Shape Of You On Piano Letters? The 7 Latest Answer

A team by Ed Sheeran

Afterglow by Ed Sheeran

Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran

Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran

Not by Ed Sheeran

Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran

Happier by Ed Sheeran

How Would You Feel Paean by Ed Sheeran

I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran

I See Fire by Ed Sheeran

Addicted to You by Avicii

All you need is love from Avicii

Amnesia from 5 Seconds Of Summer

Another Love – Dimitri Vangelis and Wyman Remix by Tom Odell

Baby from Clean Bandit

Bad Blood from Bastille

Bad Liar from Imagine Dragons

Faith by Shawn Mendes

Believer by Imagine Dragons

Believer alternate version of Imagine Dragons

Best Fake Smile by James Bay

Best friends from The Weeknd

Birds by Imagine Dragons

Blame Me by George Ezra

Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

Broken Arrows by Avicii

Budapest by George Ezra

I Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd

Carry Me ft Julia Michaels by Kygo

Cherry wine from Hozier

Count on Me by Bruno Mars

Dawn FM by The Weeknd

Dear boy from Avicii

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Diamonds by Sam Smith

Die for You by The Weeknd

Don’t Break My Heart by The Weeknd

Don’t Matter Now by George Ezra

Earned by The Weeknd

Enemy of Imagine Dragons

Exceptional from Clean Bandit

Fade Into Darkness by Avicii

False alarm by The Weeknd

Father told me about Avicii

Finesse Remix for Cardi B by Bruno Mars

Firestone and Conrad Sewell by Kygo

Follow you from Imagine Dragons

For A Better Day – KSHMR Remix by Avicii

Gorilla by Bruno Mars

Grenade by Bruno Mars

Artisans of Awolnation

Heartless by The Weeknd

Sky of Avicii

Here I Am by Tom Odell

Hey brother from Avicii

Hollow Moon – Bad Wolf by Awolnation

Hope There’s Someone by Avicii

How do I make you love me? by The Weeknd

I Bet My Life by Imagine Dragons

I Feel It Coming by Daft Punk by The Weeknd

I’m not the only one from Sam Smith

Icarus of Bastille

If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

In My Blood by Shawn Mendes

Into The Night of The Weeknd

Inaugurated by The Weeknd

Is there anyone else from The Weeknd

It’s not me from Kygo

It Will Rain by Bruno Mars

It’s time from Imagine Dragons

Jackie and Wilson by Hozier

The Way You Are by Bruno Mars

Cheer Up by Birdy

Kissland by The Weeknd

Leave Your Lover by Sam Smith

Less Than Zero by The Weeknd

Let her go with the passenger

Let It Go by James Bay

Plains of Avicii

Liar Liar by Avicii

Liar Liar – Avicii by Avicii by Avicii

As I Can by Sam Smith

Like real people from Hozier

Banned From Heaven by Bruno Mars

Lone Star by The Weeknd

Lonely Together by Rita Ora from Avicii

Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

Monsters from Imagine Dragons

Natalie by Bruno Mars

Nervous by Shawn Mendes

No Shame from 5 Seconds of Summer

Not Your Fault by Awolnation

Nothing more to say from Imagine Dragons

Forgotten by Bastille

At the top of the world of Imagine Dragons

One last song by Sam Smith

Outside the time of The Weeknd

Patience by Shawn Mendes

Pompeii from the Bastille

Pompeii – Audien Remix by Bastille

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Rather be from Clean Bandit

Sam Smith reboot

Victims of The Weeknd

Sail through Awolnation

Save your tears from The Weeknd

Say Something by A Great Big World

Say you won’t let go of James Arthur

Say You Won’t Let Go (Acoustic Version) by James Arthur

Secrets of The Weeknd

Shame on Me by Avicii

She looks so perfect from 5 Seconds of Summer

Shotgun by George Ezra

Shots – Broiler Remix by Imagine Dragons

Silhouettes of Avicii

Solo feat Demi Lovato from Clean Bandit

Someone new from Hozier

Song 6 by George Ezra

Speed ​​- Burn and Lotus F1 Team Mix by Avicii

Starboy from The Weeknd

Stargirl Interlude with Lana Del Rey from The Weeknd

Starry Eyes by The Weeknd

Stay With Me by Sam Smith

Engravings by Shawn Mendes

The show stolen by Kygo

Strange Birds by Birdy

STRANGER THINGS FT ONE REPUBLIC by Kygo

Stronger from Clean Bandit

