Colours of keys

[Bill Kibby]

It's the shape and position of the keys which is important and they have been made in other colours. Originally, the naturals were dark wood such as ebony, and the sharps were white, but around two hundred years ago, the present colouring had become more popular for pianos. The layout of the keys (regardless of colour) began as a single scale on one level, then sharps or flats were added, and by about four hundred years ago, the keyboard had achieved its modern pattern, although not on every instrument that was made. There are many books which deal with the long and complicated history of the development of the keyboard.