[RockofStrength]

"If the piano fundamentally outlines anything, it is the A minor (aeolian) scale" Are you saying this because the D note is the symmetrical white note, and it lies in the center of the A minor scale? A similar argument could be made for Eb minor, because the Ab note is symmetrical.

An interesting phenomenon is that C Ionian harmony can be 'flipped' to A Aeolian by mirroring all the notes around the central D. The C chord becomes A minor, G7 becomes Dm6, F6 becomes Em7. The melody can switch as well; the contour is reversed yet the tune retains its essence.

[drumdance]

My reading is that since notes are labeled A to G, one might intuitively assume the "natural" order is A to G.

[nwjtkjn]

Also, the lowest or "first" key on most pianos is an A.