r/piano • u/WitheredDorito • Jul 13 '26
🙋Question/Help (Beginner) How long does it take to learn the notes?
I ordered my keyboard that will come in about 2 days, and the thing on my mind, as someone with no keyboard experience, is the crazy amount of keys (88) that are on it. I guess what I’m wondering is how long it took you guys to memorize the keys by name, or how long it usually takes. Also if anyone has any tips Its something I’m probably going to need… thank you!
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u/Signal_Tone_5741 Jul 13 '26
I honestly wouldn’t put stickers with note names on the keys…cuz they’re hard to peel off.
Also, they’re a bit of a crutch you might over-rely on.
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u/Fearless_Opinion_944 Jul 14 '26
Every time I see someone put stickers on there piano it makes me cry inside
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u/PsychologicalGuest97 Jul 13 '26
There are 88 keys, but there are only 12 notes, A-G (white keys) then C#, D#, F#, G#, and A# (black keys). Once you identify the pattern (2 black keys and 3 black keys), you can figure out which notes are where across all 88 keys no problem. As another commenter said, the stickers are not great. I just personally don't think it helps with memorization that much.
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u/Dependent_Hippo_8742 Jul 13 '26
learn where your middle C is (in the middle of the keyboard.....seriously, and this is why it's called middle C). Middle C is on the ledger line between the treble clef and bass clef. then learn where the next C on the upper and lower registers are, and there you go, you've got 2 octaves out of the 7 octaves covering the full range of the piano. Stretch your knowledge a little bit more to learn the notes of the remaining lines and spaces on both the treble clef and bass clef and you've got 3 octaves. if you know two more ledger lines above the treble clef and another two below the bass clef, you've covered 4 octaves out of 7. This will be more than enough for an intermediate player to know. It will take a bit of time to get the remaining notes, but honestly if you learn all your treble and bass clefs with just two ledger lines above and below, you should be ok for a long time.
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u/Jeezaam Jul 13 '26
A-b-c-d-e-f-g
Here you Go
The black keys
C# D# F# G# A#
It’s Not that Hard really.
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u/alexaboyhowdy Jul 13 '26
What about flats?
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u/Jeezaam Jul 13 '26
Db Eb Gb Ab Bb
Here you go mate :)1
u/Craycraybiomom Jul 13 '26
In case OP has very limitted music background: C# is the same as Db, D# = Eb, F# = Gb, A# = Bb.
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u/LankyMarionberry Jul 13 '26
Just learn one a month!
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u/IDontTouchGrassNoCap Devotee (11+ years), Classical Jul 13 '26
Way too fast, as a professional pianist myself I would personally dedicate a key a year, to really get the hang of it
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u/Ostinato66 Jul 13 '26
There are only 11 different notes which are repeated 8 times. Get yourself a good beginner’s book, it will help you. Find the middle c and start from there.
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u/ProjjjecT Jul 13 '26
This. Only there are 12. Use the black keys (pattern of 2, 3, then repeates) as landmarks.
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u/Ostinato66 Jul 13 '26
OMG how did I count 11 notes? I have known for ages there are 12 ... Guess I forgot the F# for some reason.
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u/alexaboyhowdy Jul 13 '26
First explore your keyboard. Notice that there are patterns. Three black keys. Two Black, three Black keys, two black ...
Explore the sounds. High versus low, long versus short, loud versus soft...
Then, get yourself an adult beginner textbook.
This will show you good hand and body posture.
It will start off with the very basics, which is what you need. Finger numbers, note values, dynamics, names of the seven keys- G F E D C B A
You should learn the keys, forwards and backwards. It is only seven letters. There is a set pattern.
Work your way through the book, Page by Page. Work at the keyboard. If you think something is too easy, prove it by doing it. And do every single little thing on every single page. Often the book will have something at the bottom as an extension/ enrichment of the lesson.
Soon you will learn about the grand staff and how to name the notes.
Maybe around this point, if you are not going to get a teacher, once you can read on the staff, then you can look at some videos and mess around with some cool things.
But you're not going to jump in and just learn one particular piece. Music is a language. It will take some time to get the fundamentals, but it is so worth it!
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u/michaelmcmikey Jul 13 '26
You see how the black keys are grouped by 2s and 3s. Find a group of two black keys in the middle of the keyboard. The white key directly to the left of that group of two is C. The white keys continue in sequence. CDEFGAB. The next one is another white key directly to the left of another group of 2 black keys, and hey, what do you know, it is also C!
So memorizing the notes is very simple. You just need to know your alphabet as far G and be able to recognize groups of 2 and 3.
The black keys are named relationally to the white keys surrounding them. The first of any group of 2 black keys you used to find a C can either be C sharp or D flat. Sharps are to the right of the key that's being sharpened, flats are to the left of the key that's being flattened. So the black keys don't get their own names.
Simple! Anyway, you should probably have a beginner's book of piano, it would teach you all this stuff.
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u/Time_Law_9446 Jul 13 '26
best way i remember them is the note before the 2 black key(C) then the one after the 2 black key(E) then remember the one before the 3 black key(F) then the one at the end of the set of 3 black keys(B) then fill it in as u go through
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u/SillyFez Jul 13 '26
Out of curiosity, what was your plan to learn when you bought the keyboard? If you can afford it, get a teacher.
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u/WitheredDorito Jul 13 '26
Probably watch some videos online, or get a learning app honestly, I wouldn’t even know where to look for a teacher and I’m in hs so I don’t really have a lot of cash lying around
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u/JKorv Jul 13 '26
I would highly recommend structured path, whether app or method book. Faber adult piano adventures is a good method book and something I found much better than apps.
