Lesson Plan: How to Find Middle C on the Piano
Have you ever sat down at an old piano and noticed that one key toward the center of the keyboard is well-used and worn down?
That key just might be one that is the very first note most piano players learn in their very first lesson: Middle C.
Middle C is also know as “C4”, meaning on a full-size 88 key piano, it’s the fourth C from the low end of the keyboard.
In this article, I’ll walk you through EXACTLY how I show my students how to find Middle C.
Finding Middle C Warm-up
First, be able to tell the difference between your right hand and your left hand. (This is especially important for very young pianists). Hold up your left hand. Then hold up your right hand.
With your left hand, play all of the white keys on the piano. Then repeat with your right hand.
With your left hand, play all of the black keys on the piano. Then repeat with your right hand.
Notice… Which side of the piano makes LOW notes?Which side of the piano makes HIGH notes?
Finding Middle C Piano Lesson
Let’s begin by learning the Musical Alphabet.
The Musical Alphabet is a lot like the alphabet we use to spell words, but it’s a lot shorter. The Musical Alphabet starts at “A” and goes to “G”. When it gets to “G” again, we loop back around to “A”!
A B C D E F and G
Now that we know the musical alphabet, we can use the black keys to help us find C.
Play all of the groups of 3 black keys.
Play all of the groups of 2 black keys.
Each white key on the piano has a letter name. The first one we find is “C”. “C” lives to the LEFT of the TWO BLACK keys.
Find all of the C’s on your piano!
Musical Example: “C is to the Left of the Two Black Keys”.
Check out this catchy piano lesson song about how to find C. It’s called “C is to the Left of the Two Black Keys”:
Finding Middle C
Middle C is an important note on the piano. It is the place where the right hand and the left hand meet. The right hand is in charge of all the notes to the RIGHT of Middle C, and the left hand is in charge of all the notes to the LEFT of Middle C.
On a full size piano, Middle C is the fourth C from the left. It is also called C4.
Middle C lives very close to the middle of your keyboard, often times right in front of the BRAND NAME of your piano or keyboard.
Middle C Jam
Play a chord progression in C to improvise over. Play middle C and experiment with rhythm. Then, use all of the C’s on their piano using both hands. Get creative and silly! You’re making music!
Have fun with this lesson— there are tons of different ways to approach this. Some students will get this in half of their lesson, and others may take a whole lesson to find Middle C.