions will help you locate any white key by feeling, or mentally visualizing black keys:

C is a white key directly to the left of a group of two black keys,

D is a white key in between a group of two black keys,

E is a white key directly to the right of a group of two black keys,

F is a white key directly to the left of a group of three black keys,

G is a white key to the left of the center black key in a group of three,

A is a white key to the right of the center black key in a group of three, and

B is a white key directly to the right of a group of three black keys.

Sharps and Flats

Sharps RAISE the pitch of a note by ONE HALF STEP. This means that the player plays the very next key TO THE RIGHT.
 

Flats, on the other hand, LOWER a pitch by ONE HALF STEP, and that requires that a player play the very next key TO THE LEFT.
 

This rule must be followed without respect to key color. It is erroneous to assume that all sharps and flats are automatically black keys.
They are not. In the case of all E’s and B’s, a sharp will move them upwards (to the right by a half step) to the very next key which is
white. Likewise, all F’s and C’s, when flatted will move them downwards (to the left by a half step) to the very next key which is also
white. This concept is very important to remember.
 

Middle ‘C’ and Its Leger Line

Our system of pitch notation is balanced around a note we call ‘Middle C’ which can be found nearest the center of any piano
keyboard. It separates Treble Clef and Bass Clef by the use of a leger line.  The middle note in the below image is represented by
'Middle C' that connects and separates the Treble Clef and Bass Clef.

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1/25/22, 8:07 AM Keyboard Awareness - By Feel & Mental Visualization: MUS 101 003 15A SP22 - Piano I
 

A ledger line is a short line drawn above or below the staff for notes that are too high or too low to be represented on the staff.
 

Just to recap, here is a review of Clefs & Leger Line in explanations:

GRAND STAFF - The treble staff and the bass staff together combine to form the grand staff.

TREBLE G - The G clef   encircles the second line up in the treble staff making that line Treble G.

MIDDLE C - Is between the treble staff and bass staff and is written on a leger line.* 

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1/25/22, 8:07 AM Keyboard Awareness - By Feel & Mental Visualization: MUS 101 003 15A SP22 - Piano I

BASS F - The F clef encircles the second line down in the bass staff making that line bass F.

LEGER LINE - A short line drawn above or below the staff for notes that are too high or too low to be represented on the staff.

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