On a piano, how do you know when to use the black keys?

Question

I Just started teaching myself how to play the piano, and I can play the songs perfect...but I'm not sure when to use the black keys....please help me.

Alright...thanks for the answers, but I need help, it says the sharps and flats are beside the notes, but what happens when the notes are like this? http://ichigos.com/content/music/pdf/gravitationsleepless_beauty.pdf Please help me!!

Answer 1

if you're reading a piano piece, the notes with the sharp and flat signs are for the black keys...

Answer 2

Well... when it sounds good.
Those are called sharps and flats. Every note has them, except there are no B# (which is the same as a Cb) or E# (which is the same as an Fb). Which you can tell, because, surprise, there's no black key between those notes. For instance, Hark to the bells is a G Gb G F. Which is a white, black, white, white. It takes some musical theory and lots of practice before you know which note would sound better as a sharp or a flat. It can be easy and EXTREMELY complciated at the same time.
Good luck on your future piano playing.
-D

Answer 3

The black keys are called sharps or flats.
The sharp (#) means you play the black key to the right of the white key.
The flat (♭) means you play the black key to the left of the white key.
In A minor and C major you do not need to use the black keys.

The music you are playing has a flat at the beginning of each treble and bass line on the B line.
This indicates that you are either in the Key of F major or the Key of D minor where you play B flat (♭= to the left) instead of B whenever you see a B note.
The exception is when you see a natural sign before the note.
After a natural sign you always play the white note.
I do not see any natural signs in Sleepless Beauty Sacred Air Remix.
It stays in D minor until it switches to D major at the end with the F sharp (#).

Answer 4

You need to pick up a book on Music theory. It is just too difficult to put into words properly, but a good theory book will help explain. You are probably translating melodies into the key of C, which does not use the black keys. However, if you try to play your version of a song while the radio is on, you will note that many of your songs do not match what the tone of what is coming out of the radio (or a CD).

Keep up the good work! You can probably Google "basic piano theory" and "scales" to understand when the black keys come into play.

Answer 5

It's been a while since my first music lessons way back when, but I recall that a full octave actually consists of 12 notes; that's accomplished by 7 white keys and 5 black keys. It seems rather random but in reality, if you learn the scales and start practicing them, you'll see how the randomness of it all suddenly falls into a very logical pattern. I forget all the theory behind it, but it does make sense when you figure it out.

Answer 6

When the score calls for them. If you haven't learned to read music, you need to do so. The black keys are called sharps and flats; the key between A and B is called A sharp or B flat (the terms are interchangeable).

Answer 7

oh you'll know. When you're just playing on the white keys and something doesn't sound right to you, that's when you start trying out the black keys that are by the note that doesn't sound right. The black keys are all of your sharps and flats! You need them!

Answer 8

Use the black keys when playing "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater."
:-)

Answer 9

sharps and flats

Answer 10

When your are not sure ask Dr. Phil..........everyone knows that!!