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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: 3 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯) 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 AWhat 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?

3 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯) 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