The notes on the keyboard

The black keys come in groups of two and three. That shape is how you orient yourself: C is always the white key immediately to the left of a group of two black keys.

This keyboard lights the notes of C major — C, E and G — with a dot marking the root. You can press any key to hear it.

The white keys are the seven natural notes: C, D, E, F, G, A and B. After B the pattern starts again in the next octave, in the same order.

Chords on this site are named with letter notation, since that is what most sheet music and songbooks use. Worth knowing: some countries use the letter H instead of B, so names like “H” or “Hm” refer to what we call B.

Every black key has two possible names. Seen from the white key on its left it is a sharp (♯); seen from the white key on its right it is a flat (♭). The key between C and D is both C♯ and D♭: same key, same sound, two names.

Which name you use depends on the key you are in, not on preference. In A major that key is called C♯; in E♭ major, D♭. Chords here are shown with sharps by default: C♯ major.

There are two places with no black key: between E and F, and between B and C. That is why in practice you do not hear about E♯ or F♭, nor B♯ or C♭.

The same notes appear in several places, so the question is fair — and the answer is that there is no single correct position. To the left the keys sound low and dense; to the right, high and bright.

The middle is the most neutral region and the one used most for accompaniment. When a chord has many notes, or when you want more depth, the usual move is to separate the bass from the rest: that is what voicings is about.