Pretty much everyone knows the “Do-Re-Mi” song from The Sound of Music and those same people knows it has to do with music fundamentals. But, this catchy tune has a name and a purpose…let’s talk about solfege.

 

 

What Is Solfege?

 

In general, solfege is a musical system that uses syllables to represent different pitches. These syllables (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La and Ti) are sung on either the major or minor scale to help singers learn melodies.

 

 

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Originally, ‘Ut’ was the first note of the scale when it was developed by Italian monk Guido de Arezzo, but was later replaced by ‘Do.’ Some schools also use ‘Si’ for the 7th note in the scale, but most use ‘Ti’ to help new musicians avoid confusion with the note ‘C.’

 

 

 

Solfege, also known as solfa or solfeggio…but mainly solfege here in the states, was developed as a basic way to help people (originally other monks) learn different melodies, as having words associated with the notes made it easier to learn.

 

 

 

At it’s core, it is a very simple system but over time has been made slightly more complex with different music teachers and/or music schools adding their influence, case in point…Fixed Do vs. Moveable Do.

 

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What Is Fixed Do?

In Fixed Do, also called tonic solfege or French solfege, the syllables always correspond to the same pitch, no matter what key you are in.

So, regardless if you are singing a song in the key of C Major or G Major, ‘Do’ will always be C.

Fixed Do is much more popular in countries outside the US.

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What Is Moveable Do?

In Moveable Do, also called tonal solfege, the syllables correspond to different pitches depending on the key you are in.

 

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So, if you are singing a song in the key of C Major, ‘Do’ will be C but if you are singing a song in the key of G Major, ‘Do’ will be G.

 

Since most people learn movable do, it is easier to jump into. You always know that the “home” note, known as the root or tonic note in musical terms, will be sung as ‘Do.’

 

 

 

What Are Curwen Hand Signs?

 

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Curwen hand signs are a way to help solfege become more visual and kinesthetic for the student. These hand gestures give music students a visual representation of the pitch that needs to be sung.

 

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With Curwen hand signs, each note in the scale is represented by a different hand shape. For example:

 

 

Do – Loose fist

Re – Upward slanting hand

Mi – Flat hand like parallel to the floor

Fa – Flat hand, thumb down

So – Flat hand, thumb up

La – Loose hand facing down, bend at knuckles

Ti – Pointing upwards (roughly 45ْ )

 

 

 

One of the benefits of using Curwen hand signs is that it can help those who are having trouble with pitch, be able to sing in tune better as they can see what note they should be singing.

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Curwen Hand Signs

 

Sometimes, these hand gestures are also displayed at different body heights to represent the octave that needs to be sung. For instance, one pitch of ‘Do’ may start at the waste, while ‘Do’ an octave higher would be at the forehead.

The notes in between would work up the body with each gesture.

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How Are Flats And Sharps Used In Solfege?

 

Flats and sharps, called accidentals in academic music, can be sung using solfege. Notes being raised and half tone (sharp) take on the ‘i’ vowel and notes being lowered a half tone (flat) take on the ‘e’ vowel.

 

Singing a chromatic (moving by half step) solfege is tricky.

To make matters even more convoluted, the ‘i’ vowel is usually pronounced as ‘ee’ and the ‘e’ vowel has more of an ‘ay’ sound.

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Chromatic Scale with Solfege

 

Why Do Musicians Use Solfege?

 

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Generally, solfege is used because it’s a great way for vocalists and musicians to learn melodies and harmonies. By associating the syllables with specific pitches, singers learn to internalize melodies and remember them more easily.

 

It can also help musicians identify intervals, chord progressions, patterns, and other musical patterns. And since solfege can be used in any key, it’s a great tool for helping singers transpose melodies into different keys.

 

While solfege is not necessary for learning how to read or play music, it is a helpful tool for musicians to begin honing their relative pitch:

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Perfect Pitch

 

Perfect pitch is when someone can hear any note and know what it is or sing/play a note on command. Perfect pitch is usually something people are born with and is argued whether it can be learned.

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Relative Pitch

Relative pitch is recognizing the intervals between notes. If you’re given a starting note and then asked to sing/play a third or perfect fifth above that, having relative pitch allows you to do this. Relative pitch is something every music major in college learns how to do, this is part of the musical core (specifically ear training) I mention in the next section.

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Scale Degrees vs. Solfege

In some university music schools, solfege has been replaced with singing the scale degree of the note. The idea behind this is so that a students musical core curriculum is more cohesive between their courses in music theory, ear training, and functional/beginning piano.

 

Let me unpack this a bit more. Music schools in the US and most other western countries require the following classes for music majors (usually taken over the course of the first 4 semesters:)

 

Music Theory – Where students learn the building blocks of music by analyzing chords, rhythm, instrumentation, etc.

 

Ear Training – This is a multi-faceted course that teaches students how to hear pitches and intervals in the head and be able to sing them. This is where solfege or scale degree singing comes in to play. Melodic dictation (hearing a melody and writing it down) is also taught in this course series.

 

Functional Piano

 

Students learn the basic of playing the piano. Scales, four part playing, and transposing on the fly, and accompanying.

 

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The reason many universities are switching to singing scale degrees rather than solfege is because most music theory courses will teach using the scale degree system. It is much easier to learn how to structure a chord using scale degrees than referring to solfege names.

 

Likewise, as you learn piano scales, the notes are often referred to as their scale degree.

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All of this gets quite complicated but, in short, using the scale degree system keeps a students musical core more cohesive, with more similarities in the lingo.