The Musical Alphabet: Learn A Through G
Music uses seven letter names, A through G, which repeat in higher and lower octaves. Learn the letter cycle before adding sharps, flats, or staff positions.
How the seven musical note names repeat
The letter after G is A, not H in the American naming system used here. An octave contains another version of the same letter at a higher or lower pitch. Letter names organize written music; they do not divide the octave into seven equal distances. The gaps E–F and B–C are smaller than the other natural-letter gaps.
Follow the note sequence from A to the next octave
On a keyboard, find a group of two black keys. The white key immediately to their left is C. Move right across the white keys to name C, D, E, F, G, A, B, then the next C. On guitar, those letters remain the same even though some adjacent letter names are two frets apart.
Try it in practice
Say C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C forward, then backward. Play that sequence slowly on one instrument, naming each pitch before playing. Next, begin on F and continue through the wrap from G to A. Check yourself by finding C again rather than always restarting the alphabet at A.
Avoid a common mistake
Do not assume adjacent letters are always adjacent piano keys or guitar frets. Sharps and flats supply the pitches between many natural letters. Also separate the letter from its register: C4 and C5 share a pitch class but are not the same sounding note. Use octave labels when comparing instruments.
Read the visual example
What to learn next
Connect this lesson to Treble Clef Notes: Lines, Spaces, and Landmarks, then try Note Values: Whole, Half, Quarter, and Eighth Notes.
References and further learning
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