Musical keyboard

The musical keyboard, also known as the piano keyboard is a way of arranging parts of a musical instrument which produce notes.

Many musical instruments which have a key for each note lay them out in this standard way: the piano, harpsichord, clavichord, organ, synthesizer, celesta, and carillon keyboards. Also, instruments such as the xylophone which have a separate sounding part for each note lay them out in this pattern.

The twelve notes of the Western musical scale are laid out with the lowest note on the left; the seven larger keys (for the "natural" notes of the C major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B) jut forward, with the sharp and flat keys less prominent. The pattern then repeats at the interval of an octave. Early harpsichord and organ keyboards have a range around 50 notes; the modern piano has 88. The standardization of white natural keys and black sharp keys began in England in the 18th century.

Non-standard musical keyboards

• Accordion keyboard
• etc...

See also:

• Just intonation
• Equal temperament