Piano 101

Besides guitar, piano is one of the most commonly played instruments. Many people take piano lessons at some point in their life, and it makes its way into most genres of music. Some people get overwhelmed by piano because on the surface, it seems far too complicated and intricate. But just by learning the basics, you can accomplish a lot.
 
Music is made of notes. These notes are arranged on a scale-- A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, with sharps and flats in between. The white keys are whole notes (A, B and so on), and the black keys are the sharps and flats (A#, Bb, etc.).

The easiest way to remember which keys go where are to look at the groupings of black and white. C, D, and E are grouped with two blacks, and F, G, A, and B are grouped with three. For the sharps and the flats, you simply remember this: shaRp is to the Right, and fLats are to the Left. This twelve-note scale is known as an octave. The right hand plays the high octaves, and the left hand plays the low ones.

Just like with guitar, multiple notes played together makes a chord. A simple chord is made of three notes, and a full chord is four. For example, a C major chord is C, E, and G played together, and to make it a full chord, you would also play the C that is an octave higher (making four notes altogether). For most piano songs, the left hand plays either simple or full chords, which called is the base line or harmony, while the right hand does the melody, or the notes.