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I was taught to do improvisation by practising playing random tunes using just the black keys on a piano, and although it had a very oriental sound, the tune was quite pleasant if you introduced enough variation when playing.
I am wondering if there are any pieces written using only the black keys for piano, or even pieces written for other instruments with the same notes.
You have stumbled across the PENTATONIC SCALE. Of which there are two - major and minor. Ascending, by starting on F#/Gb, you have the major pent., start on D#/Eb and it's the minor. The five notes (hence pent!) work well and harmoniously together, with nothing that clashes (is dissonant).
These notes work well together, as the 'avoid notes' as we call them, are actually avoided - from the full major and minor scales. In F#, those notes are the 4th and 7th, B and E# respectively. Played together,they produce the Devil's interval, thought to be dissonant for many centuries. Although now often used in Blues music. On that tack, by adding the flattened 5th (A) the pent turns into the Blues scale.
There are many tunes that only use the pentatonic scale notes, Amazing Grace being one of the best known. Although the harmony to most of these tunes will include the avoid notes. Google 'Penatonic melodies'. Please note that they may well NOT be in the key which is quoted - F#/D#m - but will still only contain the appropriate notes, but in other keys - and can still be played purely on the 'black keys' on a keyboard.
Yes any piece written in they key of f# pentatonic will only use the black keys on the piano. That is actually how I teach people how to figure out the notes of the pentatonic scale. If you start on f# the key will only have the notes of the black keys on the piano.
a saxophone solo called Zebra Crossing by Andy Scott has an odd arrangement for the pianist's hands - the name Zebra Crossing comes from the Piano part, the left hand plays mostly black notes whilst the right hand plays mostly white notes, and towards the end of the piece the hands cross over, hence the name Zebra Crossing. It is a UK grade 6 sax exam piece.
The liner notes of Pete Townshend's album Scoop say that the intro to Love Reign O'er Me was composed entirely on the black keys, as it's in Eb minor.
