The document describes the process of developing a piano keyboard layout. It starts with a single note and adds more in half-step intervals. Various configurations are tried alternating black and white notes before arriving at the standard layout with alternating black and white notes every few keys to allow fingers to reach both comfortably.

1. 1
Understanding the Piano Keyboard

2. 2
 Let’s let this white rectangle represent a
single note on a piano.

3. 3
 The distance between any two notes is called
an interval.

4. 4
 The distance between two adjacent notes is
called a chromatic interval (or half-step)
 Lets add a few more half-steps…

5. 5
 Let’s add even more half-steps…
 Now we have 8 notes – each adjacent pair of
notes is separated by a half-step.

6. 6
 Lots of notes – with each adjacent pair still
separated by a half-step.
 In order to better organize these notes, let’s
alternate the colors between white and black.

7. 7
 Lots of notes – with each adjacent pair still
separated by a half-step.
 In order to better organize these notes, let’s
alternate the colors between white and black.
 Hmm... This doesn’t help much. Let’s change
every other black note back to white.

8. 8
 Oops… Forget this change.
 Let’s go back again.

9. 9
 Hmm… How about changing every third
black to white?

10. 10
 Not quite what we’re looking for…
 Let’s try changing every fourth black note to
white.

11. 11
 I think we’re getting closer.
 How about a combination of the last two
options?

12. 12
 This looks pretty good.
 Let’s stretch out the white notes so that our
fingers can comfortably reach both black and
white notes.

13. 13
 Now we’ve created an actual piano keyboard!
 This looks pretty good.
 Let’s stretch out the white notes so that our
fingers can comfortably reach both black and
white notes.