Solfege
Curious about why we learn solfege in music class? You can learn a little more about solfege in this video and the article below.
Solfege was invented about a thousand years ago by an Italian monk named Guido who wanted to help his choir learn music without just repeating the song over and over again. You can learn more about Guido and the invention of solfege with this video.
When we use solfege, we use both hand signs and syllables to identify pitches. Here are some things to keep in mind when using solfege.
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The fifth solfege syllable is SOL but it is sometimes written as SO. It is pronounced the same either way (I usually use SOL but if you see it written the other way, know it is the same thing).
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The position of your hand is similar to how you would see it on a staff. For example, you would always put the hand sign for SOL above the hand sign for RE because it is a higher pitch. Low DO should be around belly level, high DO should be around forehead level.
Do-RE-Mi
You might already know this classic from the musical The Sound of Music. It's a great little song to help you remember the solfege syllables and how to sing them in a major scale. Sing along! Then try to sing the scale on your own!