Photo: Pixabay

What is the hardest key to write?

There is an order of the keys in terms of difficulty, and it is counterintuitive. The most difficult key is C major! In general, the keys that are easiest to learn are simultaneously the least natural for the hand. As a rule of thumb, the more black keys in a given key signature, the more comfortable it will be.

key-notes.com - Playing in All Keys - Key-Notes

Why do people make weird faces while playing guitar?

Guitar players make funny faces when performing live because they are fully focused and committed to the sounds they are producing. This level of...

Last updated Oct 27, 2020

What key does jazz use?

The Ionian scale, aka the major scale is one of the most commonly used scales in jazz music. This scale has been used countless by some of the...

Last updated Mar 7, 2021

Promotion

Playing in All Keys

Question: Hello Albert, Your site and its contents along with your explanations are exceptional, and I am enjoying reading it all. It seems to speak to me. Q: Which key do you tend to “mess around in” when not actually performing, and why? As an adult male of 63 years, I have tended only to use C major to amuse myself over the years, as the use of the black keys tend to “get in the way” as I am not very confident just yet, but I am very willing to try. Is there an order of difficulty with any of the keys, and which of the other keys would be suitable to get me out of this rut without demoralising me too much? Also, what is the title of the piece of music you play in your introduction to your site? (I think it may be one from Bach’s 48 preludes and fugues), and could it be downloaded from the site? Thank you in advance. – Paul (UK) Albert’s reply: Thanks for your very kind comments, Paul; they’re greatly appreciated. I make an effort to play in all keys when improvising, playing common chord progressions and transposing. If I notice myself playing in any one key too much, I then deliberately avoid that key. There is an order of the keys in terms of difficulty, and it is counterintuitive. The most difficult key is C major! In general, the keys that are easiest to learn are simultaneously the least natural for the hand. As a rule of thumb, the more black keys in a given key signature, the more comfortable it will be. D-flat major and F-sharp major are perfectly natural for the hand, whereas the “natural” key of C major is actually the most difficult. The very first principle of piano fingering – Chopin’s hand position – explains why. I therefore recommend learning the keys from the bottom of the Circle of Fifths and working your way towards C major. First learn each piano scale and as you practice the scale learn the chord progressions for that key. Once you have done so, playing in all keys will be natural for you. Speaking of C major, the piece in my introductory video is the C major Prelude from Book 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. I’d be happy to offer it for download – thanks for asking! (I’ll find the file and add it to the site.)

What is your second finger called?

index finger The index finger (also referred to as forefinger, first finger, second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secundus,...

Last updated Jul 23, 2022

Is GIF a real word?

Did you know that “GIF” is actually an acronym? There has been some debate surrounding the question of what does GIF stand for, but creator Wilhite...

Last updated Jul 6, 2022

Promotion

How many octaves is 88 keys?

7¼ octaves By the 1890s, today's modern keyboard had become established with 88 keys spanning 7¼ octaves (from 2A to C5; 27.5 Hz to 4,186 Hz*).

yamaha.com - Trivia:Why Can't There Be More Than 88 Keys on a Piano?

The piano that Bartolomeo Cristofori first invented in Italy had only 54 keys. As piano music developed and evolved, the keyboard compass was gradually expanded in response to requests from composers who sought a broader potential for expression. By the 1890s, today's modern keyboard had become established with 88 keys spanning 7¼ octaves (from 2A to C5; 27.5 Hz to 4,186 Hz*). The human ear can hear sounds in the range from approximately 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, but the upper limit of frequencies that the human brain can discriminate is at the very most around 4,000 Hz. Even if the compass were to be expanded by increasing the number of keys on the piano, to the human ear, the extra notes at the bass end would become nothing more than a rumbling noise, and the added treble notes would be heard as an unpleasant dissonant noise with no sense of being in a tonal range, and thus, musically, would be almost meaningless. Boesendorfer is making 97-key pianos with nine additional keys in the bass segment of the keyboard (2C to C5). However, the strings for these nine keys in the lowest bass segment are really only there to provide a richer sound when other keys are played by resonating with them. In reality, the extra keys themselves are almost never played directly. * When A is tuned to 440 Hz. The pitch of the individual keys will vary depending on the tuning method.

How many songs are in Simply Piano?

Additionally, this course has over 120 songs in its library. However, despite having a lot of songs and several different genres, it is noticeable...

Last updated Oct 14, 2018

Is a 6th chord also a 13th?

Dominant chords with a 6th are: Dominant chords with 6th are called 13th chords. May 27, 2021

Last updated Mar 5, 2020

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

What is the number 1 hardest language to learn?

Mandarin Chinese 1. Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world....

Last updated Nov 21, 2022

Promotion

Why do I cry at classical music?

Tears and chills – or “tingles” – on hearing music are a physiological response which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, as well as the...

Last updated Jul 4, 2021