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Now that we know that the 7 Letters used in music are
A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
Let’s go over some examples of how these letters are used.
Notes Repeat.
Look at this circle of letters.
To visually see how these notes repeat in the music alphabet, If we start at A and go to the right (clockwise) we will end up back at A.
A -> B -> C -> D -> E -> F -> G -> back to A.
If you keep on going , The music alphabet repeats.
There are no more letters to use.
Simple, just 7 letters.
The notes repeat, but the notes pitch goes higher or lower.
Relating to the letters in the circle above or on a music instrument like the piano,
When we go to the right (clockwise), the notes go up in pitch.
If we go to the left (counter-clockwise), the notes will go down in pitch.
Naming pitch with Octave numbers.
Since we now know that note letters repeat, meaning you can be playing an identical note but in a higher or lower pitch.
This is where a number is added in front of a note to indicate what range in pitch is being played.
Example: If we see the piano like this photo below, you can see that notes go from low to high, for example:
A1 is a lower note than A2.
This is called an Octave.
Octave: In music, an octave or perfect octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency.
One more visual example.
One more example that can help you think of note and pitch referencing. Think of it like this ladder above.
Starting at A5 and going to the left. the pitch gets lower (A5 to A4).
Starting at A5 and going to the right. the pitch gets higher (A5 to A6).
Important piano pattern.
Important note:
This pattern is basis when it comes to finding the range of notes on a keyboard. Even if you don't play piano, you will see these keys if you create music digitally on your computer.Since all these note repeat, memorize this pattern to help find notes quickly.
Start at C.
The C key is pretty important.
You may often hear the term “Middle C” be used. Which points to C4 on the piano.
Octaves change first in number from C.
Notes: C1 to C2 | C2 to C3 | C3 to C4 | C4 to C5 ETC.
Also, a lot of pianos start on the C Key or a few notes away from the C key. They always usually end with the last C Key.
Note relation.
Notes on a piano, notes on a Guitar or Violin… It doesn’t matter the instrument, they all have the relative note names and pitches you have just learned.
The difference would be in the Timbre [the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity.], but these note names all work with any musical instrument.
Even your voice’s sound (Pitch) has these notes.
The number in front of the note, if visible, only reference the frequency of the pitch.
What about the black keys?
From the piano image above we see white and black keys.
If you were wondering about the black keys. Well… they have note names too. Learn about sharps ♯ on the next page.
Quick Review
The Musical Alphabet uses 7 letters of the alphabet to name the lines and spaces placed on a music staff.
Pitch: the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone.
The notes repeat hitting their Octave.
Octave: In music, an octave or perfect octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency.
Timbre: the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity.
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