The notes are the symbols that denote the specific sound that the instrument should produce. The positioning of each note on the staff will tell you the pitch needed. But those are not the only things that it indicates. Notes have specific durations and timing that corresponds to the beat of the song.

Every piano has white and black keys that count up to 88 keys. The white keys represent seven natural notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B), while the black keys represent sharp (#) and flat notes (♭). The notes on the piano are reproduced in octaves, so once you learn the equality of the octave notes, you can use them across the keyboard.

Every note you see on the music staff communicates 3 different things: the pitch, the rhythm, and the articulation. Pitch refers to what note you should play. Rhythm refers to how long you should play the note. Articulation refers to how you should play the note.

Translated from Latin, the term “note” means “sign” or “mark”. Notes, like the letters of the alphabet, are graphic symbols. On the stave, each note represents a certain sound and its duration. By the appearance of the note outside the staff, we can only judge its duration.

Piano notes run low to high from left to right. If you’ve ever run your fingers across the keys, you can hear the pitch incrementally rising or falling (depending on which direction you’re going). The inside of your piano is built so that higher notes have a smaller, faster vibration. The lower piano notes have longer, slower vibrations.