A musical keyboard comprises one or more handboards, where each handboard has a two dimensional arrangement of keys. The columns are formed by an octave of conventional piano keys. The rows are formed by subdividing the conventional piano keys. First the keys are subdivided into a front key area with wide white keys and optionally thin extensions of the black keys, and a rear key area with white and black keys. The front and rear key areas are each further subdivided into rows of octaves. Two octaves of a note can be played with the same finger, and a hand can span a three octave range.