Take me to Hozier Church

Take My Breath by The Weeknd

Talk to myself from Avicii

Tears for Clean Bandit’s Louisa Johnson

Teeth of 5 seconds of summer

Tell your friends about The Weeknd

I like that from Bruno Mars

The days of Avicii

The Hills of The Weeknd

The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars

The Nights of Avicii

The Nights FIFA 15 Soundtrack by Avicii

The Party and The After Party by The Weeknd

Thunder by Imagine Dragons

Tiptoe by Imagine Dragons

Too Late by The Weeknd

Treasure by Bruno Mars

Schatz – Audien Remix by Bruno Mars

Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes

Two million from Avicii

Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars

Versace on the floor of Bruno Mars

Waiting for Love by Avicii

Wake Me Up by Avicii

Warriors from Imagine Dragons

What would you do from Bastille?

When I Was Your Husband by Bruno Mars

Wings by Birdy

Without You by Avicii

X You of Avicii

XO – The Host of The Weeknd

You make me by Avicii

Young girls live on Bruno Mars

Recently added Por Besarte by Lu

Por Besarte by Lu

Forever Young by Blackpink

Locomotive by ITZY

Us by Regina Spektor

Two Birds by Regina Spektor

Ode to the Divorce of Regina Spektor

Fall in love with Gold Motel

Santa Cruz by Gold Motel

Runaway Horses by Philip Glass

Mishima Closing by Philip Glass

At least we tried Gold Motel

Counterclockwise from Gold Motel

Always one step ahead of Gold Motel

Oh yeah by Crowd Lu

Your own spirit of Gold Motel

Walk Idiot Walk through The Hives

Puttin’ On The Ritz by Taco

The Sun of Maroon 5

Wed Sexy Chambelan by Colibritany

The Outer Worlds Title Theme (Hope) by Justin E Bell

Planxty Burke by Turlough O’Carolan

Heart Attack by LOONA CHUU

Solved by Stone Temple pilots

Selected by Blxst

See you through from Sample Kulture

Pictures at an Exhibition – Gnomus by Modest Mussorgsky

Lifetime by Swedish House Mafia ft Ty Dolla Sign and 070 Shake

Cold shoulders from Gold Motel

Slow Emergency by Gold Motel

Ready for Love by BLACKPINK

The Long Way by Moonchild feat Chantae Cann and Josh Johnson

End of the Night by PHONY PPL

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard countdown

Protect Her by Sabrina Claudio

The hype of Twenty One Pilots

Strike middle C first, then play the next seven white keys in sequence, going up (to the right) on the keyboard.

C, D, E, F, G, A, B and the next key you play would be a C, one octave higher. The button pattern is repeated here. You actually just played a C major scale. Here are the note names for the C major scale: Moving up from C, you have the notes D, E, F, G. When you get to G, think of “Go” as in “Go Back.” to the beginning of the alphabet, A and B.”

The major scales are usually written with eight notes, and the interval between the first and last note is an octave. For example, the C major scale is usually written as C D E F G A B C, with the initial and final C an octave apart. Two notes separated by an octave have the same letter name and pitch class.

If you are just venturing into the world of piano playing, you may be wondering what are the best easy piano songs to get started. Music consists of pitch – the actual sound of the note – and rhythm – how fast or slow you move from one note to the next. When you start playing the piano, the easy piano songs will be the ones that don’t move too much on the notes and have a fairly simple rhythm.

When playing the piano, of course, two hands are used at the same time. However, if you’ve never played or haven’t played for long, it’s best to start with songs you can play with one hand. When learning a song at any level, it’s always best to learn each hand separately before beginning to play the song hands together.

Also keep in mind that you need to use the most logical finger for each note, and this may take a little experimentation and figuring out what works best for you. Once you find the best finger for each note to move around easily, make sure to use the exact same finger every time you play the notes and that will make it a lot easier.

Here are seven easy piano songs for beginners to get you started.

