When playing piano, how do I know which octave the piece starts on?

Answer 1

yaktur...you need absolute pitch (commonly known as 'perfect pitch') to be able to distinguish one note from another (knowing which sound is which note) when you're only listening and not looking at the score. few people have this talent. you're either born with it or you aren't. you can't learn absolute pitch, you can only strengthen your relative pitch to help you deduce which note it is from another reference note which is given to you.

to the questioner: i assume you're a beginning pianist? because trained pianists will be able to tell which note the piece starts on just by looking at the score. unless you're talking about trying to listen for which note the piece starts on without looking at the score. a good reference point when looking at your score is middle C, which most of the other answerers have already described.

Answer 2

Back uppp! It might be better to back it up just a little bit until you have command of such terminology like chords and octaves. Those are the most important and should be locked! in your brain. Fortunately octaves are mad easy to remember so follow me through the mystical land of octaves! An octave is one letter to the same letter 8 notes up. For example: A B C D E F G A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 note "A" and the next note "A" is called an octave. (hence "oct" for 8 like octagon) Example of octaves of C C D E F G A B C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 here's one in the key of G (the major scale that has one sharp) G A B C D E F# G 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The notes also, (if you wanted to know this) have a frequency of vibrations. Actually all sounds that reach our ear have to have first vibrated to even been have been produced.. The note "A" has a vibration of 440 vibrations per second. An octave up from that is 880: twice as much. For a guitar or a cello if you play a string and then play the octave note on the same string you're actually shortening the string by half. pretty cool, huh? FINALLY another way to remember what's what in magical world of octaves.. the note A looks like all the other note A on the keyboard. The reason why you're pinky doesn't reach is probably because you're spanning more than an octave; which is reasonably difficult. and there you have it. music is the coolest thing ever IMHO and congrats on taking time to learning it.

Answer 3

I would say that your notation should reveal what octave you should begin. If you see "8va......" that would mean an octave higher than written.

Regarding Middle C: It is called Middle C because anciently, written staffs (staves?) were run close together, allowing a single line to separate the treble from the bass clefs. Now, the grand staff is separated ideally for the eye and Middle C is always located on the ledger line between both clefs.

Answer 4

The answerer who said Middle C is the third space on the treble clef is wrong. Middle C is on a leger line between the two clefs. It never moves, actually none of the notes ever move. The third space in the treble is the C above middle C. The first line on the treble is always the E above middle C. All the treble lines and spaces occur within the first 10 notes above middle C and all the Bass lines and spaces are the first 10 notes below middle C. All other notes would have leger lines to describe them.
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Middle C is always your reference point and as indicated by the responder who answered above me it is always located one ledger line below the treble staff. On the piano, Middle C is the "C" most nearly in the center of the piano.

Answer 6

I'm a little surprised to hear a pianist ask this. I also play piano as well as bass and trombone. Are you not able to distinguish a note just by hearing it? It should come as naturally as breathing.

Answer 7

Middle C is the ledger line below the treble clef.