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Notes & the Musical Alphabet

Understand the 12 notes, semitones, and octaves that form the foundation of all music.

Notes & the Musical Alphabet

Music has only 12 notes. Once you know them, everything else is just patterns.

Start with a piano keyboard visual.

The 12 Notes
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The chromatic scale — all 12 pitches in Western music.

  • C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B
  • Then back to C — one octave higher
  • Sharps (♯) raise a note; flats (♭) lower it

Play each note on piano/guitar as you name it.

Semitones & Octaves
summary

A semitone is the smallest musical distance. 12 semitones = 1 octave.

  • Guitar: each fret = 1 semitone
  • Piano: adjacent keys (including black) = 1 semitone
  • Octave: same note, twice the frequency