1. Sparkle Sparkle

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is always popular, especially with young students, but adults who are just starting out can benefit too. Start by placing your right thumb on the note C. All the notes you need are below your fingers, except for the highest note, which is just a note above your pinky. Watch this video to see how to play Twinkle Twinkle and give it a try:

2. Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday is a very useful and easy piano song that beginners can learn to play. If you’re at a birthday party and happen to have a piano or keyboard nearby, you can lead the singing and it might help people sing to a specific tune! Like Twinkle Twinkle, place your right thumb on C and the first half of the song falls nicely under your fingers. However, there is an octave jump – from the C you start on to the next C. If you play the higher C with your pinky, then the next set of notes is directly under your fingers. There is also a black note – a B. Try a few with the help of this tutorial:

3. Jingle Bells

The chorus of Jingle Bells is one of the best piano songs to learn because there are many repeated notes and almost everyone knows the melody. Knowing a melody always makes learning a song easier than playing one from sheet music you’ve never heard before. Although the verse is a little more complex, it’s not too difficult. Check out this tutorial from Jingle Bells and give it a try:

4. Hallelujah

If you’ve mastered a few songs using just your right hand, it’s time to take it to the next step and learn how to use your left hand. All music is chord based, so learning basic left hand chords is a logical step and a great tool to play any song. One of the most beautiful yet easy piano songs for beginners is Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. You can start learning how to play chords with your left hand while playing the melody of the song with your right hand in the following video:

5. Havana

Havana is such a beautiful fun song! It has a slightly more complex melody in the right hand and that off-the-beat rhythm that makes it more challenging. For the chorus, the left hand has a pattern that repeats over and over, so once you get that up and running, you’ve got it. There are a couple of right hand chords first, then we get to the actual melody. This video gives you a really easy to follow tutorial on how to learn each hand and then put them together. Although not as easy as some songs, you might think it’s one of the easiest piano songs if you take it step by step.

6. Prelude in C major by Bach

Bach’s Prelude in C Major is one of the best easy piano songs to learn if you want to start playing classical music on the piano. It’s a notch higher in difficulty than the other easy beginner piano songs mentioned here because it involves more keyboard movement and requires two hands to sound right. This is because the melody is split between the hands, but no two notes are played at the same time. In other words, you only play one note at a time even though you are using two hands.

When you listen to the piece, you don’t particularly notice that two notes aren’t played simultaneously, and that’s because the notes are held down in the left hand while you play the notes in the right hand.

The other great thing about this song is that each note pattern appears twice. So once you have the pattern in each measure and play it through, next repeat the same pattern.

As you read the sheet music to this easy beginner piano song, you may be put off because it looks a lot more complex than it really is. Just make notes one at a time and you will get there. Use the repeating patterns to look ahead to the next action and figure out what’s next.

This video is the first in a series of short videos that will walk you through each hand and do the review with you. This is a very good way to learn it.

7. For Elise

If you’ve mastered Bach’s Prelude in C major, you might be ready to tackle Beethoven’s Für Elise. Amazingly, it’s one of the most famous piano pieces of all time and one of the easiest easy piano songs to learn once you’re comfortable playing it two-handed.

Fur Elise includes a few black notes and some of the jumps between notes are wider than in Bach’s C major Prelude, but once you’ve worked your way through these easy beginner piano songs, you should be up for the challenge. The first section of Fur Elise is the best part of it for beginners. The second section is technically a pretty big leap, so try just playing the first section for a while. Everyone knows that anyway and your friends will be amazed!

Learning to play the piano can be difficult, but the journey just got easier with these seven easy piano songs for beginners. In addition to these pieces, having the best tools and music lesson apps really makes a difference. With Tonara Studio, your practice sessions will be more engaging and fun, allowing you to practice more and improve your game.

If you’re looking for a piano teacher but don’t know where to go, be sure to check out all the piano teachers we offer with Tonara Connect!

Summary: Shape of You

In this Ed Sheeran song lesson, we’ll cover all the pieces that go together to build something that sounds amazing! It’s a great track for anyone using a loop pedal as all the parts work really well together, and there’s also a simpler version that works really well for beginners.

The melody: Less is more!

