Solfège: Part I - Learning the Notes to Sing

We love Solfege! You might know it as Solfege in French, Solfeggio in Italian, or Solfa in England. No matter how you say it, we’re excited to teach the language of singing and music.

Are you ready to become bilingual with your child? Once you learn Solfege, your musical skills (or superpowers!) will impress everyone!

History of Solfege

You've learned the Solfege major scale (Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do) and may wonder why those syllables were chosen. In the 11th century, the popular Hymn to St. John the Baptist inspired the syllables, as the strong words in the hymn align with the notes of the scale.

The hymn's creator, Guido of Arezzo, added "Si" using his initials (Sancte Iohannes) to complete the diatonic scale.

In the 17th century, Giovanni Battista Doni suggested "Do" for easier singing.

Later, in the 19th century, Sarah Glover changed "Si" to "Ti" so that each syllable began with a different letter.

The notes of the Solfege major scale today are: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do.

Solfege Chromatics

Have you ever wondered if even the black keys (the half steps) on your piano have a Solfege word? Yes!

Here’s the ascending chromatic scale:

And here’s the descending chromatic scale:

In Let's Play Music class, we use "me," "le," and "te" (pronounced 'may,' 'lay,' and 'tay') to help students understand songs in a minor key by lowering the mi, la, and ti notes. "Re" is unique because it sounds like "ray," so when lowered, it becomes "rah."

History of Solfege in Education

Humans naturally sing and create music, and at some point, we needed a language to discuss it. Just as we invent words for new ideas like "blogs" and "tweets," we developed a musical language.

Curwen and Kodály

John Curwen created hand signs for notes, helping children visualize pitch relationships while singing. Zoltan Kodály improved music education by using these hand signs and teaching through pattern imitation, allowing kids to feel and understand music better.

Your Musical Superpower

Curwen's hand signs and patterning develop "inner hearing," the ability to mentally hear music. A key skill is tonal orientation, which helps children identify the tonal center (DO) in music.

In Let's Play Music, students learn to recognize and sing DO, enabling them to understand pitch relationships and intervals. By the end of their training, they can sing and hear in tune, identifying when others are off-key.

How to Sing the Major Scale with Solfege Hand Signs