The course › Unit 1: Discovering the piano
Lesson 2 of 72 · Groups of two, groups of three, and your first improvisation
Look at the black keys: they come in twos, then in threes, then twos, then threes… all along the keyboard.
These groups are your map: they’re how you’ll find every note, without ever counting keys.
Groups of two in orange, groups of three in blue.
Did you know?: A piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black. The same pattern of 12 keys (7 white, 5 black) repeats from one end to the other.
Play the two black keys of a group of two, together. With a mouse, click them one after the other.
The three black keys, together.
Quick: the group asked for, or the black key named.
The five black keys make a pentatonic scale: however you mix them up, they always sound good together.
You’ll find this scale in music all over the world: Chinese songs, Scottish tunes, blues, spirituals…
Why this way: Improvising from day one, with no fear of wrong notes, builds your ear and the joy of playing. Modern methods (Faber, for example) start on the black keys for exactly this reason.
The computer plays a gentle accompaniment. Improvise on the black keys only, with your right hand: long notes, short notes, going up, going down… Everything you play will sound good!