Learn
Meet the notes
Tap, listen and explore. There are no scores here.
Theory
The keyboard: find C
Black keys come in groups of two and three. C is the white key just to the left of two black keys.
Play C, then its neighbours. Right is higher; left is lower.
Octaves: another C, higher up
After B comes another C, higher up. From one C to the next C is an octave.
Listen to two notes with the same name. How are they different?
Tap a key: 1 and 2 share a name in neighbouring octaves.
Time runs from left to right. One complete rise and fall of a line is one vibration. The higher note fits twice as many into the same time: it sounds one octave higher.
LowerC4261.6 Hz
One octave higherC5523.3 Hz
Wave 2 makes two vibrations for each vibration of wave 1.
Pure sine waves, equal normalized amplitude. The loudness envelope is omitted.
The staff: five lines
Notes sit on five lines and in the four spaces between them. Count lines and spaces from the bottom.
Tap the staff or a key. Short extra lines help notes fit beyond the staff.
Tap the staff. Arrow keys change the note; Enter or Space replays it.
Clefs: which note goes where
A clef helps us read notes. Treble marks G on the second line from the bottom; bass marks F on the fourth.
Choose a note on the staff, then switch clefs. Its position changes, but its sound stays the same.
Notes C3–C5. Changing the clef keeps the same sound.
Tap the staff. Arrow keys change the note; Enter or Space replays it.
Accidentals: one small step
A sharp ♯ raises a note by one semitone; a flat ♭ lowers it. On a keyboard, that is the very next key to the right or left, whatever its colour.
Try both signs. A natural ♮ cancels the change and restores the original note.
Tap the staff. Arrow keys change the note; Enter or Space replays it. Choose the staff position here and the accidental above.
No black key between E–F or B–C
Ready to find some notes?
Try a game: look at a note and find its key.
Practice: play freelyGo to music gamesFor grown-ups: about these explanations
Letter names are C, D, E, F, G, A, B. We also show Russian fixed note names: до, ре, ми, фа, соль, ля, си. The number tells octaves apart: C4 and C5 are two different Cs.
This introduces individual notes, rather than a complete course. Durations, bars and key signatures come later. We use international B, not German H. The exercises and drawings are original to this workshop; you can check the basic concepts against these public learning resources: