Today we’ll learn about the black keys on the keyboard.

We’ll be getting into semitones, tones, sharps and flats.

But first … here are the answers from the last edition …

Tones And Semitones

• Semitones make up the smallest distance between two notes. It is sometimes called a half step.
• To make a semitone go from one note to the next adjoining note. This is sometimes a black key, or it can be a white key (look at E and F, and B and C)
• Tones are the result of 2 adjoining semitones. They are made up of 3 adjoining keys and will make a triangle. The tone can be made up of 2 black keys (with a white key in the middle), two white keys (with a black key in the middle) or two adjoining white keys next to a black key
• When we raise a note by a semitone it is called a sharp and is shown by #.
• For example, from Middle C to the next note up (the first in a group of 2 black keys), the black key will now be called C sharp and will be written as C#
• If we lower a note by a semitone we use the flat sign b.
• For example, from D to the next note down (the first in a group of 2 black keys), the black key will now be called D flat and will be written as D b
• This means that each black key will have two names. If we rise up a semitone we must give it a “sharp” name. If we lower it a semitone we have to use the “flat” name.
• Tip: We have seen that there are semitones that only use white keys (E to F, B to C).  These will still use sharp and flat names.
• For example, another name for F is E sharp; another name for E is F flat. See if you can work out the other names for B and C are.
• You should now be able to name all the notes on a keyboard. Test yourself by starting from the lowest note and naming all the keys using all their aliases!

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