8 terms · growing
GlossaryThe vocabulary of solfa & jianpu, defined.
A concise reference for the terms that come up in tonic solfa, jianpu, and choral arranging. Each entry is short, factual, and links to the deeper guides.
Notation systems
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Jianpu →
A movable-do music notation system from China that uses the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 for the seven scale degrees, with '1' set to the tonic of the current key.
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Solfa syllables (d r m f s l t) →
The seven names tonic solfa gives the steps of the major scale: doh, ray, mi, fah, soh, lah, ti, written by their first letters d r m f s l t.
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Tonic solfa →
A movable-do music notation that uses the syllables d r m f s l t (do re mi fa sol la ti) for the seven scale degrees, 'do' = the tonic of the current key.
Concepts
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Fixed do →
A solfege convention where 'do' always means the pitch C, whatever key the music is in. The opposite of the movable do that tonic solfa and jianpu use.
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Movable do →
A solfege convention where 'do' (or '1' in jianpu) is always the tonic of the current key, the same syllables describe the same scale degree in every key.
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SATB →
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, the standard four-voice arrangement of a mixed choir, written as four parallel lines of music where each voice has its own range.
Techniques
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Curwen hand signs →
Seven hand positions, one per scale degree (do re mi fa sol la ti), gestured while singing tonic solfa to teach pitch. Devised by John Curwen, 1858.
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Modulator (tonic solfa) →
A wall chart of the solfa syllables set out as a ladder, doh at the foot, with the related keys in columns beside it. A teacher points and the class sings.