We start with the main melody in the song. It is a 4 note melody based on the C sharp minor scale. Start by just playing the notes in order and once you get comfortable with that, try incorporating the 16th note mutes to add a bit more funk, like Dan does in the video!

Here are the notes on the fretboard, remember to play staccato (ie keep the notes from ringing) to get that funky sound.

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Shape of You – Ed Sheeran Melody Notes

The chords: barre chords or capo chords

This melody consists of 4 chords. C#m, F#m7, A major & B flat major. Below we have the beginner/intermediate barre chords or the easier capo chords.

Perfect Chords – The Best Way to Play Ed Sheeran’s Hit Song!

Ed Sheeran’s perfect chords are easy to play and easier to remember – let’s dive into this beautiful ballad!

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In this free lesson you will learn…

How to play this beautiful Ed Sheeran song

How to use floating chords

How to effectively learn the structure of a song

Why it’s important to learn songs in sections

The perfect chords for the perfect song!

There isn’t a musician in the world who can deny the wonderful, therapeutic benefits of sitting down and playing a beautiful song.

Sure, there’s the thrill of taking a few songs in front of an open mic and editing them for some people, getting positive vibes and instant feedback.

Performing is great fun, and sharing songs with people in a jam session or sing-along is a big part of the reason many of us pick up an instrument in the first place.

Basically, relating directly to the music and immersing yourself in a song is what fills the soul, and we can do that all on our own.

There are special songs for times like this when we just need to stick to our music, and one of those songs is Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.”

This song has everything you need for some serious guitar self-care, and we’ll cover it all for you here.

The chords are easy enough for a beginner, and we have some suggestions that will guide you through those perfect chords, even if it’s your first time playing guitar today.

You’ll learn how to play that beautiful, bold rhythm on the guitar that Sheeran uses in his recording so you can keep time while creating your own arrangement.

We give you different ways to play the chords at different levels so you can choose how to accompany these desperately in love lyrics.

First, let’s dig a little bit about this song so you can make a deeper connection!

Perfect chords: background

Let’s listen to Perfect while we learn a little about where this beautiful pop song came from and the artist behind it.

Perfect was the number one Christmas song in the UK in 2017. It was very popular in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, reaching number one on those charts as well.

Sheeran wrote this song as the first track on his album Divide. It was the fourth single released from the album in 2017.

Perfect went straight to the UK charts and has reached the ears of people around the world, proving that the most personal songs can have the most universal impact.

At its core, this is a simple love song—the kind that works best with two or fewer people in the room.

You see, Perfect is a true story! Sheeran wrote it about his then-girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn. He knew her at school, and just as life imitates art, life imitates, they got back together years later.

There’s an amazing number of gigantic hits written from a tiny idea, and Sheeran got his while listening to music at 6:00 p.m.

He went into the studio to see if he could flesh out a snippet and by the end of the day he had Perfect.

Whether this information encouraged you to book studio time or throw your guitar out the window, it’s quite amazing to know that such a wonderful song has come out in such a short amount of time.

Don’t throw your guitar out the window, for the record – maybe learning the perfect chords will inspire you to write your own perfect song!

Learn the 12 EASIEST beginner chords with our famous FREE guide

✓ Stop fighting. Start making music.

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✓ This is our most popular guide and will quickly improve your chord skills.

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Perfect Chords: The Key

If you were to just sit down and try to play the perfect chords along with the recording, you’d be quite disappointed to find that it’s impossible to match the song to any of the halfway achievable chords you already know and love.

That’s because Sheeran recorded Perfect in the key of Ab major.

We all know that A flat major is not a friendly key for the guitar because we can’t play simple open chord versions of the main A flat chords: A flat, Db and Eb.

Sheeran probably did this because that key suits his vocal range — but that doesn’t mean he sat down and wrote the song in the key of Ab.

It is reasonable to assume that the perfect chords were originally set in the key of G major. In fact, he plays live versions of the song, like this one, in G major.

The key of G major is a nice friendly key for the guitar because it is possible to play most chords in open position.

To play the perfect chords in the key of Ab major, you need to do one of two things: either learn barre chord shapes for all chords, or use the key of G major chords and set your capo on the first fret.

Capos are easy to use if you remember the chromatic scale, the names of all the notes on the guitar.

