Reading notes
Middle C
Middle C is the C nearest the middle of the piano: the fourth C from the left on an 88-key keyboard, called C4 in scientific pitch notation. On the staff it sits on the first ledger line below the staff in treble clef, on the first ledger line above the staff in bass clef, on the third line in alto clef and on the fourth line in tenor clef.
Read it, then play it
Play the note you see on the staff. The exact key counts: how high the note sits tells you which octave.
Middle C in every clef
Every clef can write middle C, which is why it is the best note to learn first: once you find it, you can count to any other note.
- Treble clef
- Bass clef
- Alto clef
- Tenor clef
Finding it on the keyboard
Look for the pair of black keys nearest the middle of the keyboard, often right under the brand name. Middle C is the white key just to their left. On an 88-key piano it is the fourth C from the left; on a 61-key keyboard, the third.
C4, and its other names
In scientific pitch notation middle C is C4, and the octave number changes at every C: the B just below it is B3. Some keyboards and music software call it C3 instead. It is the same key either way.