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.
| Step | Solfa | Said | Jianpu | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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♯orDoh is F♯. Nothing else on the page changes with the key. - Jianpu:
1 = F♯at the top left, beside the time signature. - Staff notation: 6 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯) in the key signature. The same sound can also be written as G♭ major, and some books print it that way.
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
| Solfa | Jianpu | Note in F♯ | What 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 (listed here as D♭ 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.
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?
6 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯) 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.
- Write tonic solfa in F♯, free in the browser
- Write jianpu in 1 = F♯, free in the browser