Solfege: do re mi fa sol la ti explained
Solfege (also solfeggio) gives each note of a scale a syllable: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, then do again. In movable do, do is the first note of whatever key you are in. In fixed do, do is always the note C. Singers use it to learn pitch and to read music.
Solfege is a way of naming notes with syllables instead of letters. If you have heard the song Do-Re-Mi from The Sound of Music, you already know the idea. The syllables are easier to sing than letter names, and they carry a sense of where each note sits in the scale. Choirs, ear-training classes and music schools around the world use them. This page covers the syllables, the two main systems, the hand signs and the extra syllables for sharps and flats.
What are the solfege syllables?
The seven syllables are do, re, mi, fa, sol, la and ti, and then do again at the octave. Some teachers write so instead of sol and si instead of ti. In English-speaking countries ti is most common. The syllables stand for the steps of the major scale, from the first to the seventh. They are sung to the pitches of the scale, so the whole run is one rising stepwise line, which is a good way to train the ear.
| Scale step | Syllable | In C major |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | do | C |
| 2 | re | D |
| 3 | mi | E |
| 4 | fa | F |
| 5 | sol | G |
| 6 | la | A |
| 7 | ti | B |
| 8 | do | C |
Where does solfege come from?
The names go back to an eleventh-century Italian monk, Guido of Arezzo, who taught singers using a Latin hymn to Saint John. Each line of the hymn began one step higher, and the first syllables of the lines (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la) became the names of the notes. Later, ut was replaced by do, which is easier to sing, and ti was added for the seventh step. The system has been in use for about a thousand years.
What is movable do?
In movable do, the syllable do is always the first note of the scale, whatever key the music is in. In C major, do is C. In G major, do is G, and in B♭ major, do is B♭. The pattern of steps between the syllables stays the same in every major key, so a melody sounds like do-mi-sol in any key. This builds a sense of how a note functions in the key. Movable do is the standard in the United States and in the Kodály method.
What is fixed do?
In fixed do, each syllable always names the same pitch. Do is always C, re is always D, and so on, whatever the key. That is how the syllables work in France, Italy, Spain, Russia and much of Latin America, where they are simply the names of the notes. Fixed do is useful for naming notes on an instrument, while movable do is more useful for hearing how notes relate within a key. Many music schools teach one system for singers, and each country has its own habit.
- Movable do: do is the key note. The syllables show the job of each note in the key.
- Fixed do: do is C. The syllables are simply other names for A to G.
- Minor keys: in movable do with a la-based minor, la is the key note. Other teachers use do-based minor and sing me, le and te for the lowered notes.
What are the Curwen hand signs?
Each syllable has a hand sign, made popular by John Curwen in the nineteenth century and used in the Kodály method. The height of the hand shows the height of the note. The signs vary slightly between teachers, but the usual descriptions are these.
- Do: a closed fist, held at about waist height.
- Re: a flat hand angled upward, fingers together.
- Mi: a flat hand held level, palm down.
- Fa: a fist with the thumb pointing down.
- Sol: a flat hand with the palm facing sideways, like a handshake.
- La: a relaxed hand with the fingers drooping down from the wrist.
- Ti: one finger pointing upward, toward high do.
What are the chromatic syllables?
Notes outside the major scale have their own syllables, which change the vowel. Going up, a raised note ends in i: do, di, re, ri, mi, fa, fi, sol, si, la, li, ti, do. Going down, a lowered note ends in e or a: do, ti, te, la, le, sol, se, fa, mi, me, re, ra, do. These syllables let singers name every note of the chromatic scale, and they match the idea of sharps and flats. Keep in mind that this is a simple version, and that there are different habits in different places.
How is solfege used in practice?
Singers use solfege to sing music at sight. They read the key signature to find do and then sing the notes by syllable. Teachers use it for ear training, asking students to sing back a melody in syllables. Instrumentalists use it to understand melodies and to transpose, since a tune in do-re-mi stays the same in any key. See also the major scales page to see how each key is built.
- Find do from the key signature: in a major key, do is the key note.
- Sing do re mi fa sol la ti do up and down.
- Sing do-mi-sol, the notes of the tonic chord.
- Try a simple tune with the syllables.
Practice tip: Sing the scale with hand signs in front of a mirror. Connecting the sound, the syllable and the sign together makes the notes stick faster than singing alone.
Check yourself
1. What are the solfege syllables of the major scale, in order?
Answer: do re mi fa sol la ti. The syllables go do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, and then do again.
2. In movable do, what is do in the key of G major?
Answer: G. In movable do, do is always the key note, which is G in G major.
3. In fixed do, which note is always do?
Answer: C. In fixed do, do is always C.
4. Which hand sign is a closed fist?
Answer: Do. Do is a closed fist.
5. Which scale step is sol?
Answer: Fifth. Sol is the fifth step: do re mi fa sol.