Solfege is the practice of assigning specific syllables to each note of a scale.
It is much more natural to the ear to use a one-syllable name than to use note names or numbers to represent a pitch.
It’s like a shorthand.
There are two common forms of Solfege.
- Fixed DO
- Moveable DO
A fixed DO is the note C no matter what key you are in – this is NOT the format of Solfege we use at MusicPro.Academy
With a moveable DO, DO becomes the root or tonic no matter which key – so each syllable now represents a specific scale degree in relation to that root.
We strictly use Moveable DO Solfege in MusicPro.Academy lessons.
So when you look at a piece of music, whatever the key signature is – the root or “tonic” is DO.
- If you are in the key of F – F is DO
- If you are in the key of D – D is DO
Another benefit of the moveable DO solfege systems is that we can use it to help educate our ear to hear the sounds of all the scale degrees relative to the tonality.
Each syllable will have the same relative sound, no matter the key.
So when you say DO – you are in all “keys” at once.
Once you know the relationship of the notes to the “DO” (or melodic contour), you can play or hear it in all keys, relative to a new “DO” or tonic.
It simplifies things when training your ear – as all the scale degrees keep their names relative to an established key center.
For now, we will focus on the basic Solfege for the major scale.
DO RE MI FA SO LA TI DO
These are assigned to each scale degree of a major scale to identify their relationship to the tonic.