You don’t need to know where the notes are on the guitar; You just need to know their order.

In the chromatic scale, Ab is a semitone, a fret, higher than G.

To play in Ab with the basic chords of G, just set your capo on the first fret and you’re good to go!

Pro tip: Capo math is easier than it seems!

You can use the chromatic scale to figure out where to place your capo.

This allows you to play a song in different keys without having to learn new chord shapes. If you’ve completed this lesson, you’ll know everything you need to know about using a capo.

Perfect Chords: The Chords

Now that we’ve overcome the obstacle of the key of A flat major, let’s look at playing the perfect chords in G major. Capos are optional!

For you absolute beginners on the guitar, this song is a quick and easy win!

You can play Perfect using some Stepping Stone chord shapes.

Here is an arrangement of the perfect chords using two finger stepping stone shapes.

g (320000)

(If you don’t understand the image above, please see our How To Read Guitar Chordboxes In 60 Seconds article. It will make everything clear!)

Em (022000)

C (xx2010)

D (xx0210)

The G and Em chords are good chord change practice, and so are the C and D chords shown above.

Work on it in pairs and then start stringing all those chords together.

You can get through the entire song with just these four chord shapes!

When you’re ready to go a little beyond these stepping stone chords, you can incorporate the fully open versions of these perfect chords.

The Em chord is the same, and the G and C chords just add one finger.

Add a simple D chord and you have enough for the whole song.

G (320003)

Em (022000)

C (x32010)

D (xx0232)

As with the stepping stone chords, the G and Em chords are a relatively easy switch.

You don’t even have to move the finger you have on the A string and you can use it as an anchor to help you change chords.

However, C to D is a harder chord change.

You can make it easier by focusing on your ring finger, which is on the third fret in both chords. Move your ring finger first and build the chord shapes around it, and we promise you’ll improve fast!

Perfect Chords: A Song in Three Parts

There are three basic perfect chord progressions, and if you learn each of the three individually, it’s fairly easy to string them together and play the entire song.

verse

We call the verse the part where the chant begins: “I found a love for me.”

The chord progression for the verse is one of the most useful things you will ever learn on guitar. It’s so useful it has a name! A couple of names!

That’s how it’s done:

G Em C D

Repeat this twice for the verse.

The numerical name for this chord progression is I-vi-IV-V.

The numbers are taken from the musical alphabet and are a standardized chord numbering system. For example, if G is one, count to six and you have E. The six is ​​a lowercase Roman numeral because it’s a minor chord.

The progression is also known as 1950s progression because so many songs written in the 1950s follow this pattern.

We’ll never talk about this advancement without giving you the best example, Rodgers and Hart’s 1934 “Blue Moon.” This version is by the Marcels.

It’s also known as a doo-wop progression for the same reason.

Choir

The next section of this tune begins with the line “Cause we were just kids when we fell in love.” We’ll call this the chorus.

It’s sometimes called pre-chorus, but that just doesn’t feel right.

For one thing, this part of the song feels like the actual sing-along part. Choruses are usually anthemic, meaning the melody is bold, compelling, and easy to remember.

Also, and more importantly, the chord progression for the refrain is the same or nearly the same as that for the verse above, with an optional modification.

You can insert a Dsus4 at the end of the line by adding your pinky to the D chord. It looks like this:

DSus4 (xx0233)

The progression is then:

G Em C |Dsus4 D|

The bridge

The bridge of Perfect is the part of the song that doesn’t flow like the other parts of the song. That’s why we call it a bridge.

That’s the part that starts with “Baby, I’m dancing in the dark.” Elsewhere it may be referred to as chorus.

Changing the chord progression is important.

The chord progression for this part of the song involves the same chords but in a different order.

It’s a bit more complicated, but you can manage it:

|Em C|G D|Em C|G D|

|Em C|G D|Em C|G D|

|G D Em D|C D|

For the final slice of these perfect chords, the G-D-Em-D chords only get one beat each. This might sound like a big challenge, but with a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it.

Pro tip: reading tablature for the first time?

It’s pretty intuitive once you get used to it. The horizontal lines are your strings (flipped) and the numbers are frets.

A big stack of numbers means a chord shape! For more information on navigating tablature, see this lesson on reading guitar music.

