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Every key

D♭ major: doh is D♭, 1 = D♭.

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

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

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

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

How each notation writes the key

  • Tonic solfa: a key line at the start, such as Key D♭ or Doh is D♭. Nothing else on the page changes with the key.
  • Jianpu: 1 = D♭ at the top left, beside the time signature.
  • Staff notation: 5 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭) in the key signature. The same sound can also be written as C♯ major, and some books print it that way.

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

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

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

The relative minor: B♭ minor, on lah

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

Questions people ask about D♭ major

What is doh in the key of D♭?

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

How is D♭ major written in jianpu?

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

How many sharps or flats does D♭ major have?

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

What is the relative minor of D♭ major?

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

Write a score in D♭

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

Every key

All twelve keys in one table