The white keys use only the musical alphabet A through G.
Letter names
Piano keyboard with letters
A piano keyboard with letters uses only seven white-key letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. After G, the letters restart at A while the octave number changes.
ABCDEFGABC
A#C#D#F#G#A#Most beginners label from C because it is easiest to locate visually.
Middle C is usually written as C4 in scientific pitch notation.
Why the letters do not start on A
The musical alphabet starts on A, but piano beginners usually start on C because C is easy to find beside the two black keys and many first songs use C major.
How octave numbers work
The same letter appears many times on the keyboard. C4, C5, and C6 are all C notes, but each one sits in a different octave.
Use letters before reading sheet music
Letter labels help beginners connect the keyboard to sound. Once the pattern is familiar, sheet music notes become easier to map to the keys.
White-key letter sequence
| Starting key | Next letters |
|---|---|
| C | C D E F G A B |
| F | F G A B C D E |
| A | A B C D E F G |
FAQ
Quick answers
What letters are on piano keys?
The white piano keys use A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
Do black keys use letters?
Black keys use the nearest white-key letter plus sharp or flat, such as C sharp or D flat.
Should beginners label every key?
Temporary labels can help, but learning the two-black-key and three-black-key pattern is more useful long term.