Piano Basics · Chapter 7 of 9
Black Keys: Sharps and Flats
The black keys get their names from their white neighbors. A sharp is one key higher; a flat is one key lower.
The black keys don’t have letters of their own. Each one is named after a white key next to it, with one of two words added:
Sharp ♯
One key higher, to the right. The black key just right of C is C♯, “C sharp.”
Flat ♭
One key lower, to the left. The black key just left of D is D♭, “D flat.”
Look closely: C♯ and D♭ are the same key. Every black key has two names, a sharp name and a flat name. Which one you use depends on the music, and you’ll see why in Reading Music. On the keyboard below, each black key shows both names.
Half steps and whole steps
A half step is the distance from one key to the very next key, black or white, with nothing in between. It is the smallest step on a piano. C to C♯ is a half step. So is C♯ to D.
A whole step is two half steps: skip one key. C to D is a whole step (C♯ is in between). E to F♯ is a whole step too.
Two places with no black key. Between E and F, and between B and C, there is no black key. So E to F and B to C are half steps, even though both keys are white. Remember those two pairs; they matter in every scale.
Sharps and flats on white keys
Now and then, music puts a sharp or a flat on a note that leads to a white key. E♯ is one key higher than E, which is the white key F. C♭ is one key lower than C, which is B. They’re rare in beginning music, but now you know they exist.
Remember
- Sharp ♯ = one key higher. Flat ♭ = one key lower.
- Every black key has two names, like C♯ and D♭.
- Half step: the very next key. Whole step: two half steps.
- E–F and B–C are half steps, with no black key between.