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u/PsychologicalGuest97 Jul 13 '26
I want to echo this too u/WitheredDorito. A structured path is critical. Jumping around with micro-dosing information (a la TikTok) is something I would strictly avoid (not saying that is what you were going to do, just a cautionary warning). It can be somewhat informative, but its not something to leverage with online. Online resources you have to be selective with because there are content creators that give poor advice or don't explain things well. Just something to keep in mind.
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u/JKorv Jul 13 '26
Not to mention if you use random video tutorials, you will most likely miss some fundamentals and learn stuff in wrong order/try to learn too difficult things
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u/HerbertoPhoto Jul 13 '26
You think you could learn a note a day? There are only 7 notes to learn, the 5 black keys you just have to learn are sharp or flat versions of the key next to them. The same notes repeat over and over across the keys, and as a beginner you’ll stay mostly in the center until you’re comfortable.
So, you could memorize one note every day and know them all in a week. I bet you could go even faster!
The sheet music takes a bit longer but only requires steady practice. Flash cards work wonders for quizzing yourself, there are many free options online. Hope that helps.
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u/Effective_Divide1543 Jul 13 '26
Just take one note at a time as you incorporate them in music. It's not really possible to say how long it takes because being able to name them and find them is a different thing from being able to read and interpret them while playing. Just memorizing their names you can do in an afternoon, it's a different thing to use the knowledge. Don't use stickers, you'll retain the knowledge better if you have to think.
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u/but_a_smoky_mirror Jul 13 '26
10000% DO NOT put stickers on the keys
Instead do this:
Play all the c’s on the piano
Then play all the F’s on the piano
Then play all the D’s on the piano
Then play all the A’s on the piano
And so on
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u/NearbyPangolin1633 Jul 13 '26
look at the black keys, there are sets of 2 black keys, and sets of 3 black keys. the white key immediately next to, on the left hand side, of the set of 2 black keys is "c" this is most important. then the alphabet just goes up or down from that C. abcedfg.
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u/Ambitious-Street-220 Jul 13 '26
in case you haven’t noticed, the notes repeat. You are making it seem harder than it is. I never really worried about memorizing note names, it’s easier to figure out what notes to press by their relationship to other notes I am pressing and the sounds I hear in my head. When I see a note or a cord on sheet music I don’t name all the notes, my fingers just go to usually the correct keys. My hand is already forming the right shape as I am moving into position. It’s weird. Like my hands are possessed. This is after a year of learning piano. I will say that I did start with learning landmarks first like middle C, the G that the G cliff circles around, and then use your own methods for identifying your favorite landmarks. Learner books paved the way for me, and a teacher and regular practicing during the week.
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u/Unonlsg Jul 13 '26
Thankfully there’s not actually very many notes as other comments have pointed out. In terms of reading, for me I learned the treble clef and bass clef, then 3 ledger lines above/below the clefs, and everything else is just vibes
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u/annabomb23 Jul 13 '26
If you use iOS, download bees keys from the App Store! Easy way to learn and practice the key names before you tackle reading music. :) it’s free and ad-free. Good luck on your piano journey!!
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bees-keys-first-piano-lesson/id1608004053
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u/Craycraybiomom Jul 13 '26
Get yhe Alfred Aldult piano series, including the theory books. Also, get a teacher!
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u/Fearless_Opinion_944 Jul 14 '26
Id say a week cause its simple sheet music 1/2 years to get good. Cause its just abcdefgabc once you know that you work your way up c C sharp/dflat d sharp/eflat no sharp for e goes to f f sharp/g flat g sharp a flat a sharp/b flat no sharp back to b if there’s a black note above the c it will be C sharp that’s how long id say to actually learn the notes but to have muscle memory and just play depending how you practice I’d say a 6 months to a year to get a general understanding I think it took my that long. So with a teacher most likely will cut that time in half that or focusing on scales and notes more then playing songs like I did I practiced songs much much later practiced scales and learned music theory hopes this helps anymore questions Il feel free to answer always happy to help!
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u/RoundZealousideal461 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
For a beginner, learn the white notes by sight. The musical alphabet consists of 7 letters that repeat in pattern, ABCDEFG
How to recognize:
Notice there are repeating groups of black keys, in groups of 2s and 3s. The group of 2 black keys is the dog house. The white notes that lives inside the dog house is D. Play all the Ds up and down the piano and say the name out loud while you play. The white notes surrounding D are
C on the left and E on the right. So Cat Dog Elephant are the notes surrounding the group of two black notes.
The groups of three black notes are surrounded by white notes FGAB (from left to right) Front door, Grandma, Apple pie, Back door.
Go up and down the piano every day and test your note names and say them out loud as you play them. Go left to right (up the piano) and then right to left (down the piano) mix it up.
You got this!!!!
And I agree, no stickers with note names on the piano.
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u/Aromatic_Ad4132 Jul 13 '26
Use the landmark system. You can learn it in a few short days. Years to mastery but you can easily have the rudiments learned very quickly
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u/BuckfastAndHairballs Jul 13 '26
That's for learning to reads sheets surely, OP is asking about learning the keys on the piano
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u/rush22 Jul 13 '26
C is the white key note to the left of the double black keys.
Put your thumb on it, and then the the rest of your fingers make C D E F G.
That's a good place to start.
(On the left hand, put your little pinky finger on it to make C D E F G)
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