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Every key

A♭ major: doh is A♭, 1 = A♭.

Where every solfa syllable and jianpu number sits in A♭ major, how each notation writes the key, and the keys a hymn in A♭ moves to.

The A♭ major scale in solfa and jianpu

Solfa and jianpu are movable do: the syllables and numbers name the steps of the scale, not fixed pitches. In A♭ major, step one is A♭, so this is what each one sounds as.

StepSolfaSaidJianpuNote
1 d doh 1 A♭
2 r ray 2 B♭
3 m mi 3 C
4 f fah 4 D♭
5 s soh 5 E♭
6 l lah 6 F
7 t ti 7 G

The next doh up, written with an octave mark above (a dot above the 1 in jianpu), is A♭ again, an octave higher. The doh-mi-soh chord, d m s or 1 3 5, is A♭ C E♭.

How each notation writes the key

  • Tonic solfa: a key line at the start, such as Key A♭ or Doh is A♭. Nothing else on the page changes with the key.
  • Jianpu: 1 = A♭ at the top left, beside the time signature.
  • Staff notation: 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭) in the key signature.

That is why moving a hymn into A♭ costs nothing in solfa or jianpu: you change the key line and every syllable stays where it was. The guide to transposing in solfa shows how to choose the new key for a choir.

Fe and ta: the two altered notes you meet most

SolfaJianpuNote in A♭What it usually does
fe ♯4 D Leans up to soh, often on the way into E♭ major
ta ♭7 G♭ Leans down to lah, often on the way into D♭ major

Every raised and lowered syllable is in the tonic solfa primer.

The keys a hymn in A♭ moves to

A modulation in solfa is written as a change of doh, so the question is which note becomes the new doh.

  • Up to soh: E♭ major. Soh (E♭) becomes the new doh, and the old fe (D) becomes the new ti. This is the commonest change of key in a hymn tune.
  • Down to fah: D♭ major. Fah (D♭) becomes the new doh, and the old ta (G♭) becomes the new fah.

The relative minor: F minor, on lah

F minor uses the same seven notes as A♭ major and centres on lah (F). Solfa keeps doh as A♭ and the tune simply settles on l. Jianpu usually states the minor on 6 instead: 6 = F. The guide to minor keys in jianpu explains why.

Questions people ask about A♭ major

What is doh in the key of A♭?

Doh is A♭. In A♭ major the solfa syllables d r m f s l t sound as A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G, and the doh an octave up is A♭ again.

How is A♭ major written in jianpu?

As 1 = A♭, at the top left of the score. The numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 then sound as A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G.

How many sharps or flats does A♭ major have?

4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭) in staff notation. In solfa and jianpu you write none of them: the key line (doh is A♭, or 1 = A♭) says where the scale starts, and the syllables or numbers carry the rest.

What is the relative minor of A♭ major?

F minor, which starts on lah (6) and uses the same seven notes. In jianpu a piece in F minor is usually written 6 = F; in solfa the key line still names doh (A♭) and the tune centres on lah.

Write a score in A♭

DomiSol is a free editor for tonic solfa and jianpu. Set the key to A♭, type d r m or 1 2 3, and press play to hear it at pitch. To find the note before the choir sings, the online pitch pipe plays A♭ and every other doh.

Every key

All twelve keys in one table