Every pitch in Western music at a glance.
Western music uses twelve unique pitches, repeating in every octave:
| # | Note | Enharmonic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | — |
| 2 | C# | Db |
| 3 | D | — |
| 4 | D# | Eb |
| 5 | E | — |
| 6 | F | — |
| 7 | F# | Gb |
| 8 | G | — |
| 9 | G# | Ab |
| 10 | A | — |
| 11 | A# | Bb |
| 12 | B | — |
After B, the pattern starts over at C — one octave higher.
- Sharp (#) — raises a note by one half step
- Flat (b) — lowers a note by one half step
- Natural — cancels a sharp or flat
A half step is the smallest distance between two notes — one key to the next on a piano, one fret on a guitar.
A whole step is two half steps.
Most natural notes have a sharp/flat between them, but two pairs don't:
- E to F — half step (no note between them)
- B to C — half step (no note between them)
All other adjacent natural notes are a whole step apart.
Notes that sound the same but are spelled differently: C# and Db, D# and Eb, F# and Gb, G# and Ab, A# and Bb. Which name you use depends on the key.
The natural notes — no sharps or flats:
C D E F G A B
These are the white keys on a piano. The black keys are the sharps/flats between them.