Download our lead guitar cheat sheet to make things easier

It can be confusing for guitarists to understand which scales work with which keys.

With that in mind, we created a cheat sheet; a clef and scale finder you can use over and over again.

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Perfect Chords: The Rhythm

Perfect is a great song for understanding how compound meters or triplets work.

You can hear it well in the recording.

This song is in slow four, but compound meter means each beat is divided into three instead of two. Hence the “triplet feeling”.

To emulate the rhythm Sheeran uses in the recording, pluck several strings at once “claw” style and count the triplets like this:

One and one Two and one Three and one Four and one

Pluck the fat beats a little harder to emphasize the beat. As simple as that!

You can pluck any string that sounds good to you, but to get an idea, try it out by using your thumb on the lowest-sounding string.

Perfect chords: The structure

Now that we know all the parts of the song, let’s arrange those perfect chords. There’s no introduction to this song – it’s an a cappella intro that goes straight into the verse, so play the first chord when you get to the word “Love.”

Here’s the structure summarized to help you get through the whole song.

Verse: G Em C D (x2)

Choir: G Em CD (x2)

Bridge: |Em C|G D| (x4) then |G D Em D|C D|

verse

Choir

Bridge: |Em C|G D| (x4)

Verse (instrumental): G Em C D (x1)

Bridge: |Em C|G D| (x4)

Ending: |Em D|C D|G D Em D|C D| G

A full chart of lyrics and the perfect chords themselves can be found here!

The perfect chords for a perfect ballad

When you learn a song like Perfect, you learn so much more than just a song—you learn structure.

We went through stepping stone chords, practicing chord changes, different progressions of the same chords, and a rhythm lesson, all thanks to Ed Sheeran.

Take these ideas and make your own beautiful ballad for your special someone!

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Music for children What is a musical note?

Why are there only 12 notes in western music?

A piano labeled with the 12-note names used in Western music. Image: Getty

By Rosie Pentreath

A scale running from C to Bb, with five equal flats and sharps in between, makes up pretty much all melodies in Western music—but how did we get those 12 notes?

All melodies and harmonies in Western music typically consist of only 12 notes.

Whether it’s a sumptuous symphony, a thriving concerto, or your favorite song, it will contain 12 well-known tones—and be based on known intervals between those tones—that have been identified, refined, and used throughout Western music history to create the melodies created that we know and love today.

But why only 12 notes? Why don’t we use more, and how can the impressive depth and breadth of music we’ve been gifted come from such a limited collection of sounds? All will be revealed so read on…

Read more: Why do pianos have 88 keys?

What 12 tones are used in western music?

Western music typically uses 12 notes – C, D, E, F, G, A, and Bb, plus five flats and equivalent sharps in between, which are: C#/Db (they’re the same note, just named differently depending on the key used), Db/Eb, F#/Gb, G#/Ab and Ab/Bb.

So the last order of the 12-note chromatic scale upwards is C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ap, A, A sharp/Bb, and Bb (see picture above).

Click here to listen to the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2021 Playlist on Global Player

Why are there only 12 tones and how did they come about?

These 12 notes were typically used to compose most of the Western music we hear. The reasons why music has landed on these particular notes can be summed up as a convergence of convenience, science, and listener preference.

And – how we split an “octave”. So how do we get this?

All sounds are the result of waves, and the frequency of the waves determines the pitch of the sounds we hear. For example, high-pitched pitches or notes have high frequency. But when it comes to our familiar 12 notes, it’s not just about frequency – in fact, frequency didn’t create that set of 12 notes.

We typically only use 12 notes in Western music because of the spaces — or intervals — between notes.

Pieces of music are known solely because of these intervals. Think of the nursery rhyme “Baa baa Black Sheep” – it’s still the same “Baa baa Black Sheep” when you start on the note C as if you start on B, or indeed if it’s sung by a person with a deep, deep voice is sung as if it were being sung by a person with a very high pitched voice. For performers and music theory fans, that’s “transposing.”

Read more: What are modes and how do I use them?

Certain intervals typically sound better – or rather more harmonious; naturally; Adaptation – to the human ear than others.

