Handout 1: The Musical Alphabet

What You’ll Learn:

The 7 letters that make up ALL of music

How the black and white keys on your keyboard are organized

How to find ANY note on your Casio CT-X9000IN using the black key trick

What “Middle C” is and why it matters

What an octave is (the same note, higher or lower)

Only 7 Notes — That’s It!

Here is the best-kept secret in music: there are only 7 natural notes. Just seven. They use the first 7 letters of the English alphabet:

A - B - C - D - E - F - G

After G, it starts over at A again. It just keeps cycling:

... A  B  C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C ...

Think of it like the days of the week — after Sunday, you go back to Monday. After G, you go back to A. The notes sound similar but higher each time you cycle forward (or lower going backward).

These 7 notes correspond to the white keys on your keyboard. Every white key is one of these letters. No exceptions.

Your Keyboard: A Map You Can Read

Look at your Casio CT-X9000IN. You see white keys and black keys. At first it may look random, but there is a clear, repeating pattern.

The black keys are grouped in twos and threes:

Notice the pattern: 2 black keys (between C-D-E) then 3 black keys (between F-G-A-B). This repeats across the entire keyboard.

This pattern of 2 blacks + 3 blacks repeats across the entire keyboard. It is your map. Once you can spot the groups, you can find any note.

Here is a cleaner view of one complete group of 7 white keys (one “octave”):

The trick: The group of 2 black keys always sits between C, D, and E. The group of 3 black keys always sits between F, G, A, and B.

Finding Notes: The Black Key Trick

You never need to count from the left end of the keyboard. Instead, use the black keys as landmarks:

Finding C

C is always immediately to the LEFT of the group of 2 black keys.

Look at your keyboard. Find any group of 2 black keys. The white key right to the left of that group? That is C. Every single time.

Finding F

F is always immediately to the LEFT of the group of 3 black keys.

Find any group of 3 black keys. The white key right to the left? That is F. Always.

Finding the rest

Once you know where C and F are, the others fall into place:

C - left of 2 black keys
D - between the 2 black keys
E - right of 2 black keys
F - left of 3 black keys
G - between the first and second of the 3 black keys
A - between the second and third of the 3 black keys
B - right of 3 black keys

The highlighted keys show the “landmark” positions: C = left of 2 blacks, E = right of 2 blacks, F = left of 3 blacks, B = right of 3 blacks.

What About the Black Keys?

The black keys are notes too! Each black key has two names (we will explore this more in later handouts). For now, here are the basics:

A sharp (#) means “one key to the right” (includes black keys)
A flat (b) means “one key to the left” (includes black keys)

So the black key between C and D can be called C# (C sharp) or Db (D flat) — same key, two names. Think of it like a person who goes by both their first name and a nickname.

We will cover sharps and flats properly later. For now, focus on the 7 white keys.

Middle C: Your Home Base

Your Casio CT-X9000IN has 61 keys. That means there are multiple C notes across the keyboard. Middle C is the C closest to the exact middle of your keyboard.

On your 61-key CT-X9000IN, Middle C is roughly in the center — find the group of 2 black keys that is closest to the middle and press the white key just to the left. That is Middle C.

Why does Middle C matter?

It is the starting point for most beginner pieces
It is where your right hand and left hand “meet” on the keyboard
It is the note that sits right between the two staves in written music (you will learn about staves in the next handout)

Think of Middle C as the “home” key — the place you always come back to when you are lost.

Octaves: The Same Note, Higher or Lower

Since the musical alphabet repeats (A B C D E F G A B C D E F G…), there are many C notes on your keyboard — many D notes, many E notes, and so on.

The distance from one C to the very next C (going right for higher, left for lower) is called an octave. The word comes from the Latin word for “eight” because if you count from C up to the next C (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C), that is 8 notes.

An octave has a special property: the two notes sound like the “same” note, just higher or lower. Try it — play any C on your keyboard, then play the next C to the right. They sound related, like a parent and child version of the same sound.

Your CT-X9000IN has about 5 complete octaves. That means 5 complete sets of A-through-G.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Find Every C

Starting from the leftmost key on your CT-X9000IN, find and play every C note across the keyboard. Use the “left of 2 black keys” trick. Count how many C notes you find. (You should find about 5 or 6.)

Exercise 2: Find Every G

Now do the same thing for G. Remember: G sits between the first and second keys of the 3-black-key group. Play each G from left to right and listen to how the same note sounds higher each time.

Exercise 3: Name That Key

Close your eyes, place your finger on a random white key, then open your eyes. Using the black key groups as your guide, identify which note you landed on. Do this 10 times.

Exercise 4: Play the Alphabet Forward and Backward

Find Middle C. Play up the white keys: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. Say each letter name aloud as you play. Now play back down: C-B-A-G-F-E-D-C. Repeat until it feels natural.

Exercise 5: Octave Jumps

Find Middle C. Play it. Now jump to the next C to the right (one octave up). Then jump to the next C above that. Now come back down. Listen to how each C sounds “the same but different.”

Quick Quiz

How many natural note names are there in music? → Answer: 7 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)
How do you find the note C on the keyboard? → Answer: It is the white key immediately to the left of the group of 2 black keys.
What is the repeating pattern of black keys on the keyboard? → Answer: Groups of 2 and groups of 3, alternating across the keyboard.
What is an octave? → Answer: The distance from one note to the next note with the same name (for example, from one C to the next C) — a span of 8 notes.
Where is Middle C on the Casio CT-X9000IN? → Answer: The C closest to the center of the 61-key keyboard, just to the left of the group of 2 black keys near the middle.

Key Takeaway

All of music is built from just 7 notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. The black keys on your keyboard are grouped in 2s and 3s, and this pattern is your permanent map for finding any note. Once you can spot the groups of 2 and 3 black keys, you can find every note on the keyboard without guessing.