Hey Jim...why are there black keys and white keys on a piano?

piano keys

The black keys and white keys on a piano are used to play different notes. The white keys are for the tones of the C major scale, C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The black keys are for the sharps and flats, which are the notes between the white keys. For example, the black key between C and D can be called either C sharp or D flat.

The black keys and white keys also help you to identify the octaves on a piano. An octave is a group of 12 notes that repeat the same pattern. There are seven white keys and five black keys in each octave. The black keys are arranged in groups of two and three, which makes it easier to find the white keys by their position.

Interestingly, on pianos dating from the 18th century when Mozart was alive, the colors of the keys was exactly reversed: the white keys were black and the black keys were white. This was because the white keys were made of ebony, a dark wood, and the black keys were made of ivory, a light material. However, this changed over time as ebony became more expensive and ivory became illegal to use.

Contact me for all your piano tuning and repair needs in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri area.