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Every key

C major: doh is C, 1 = C.

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

The C 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 C major, step one is C, so this is what each one sounds as.

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

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

How each notation writes the key

  • Tonic solfa: a key line at the start, such as Key C or Doh is C. Nothing else on the page changes with the key.
  • Jianpu: 1 = C at the top left, beside the time signature.
  • Staff notation: no sharps or flats .

That is why moving a hymn into C 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 CWhat it usually does
fe ♯4 F♯ Leans up to soh, often on the way into G major
ta ♭7 B♭ Leans down to lah, often on the way into F major

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

The keys a hymn in C 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: G major. Soh (G) becomes the new doh, and the old fe (F♯) becomes the new ti. This is the commonest change of key in a hymn tune.
  • Down to fah: F major. Fah (F) becomes the new doh, and the old ta (B♭) becomes the new fah.

The relative minor: A minor, on lah

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

Hymns in C in the library

Free, public-domain hymns that DomiSol's library prints with doh on C. Each opens in the editor, where you can move it to any key.

Questions people ask about C major

What is doh in the key of C?

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

How is C major written in jianpu?

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

How many sharps or flats does C major have?

None: C major is the white notes of a piano. In solfa and jianpu you never write a sharp or flat for the key anyway: the key line says where doh is, and that is all.

What is the relative minor of C major?

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

Write a score in C

DomiSol is a free editor for tonic solfa and jianpu. Set the key to C, 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 C and every other doh.

Every key

All twelve keys in one table