Explanation of Solfege

Musicologists have long used  "solfege" as non-notational recalling device. With a little singing familiarity with do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, you can easily pick out the basic melody line of the beginning of a song.
When CAPITALIZED, the pitches are in the octave below. Regular letters are the working (central) octave.
With the mark ' (for example, d ' ), that pitch is in the octave above.

                                           d' r' m' f'' s' l' t' d'
                      *  d r m f s l t            * This "do" is the key and the tonic ("main note" of  any song, regardless of key)
D R M F S L T

With #, that pitch is sharped (i.e., raised a half-step). For example, r# is read as "re-sharp", that is, sounding a half-step higher for that note only.
With b, that pitch is flatted (i.e., lowered a half-step). For example, lb is read as "la-flat", that is, sounding a half-step lower for that note only.
The , comma marks phrases.
Underlined pitches refer to multiple quarter, eighth or sixteenth note repetitions. It may also refer to a long-value pitch, like a long whole note.  When sight singing, treat this pitch as an long-value note to avoid confusion; then the tune should come to you, if you already know it.
Here are some easy examples ( do sing the solfege letters)   
Nanakuli   SSdSd, ddmdm, sf#sfsmm  [sung: SO-SO-do-SO-do, do-do-mi-do-mi, so-fa#-so-fa-so-mi-mi ]
Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī    mmmmrr. srffmm [sung: mi-mi-mi-mi-re-re, so-re-fa-fa-mi-mi ]
ʻEkolu Mea Nui  s, sls, l, ltl  [sung: so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so, so-la-so, la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-ti-do ]
Joy to the World   d'tlsfmrd [sing: do'-ti-la-so-fa-mi-re-do ]
      See, you can do it. :-)

You can apply the solfege to any key. Here's a lineup of some common keys, showing their "black" notes on the piano keyboard:

Last updated: 20-02-10