Scale Structure: The Solfege System

If you can sing Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do up the major scale, you have the talent required to master Solfege, a skill that will take your musicianship to a whole new level…

The Solfege system works like this: The note that acts as the tonal center is named Do, always. In other words, Do is the key that you are in. Once a tonal center Do is established, each of the other eleven possible pitches has a unique “sound-feeling” with respect to this tonal center. Each of these pitches is assigned a name in the form of a unique Solfege syllable.

A great way to start thinking and hearing in Solfege is to learn the Solfege syllables for the Major Scale and Natural Minor Scale as shown below…

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It’s not enough to be a passive listener. Singing out loud is an extremely effective way to do ear training and will pay huge dividends as your musicianship develops.

Solfege Syllables for the C Major Scale

Mi sounds like “Mee”, La sounds like “Lah” and Ti sounds like “Tee”.

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Solfege Syllables for the C Natural Minor Scale

Me sounds like “May”, Le sound like “Lay”, and Te sounds like “Tay”.

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Takeaway

The Solfege system for naming pitches is used extensively throughout Piano-ology as an effective way to integrate music theory and ear training. The value of using Solfege will become clear as you continue your studies of scales, chords, chord progressions, and more. Keep on browsing!

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learn more…
Scales: Number System or Solfege?

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