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Names of the white keys

Seven letters, repeating: C D E F G A B. Korean and many European countries also use do re mi fa sol la ti.

Letters and syllables

Letter	C	D	E	F	G	A	B
Syllable	do	re	mi	fa	sol	la	ti

Musicians name the white keys with the first seven letters of the alphabet. The pattern starts at C because C is easy to find, but the letters themselves run A to G, and after G the next key is A again. In much of Europe, Latin America and Korea people also sing the notes with syllables: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti. Korean also has its own letter names, which you will see in Korean music books: da, ra, ma, ba, sa, ga, na for C to B. That is why middle C is called gaon da in Korean.

After B the pattern starts again at C. Two landmarks help: C is left of the two black keys, F is left of the three black keys. From those two you can count to the rest. D sits between the two black keys, so it is the easiest key of all to find without looking. G and A sit between the black keys of the three-group, and B is the white key just right of that group.

The black keys take their names from the white keys beside them. The black key just right of C is C sharp, written C♯, meaning a little higher than C. The same key is also D flat, D♭, meaning a little lower than D. Which name is used depends on the piece, but the key and the sound are the same. You will meet sharps and flats properly in a later course; for now it is enough to know that every black key has a name borrowed from a neighbour.

A good way to learn the names is to practise in both directions. Say C D E F G A B going up, then B A G F E D C coming down, touching each key as you say it. When you can name any white key without counting from C, you are ready to read music.

BackgroundThe syllables come from a medieval hymn to Saint John the Baptist, Ut queant laxis, whose words date from the 8th century. In the 11th century the monk Guido of Arezzo noticed that each half-line of its first verse started one step higher than the last, and used the first syllable of each (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la) to teach singers new melodies. Ut later became do in most countries, and a seventh syllable, si, was added. English speakers usually change si to ti.

C	do
D	re
E	mi
F	fa
G	sol
A	la
B	ti

C do D re E mi F fa G sol A la B ti then C again

Sing the first five

Saying the names out loud while you hear the notes ties the name to the sound. Press Listen to hear the first note, then press Sing and sing do re mi fa sol into your microphone. The meter fills up when you are within about 40 cents of the target, and the next note plays once you hold it. Your voice is analysed in the browser and nothing is recorded or sent anywhere.

Try it

Which white key is just left of a group of three black keys?
- C
- E
- F
- B
What comes after B?
- A
- C
- H
- D
Which letter is "sol"?
Put these in keyboard order from left to right.
E is the white key just right of…
- the 2-black-key group
- the 3-black-key group
Which white key sits between the two black keys of a two-group?
- C
- D
- E
Which letter is "la"?
Who used the syllables ut re mi fa sol la to teach singers?
- Guido of Arezzo
- Bartolomeo Cristofori
- Johann Sebastian Bach
Starting on C and counting white keys up, which letter is the 5th key?
Which white key is just right of the three-black-key group?
- A
- B
- C

Key points

C D E F G A B, then C again.
Landmarks: C left of the 2-group, F left of the 3-group.
Syllables do re mi come from Guido of Arezzo.