← Music Theory · Foundations · about 15 min
The musical alphabet
Seven letters, twelve notes, and the pattern behind them all.
Seven letters
Music uses just seven letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Then it starts over: A B C D E F G A B C D E F G…
Moving to the right on a keyboard goes up the alphabet. Moving to the left goes down.
Twelve notes
Between most white keys there is a black key. Count every key, white and black, from one C to the next C. There are twelve different notes.
The distance from one key to the next one is a half step. Two half steps make a whole step.
The only places with no black key between white keys are E to F and B to C. Those are natural half steps.
Sharps, flats, naturals
| Symbol | Name | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| ♯ | Sharp | Up one half step |
| ♭ | Flat | Down one half step |
| ♮ | Natural | Cancels a sharp or flat |