For example, a person using a fixed do may sing “Sol La Sol Fa Mi” in E major song to explain the melody. The pitch name is G#-A-G#-F#-E, and in a movable do, it would be “Mi Fa Mi Re Do,” but then, “Wouldn’t it be weird if I had to sing ‘Sol# La Sol# Fa# Mi’ in a fixed do?” Have you ever thought about this?
Chromatic (chromatic) solfege is the answer to such questions and discomfort.
It is easy to remember, just change the vowel to “ē” for sharps and “ā” for flats (except for the “Re” flat).
Chromatic Scale Ascending
Chromatic scale descending
Advantages of learning chromatic solfege
1. Improve your sight reading performance
You will be able to read music more smoothly because you will be able to intuitively understand chromatic changes when you look at a note. This is especially useful when playing or singing songs with many modulations.
2. Develop a sense of pitch and interval
By playing or singing the chromatic scale, you will be able to accurately perceive changes in pitch and scale.
3. Deepen your understanding of chords
By becoming aware of the chromatic progression of chords (e.g., do→di→re, etc.), you will gain a deeper understanding and be able to apply it to your playing, including improvisation.
4. Become more adept at modulations and modal interchanges
In classical music and jazz, modulations and homophones (e.g., C# and D♭) are frequently used, so learning chromatic solfege will help you quickly grasp the structure of a piece of music. Similarly, an understanding of “movable Do” will help the student to more quickly respond to modulations.
The difference between “Movable Do” and “Fixed Do”
5.Relative Pitch Training
By practicing to accurately recognize and play or sing the difference in semitone steps, you can develop your sense of relative pitch (the ability to recognize sounds in terms of the interval).
Altered Syllables
Now let’s look at how to sing a minor key. It depends on whether you start with the first note of the minor scale as “Do” or “La.” In the natural minor scale, the 3rd, 6th, and 7th degrees of the major scale are flattened, so those notes change to “Mi to Me,” “La to Re,” and “Ti to Te”. In the Lydian scale, the 4th degree is sharpened, so the notes become “Fa to Fi”.
When you can sing this easily (i.e., you can grasp the pitch in your head without having to say it out loud), your understanding of the melody and phrase will increase dramatically.
The upper row shows the case of starting from “Do” and the lower row is relative minor (starting from “La”). In the YouTube video, everything starts with “Do”, but the key is to understand which notes are different compared to the major scale. If you feel more comfortable starting from “La” in the case of minor scales, that is fine.
C Natural Minor (C Aeolian)
C Harmonic Minor
C Melodic Minor
A PDF of the list including other modes can be downloaded here, so please use for your study.