Chapter 28: Solfege

Solfege (The Language of Relativity)

The best way to train your ear is to give every note a name that describes its function, not just its pitch. We use the Movable Do system.

28.1 The Syllables

  • 1 (Root): Do (Strong, Home).
  • 2: Re (Lifting).
  • 3: Mi (Sweet, determines Major/Minor).
  • 4: Fa (Falling, heavy).
  • 5: Sol (Bright, Dominant).
  • 6: La (Sad, relative minor).
  • 7: Ti (Piercing, wants to resolve up to Do).

28.2 How to Practice

  1. Sing the Major Scale up and down: Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do.
  2. The Skip Game: Try to sing intervals without filling in the gaps.
    • Sing Do… then try to hear Sol in your head… then sing it.
  3. Sight Singing: Look at a simple piece of sheet music you’ve never heard. Try to sing the melody using Solfege syllables just by reading the intervals.