The most harmonic interval between tones that we hear is the octave, i. H. two tones played eight tones apart. In what is known as “octave equivalence,” notes that are eight tones apart have the same name and sound roughly “equal” to the human ear, but only in higher or lower versions.

From a scientific point of view, there’s also harmony: to make a note an octave above one at 220 Hz, you simply double it to 440 Hz. It all fits together like a fairly convenient musical math puzzle.

What are the “most harmonious” intervals?

Most tuning systems around the world tend to create music around this most comfortable octave interval. And once we have that octave, it’s about how we split it up. And this divide in Western music focuses on intervals that are “harmonic,” like the octave.

The next most pleasing intervals are the perfect fifth and the perfect fourth. Most Western melodies are built around a journey between these interval relationships of octave, perfect fourth, and perfect fifth.

Other intervals that typically sound pleasing, sure, and resolved to the human ear are major and minor thirds, and major and minor sixths. All music with these intervals sounds more “harmonious” and pleasant than dissonant and shrill.

The dissonant intervals are minor and major seconds (also called tones and semitones) and major and minor sevenths. Two notes played side by side are difficult to hear – and it is in these spaces that composers occasionally add a touch of dissonance to contrast the light of harmonic sounds. It builds the tension and relaxation essential to making music catchy and engaging.

If a piece only has harmonic intervals, it will sound pleasant, but not much more. Ask Beethoven – he was an absolute master at combining dissonance with harmonies to create an irresistible and enduring body of melodies.

In short, that’s how we landed on our 12 notes—a mix of enough intervals that are harmonious and comfortable, with just a tense interval or two to add a touch of color.

Read more: Classic FM’s glossary of useful music terms

Is any music composed with more than these 12 notes?

More than 12 notes exist in actual sound waves, and these are most commonly studied in what is known as “microtonal” music – music that uses the notes between notes.

If the 12 notes of the typical scale exist because of intervals and how we divide the octave that we talked about, it’s about finding a new way to divide that octave to find alternative pitches. There are Western composers who have done this, including Ivan Wyschnegradsky, who created 24 notes between a note and the octave above, and Harry Partch, who tore up the rule book and composed 43 different notes within the octave.

The catch with microtonal music, and music that explores adding extra notes with odd intervals, is that it tends to sound less pleasing to the ear because it contains more intervals that aren’t our pleasing perfect fifth and perfect fourth (see above) .

The melodies and harmonies built by microtones can sound too dissonant for them to not catch on universally.

Of course, tones outside of the typical 12 can also be reached by instruments that do not depend on a set of keys, such as violins and trombones. And of course detuned game!

Read more: Alto Saxophonist Shares His Amazing Trick of Playing 128 Notes in an Octave

What about pop and rock music?

Yes, the same 12 notes. Western popular genres tend to use the same notes and intervals that we hear in classical music.

A few popular genres have had artists experimenting with microtonalism and using the “notes between the notes”, including Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa who have done so successfully.

And music around the world?

Talking about 12 notes in music is generally true of Western music and some other parts of the world, but is certainly not an exhaustive system for all music.

Arabic music has had a 17-note scale since about the 13th century, although the modern Arabic tonal system now divides the octave into 24 notes instead of 12.

And Indian classical music, including raga, creates color between notes well beyond the limited 12 notes heard in Western music. Indonesian gamelan also uses a different scale.

And of course, throughout human history there are many, far more diverse ways in which music makers have “split” the octave into different notes to create sensational melodies.

As you can see, the note C is the leftmost note in our 12-note pattern.

Because of this, it’s easier to think of the order of the piano notes as C to C, rather than A to A. C is our starting note because it happens to be the first note of each 12-note pattern.

But remember, there isn’t really such a thing as the “starting note” on the piano, or in music in general. The notes go on endlessly in both directions, up and down, …D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F…, without end or beginning.

Still, it’s handy to think of a note as if it were the starting point. It just makes the notes easier to learn, easier to remember, and easier to visualize.

very happy

96 BPM

Double time at 192 BPM can also be used.

3 minutes and 54 seconds

C♯/D♭

irrelevant

high energy

very danceable

4 beats per measure

“Shape of You” is an Ed Sheeran song with a tempo of “The Track” runs with a key and mode. It has and is with a time signature of