Piano makers added keys at each end of the piano keyboard as composers and musicians demanded more range. In attempting to find a system that can accommodate future expansion of the keyboard, it"s important to recognize the principle that the piano keyboard really "started in the middle and grew outward". Currently there does not seem to be any universally accepted system that accommodates both long and short keyboards. As the compass of the keyboard has expanded at both ends, new systems had to be evolved and because people are reluctant to give up what they have spent time learning, many of the older systems still persist in one form or another. (Except at the time they were not considered short.) Keys at each end of the keyboard that we take for granted on the modern piano did not even exist yet on many early pianos. Early pianos had "short" keyboards, with only four to six octaves, just like most organs and electronic keyboards still do today. As a matter of fact, since the time of its invention the piano keyboard has started and ended on a number of different keys. Part of the problem stems from the fact that the piano keyboard has not always had 88 keys. There are numerous reasons why there have been so many key numbering or labeling systems throughout history. This "C/octave numbering" system was probably instituted at a time long ago when keyboards had fewer keys and started at C-1, before the last three notes were added at the bottom of the keyboard. In this system, middle C on the keyboard is C-4. Although confusing, this system has been used for many years, and many musicians and piano tuners still use it today. Because each octave begins on C, the notes to the left of (or below) C-1 are labeled A-0 (A-zero), A#-0, and B-0 (here we run again into that same problem common in music, not starting with "A" in the first place). Hopefully you will be able to fill in the remaining (upper) part of the keyboard yourself.) Thus, the first C at the far left of the keyboard is C-1, the next C an octave up is C-2, then C-3, C-4, C-5 etc on up to C-8 at the top of the keyboard. Please excuse that I wasn"t able to fit the full keyboard on the page. In one system that has been around since anyone can remember, the notes are numbered according to the octave in which they lie, and each new octave starts with C (not A as you might expect). Many times, too, pianos get refinished, and the name doesn't always get put back on the fallboard or else it gets rubbed off after many years of playing. It should be easy enough to remember that Middle C is right next to or under the piano name, but lots of folks still forget. They also frequently get mixed up about which octave A, D, F, G, E or B they should be playing. But still, both children and adults often confuse the C's above and below for middle C. )Īs beginning piano students gradually work their way up and down from this reference point, they also get to know the keys towards the extremes of the keyboard. If the name is short, like on our fabulous Steinbald piano example below, middle C may actually be slightly to the left of the name. 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. What to call the keys, or -Which C is that one over there? by Kendall Ross Bean Key numbering or naming systemsĪ problem often arises from the fact that on the piano keyboard there are several different C"s, D"s, A"s, etc.
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