Solfege explained for parents: what do, re, mi means

Solfege is a way of naming the notes of a scale with syllables in place of letters. The seven syllables are do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti. Singers use them to learn how notes relate to each other. A child who can sing a tune in solfege can hear where each note sits in the scale, which helps with singing in tune, reading music, and playing by ear.

You may also see it spelled solfège, or called solfeggio or sol-fa.

The seven syllables

Step of the scale	Syllable	Say it like
1	Do	doh
2	Re	ray
3	Mi	mee
4	Fa	fah
5	Sol	soh
6	La	lah
7	Ti	tee
8	Do	doh

The eighth note is do again, one octave higher. In the key of C major, the syllables match the white keys from C up to C.

Where the syllables came from

About a thousand years ago, an Italian monk named Guido of Arezzo taught church singers. He used a hymn in which each line began one note higher than the line before. He took the first syllable of each line: ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la.

Later musicians changed ut to do, which is easier to sing. A seventh syllable, si, was added for the last step of the scale.

In England in the 1800s, a teacher named Sarah Glover changed si to ti. That way, each syllable starts with a different letter. Many countries still sing si.

Movable do and fixed do

There are two ways to use the syllables.

Movable do. Do is the home note of the key. In C major, do is C. In G major, do is G. A tune keeps the same syllables in every key. Kodály teachers use movable do. So do many choirs and schools in English-speaking countries.

Fixed do. Do always means the note C, re always means D, and so on. In France, Italy, Spain, and many other countries, these are the everyday names of the notes.

Neither is wrong. Ask your child’s teacher which one the class uses, so that home practice matches.

What solfege teaches

The job of each note. In movable do, each syllable has a role. Do feels like home. Ti leans up toward do. Fa leans down toward mi. A child learns these pulls by singing them.

Distances between notes. Do to mi is always a major third. Do to sol is always a perfect fifth. A singer who knows the syllables can find the next note. See intervals explained.

Reading by singing. A student can look at a line of music and sing it in solfege before playing it. This is called sight-singing.

Changing key. A tune learned in solfege can start on any note.

Songs in solfege

Sing these at a slow pace. Pick any comfortable note for do.

• “Hot Cross Buns”: mi, re, do. Mi, re, do.
• “Frère Jacques”: do, re, mi, do. Do, re, mi, do.
• “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”: do, do, sol, sol, la, la, sol. Fa, fa, mi, mi, re, re, do.
• “Ode to Joy”: mi, mi, fa, sol. Sol, fa, mi, re. Do, do, re, mi. Mi, re, re.

Minor keys

Teachers handle minor keys in two ways. In the first, the minor scale starts on la: la, ti, do, re, mi, fa, sol, la. Kodály classes use this. In the second, the scale still starts on do, and three syllables change to show the lowered notes: do, re, me, fa, sol, le, te, do.

Notes between the notes

Sharps and flats have syllables too. A raised note changes its vowel to “ee,” so do becomes di and fa becomes fi. In most cases, a lowered note changes its vowel to “ay,” so ti becomes te and mi becomes me. Students meet these later.

Hand signs

Each syllable has a hand sign. The singer makes the sign while singing and moves the hand higher as the notes rise. Solfege hand signs for kids shows all seven, and the solfege hand signs chart prints on one page.

Things to do together

Sing the ladder. Sing up the scale from do to do and back down. Touch your knees for low do and reach overhead for high do.

Two-note echo. Sing “sol, mi” and have your child echo it. Sing your child’s name on the same two notes.

Mystery song. Sing one of the songs above in solfege only, with no words. Ask your child to name the song.

Change the start. Sing “Hot Cross Buns” in solfege. Now start on a higher note and sing it again. The syllables stay the same.

Solfege on the keys. With a piano keyboard chart, point to C and call it do. Walk up the white keys while singing each syllable.

Where children meet solfege

Solfege is a main tool in the Kodály method. Many choirs, school music classes, and early childhood music programs use it too. It pairs with rhythm names such as ta and ti-ti, which do the same job for rhythm. The full guide is music theory for parents.