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Every key

F major: doh is F, 1 = F.

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

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

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

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

How each notation writes the key

  • Tonic solfa: a key line at the start, such as Key F or Doh is F. Nothing else on the page changes with the key.
  • Jianpu: 1 = F at the top left, beside the time signature.
  • Staff notation: 1 flat (B♭) in the key signature.

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

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

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

The relative minor: D minor, on lah

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

Hymns in F in the library

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

Questions people ask about F major

What is doh in the key of F?

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

How is F major written in jianpu?

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

How many sharps or flats does F major have?

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

What is the relative minor of F major?

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

Write a score in F

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

Every key

All twelve keys in one table