E♭ major: doh is E♭, 1 = E♭.
Where every solfa syllable and jianpu number sits in E♭ major, how each notation writes the key, and the keys a hymn in E♭ moves to.
The E♭ 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 E♭ major, step one is E♭, so this is what each one sounds as.
| Step | Solfa | Said | Jianpu | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | d | doh | 1 | E♭ |
| 2 | r | ray | 2 | F |
| 3 | m | mi | 3 | G |
| 4 | f | fah | 4 | A♭ |
| 5 | s | soh | 5 | B♭ |
| 6 | l | lah | 6 | C |
| 7 | t | ti | 7 | D |
The next doh up, written with an octave mark above (a dot above
the 1 in jianpu), is E♭ again, an octave higher. The doh-mi-soh chord, d m s or 1 3 5,
is E♭ G B♭.
How each notation writes the key
- Tonic solfa: a key line at the start, such as
Key E♭orDoh is E♭. Nothing else on the page changes with the key. - Jianpu:
1 = E♭at the top left, beside the time signature. - Staff notation: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭) in the key signature.
That is why moving a hymn into E♭ 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
| Solfa | Jianpu | Note in E♭ | What it usually does |
|---|---|---|---|
| fe | ♯4 | A | Leans up to soh, often on the way into B♭ major |
| ta | ♭7 | D♭ | Leans down to lah, often on the way into A♭ major |
Every raised and lowered syllable is in the tonic solfa primer.
The keys a hymn in E♭ 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: B♭ major. Soh (B♭) becomes the new doh, and the old fe (A) becomes the new ti. This is the commonest change of key in a hymn tune.
- Down to fah: A♭ major. Fah (A♭) becomes the new doh, and the old ta (D♭) becomes the new fah.
The relative minor: C minor, on lah
C minor uses the same seven notes as E♭ major and centres
on lah (C). Solfa keeps doh as E♭ and the tune simply
settles on l. Jianpu usually states the minor on 6 instead:
6 = C. The
guide to minor keys in jianpu
explains why.
Hymns in E♭ in the library
Free, public-domain hymns that DomiSol's library prints with doh on E♭. Each opens in the editor, where you can move it to any key.
Questions people ask about E♭ major
What is doh in the key of E♭?
Doh is E♭. In E♭ major the solfa syllables d r m f s l t sound as E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D, and the doh an octave up is E♭ again.
How is E♭ major written in jianpu?
As 1 = E♭, at the top left of the score. The numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 then sound as E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D.
How many sharps or flats does E♭ major have?
3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭) in staff notation. In solfa and jianpu you write none of them: the key line (doh is E♭, or 1 = E♭) says where the scale starts, and the syllables or numbers carry the rest.
What is the relative minor of E♭ major?
C minor, which starts on lah (6) and uses the same seven notes. In jianpu a piece in C minor is usually written 6 = C; in solfa the key line still names doh (E♭) and the tune centres on lah.
Write a score in E♭
DomiSol is a free editor for tonic solfa and jianpu. Set the key to
E♭, 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 E♭ and every
other doh.
- Write tonic solfa in E♭, free in the browser
- Write jianpu in 1 = E♭, free in the browser