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Every key

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.

StepSolfaSaidJianpuNote
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 or Doh is E. Nothing else on the page changes with the key.
  • Jianpu: 1 = E at the top left, beside the time signature.
  • Staff notation: 4 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯) 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

SolfaJianpuNote in EWhat 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.

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?

4 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯) 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.

Every key

All twelve keys in one table