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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: 2 sharps (F♯, C♯) in the key signature.

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 DWhat 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. 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.

Hymns in D in the library

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

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?

2 sharps (F♯, C♯) 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