Solfege Survey

[ScottA]

I am curious about how those of you who regularly use or "think in" solfege. A few questions:

Fixed or movable do. Why?

Do you have perfect pitch?

When using solfege with different keyed horns are you:

A-sofeging the notes on the written page
B-solfeging the concert pitches
C-solfeging the notes you are playing on the particular instrument you are using at the time. (Edit-this would apply only to those using fixed do)

My wife is a flute player who constantly solfeges in fixed do. I started explaining the issues of transposition/different key horns and...her eyes started to cross! Just wondering what is happening in peoples heads and ears. Looking forward to the responses. Thanks.
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Scott Apelgren
Indialantic, FL

[mm55]

For me, solfege is always moveable-do. Mostly because moveable-do was used at both of the colleges where I studied music; that's where I learned it. The syllables are single-syllable mnemonics for scale degrees. The mediant in a major key is "mi", the subdominant is "fa", etc. Temporary modulations of the tonal center can confuse my solfege brain, and I'd be lost if I tried solfege on an atonal piece.

If I'm applying solfege to a trumpet part I'm learning, I'll use the same pitches that will be played on the trumpet if possible. But since I don't have absolute pitch, I'll need to have a reference to be sure that I'm not off by a semitone or two.
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[Tpt_Guy]

Unfortunately, when I was in school we were taught sight singing using pitch numbers corresponding to the scale degrees of the given key. I would rather have learned Solfege, either moveable or fixed Do. So, no. I don't think in Solfege.

I don't use it much except to determine how wide certain intervals should be. It was taught as part of our Music Theory course, rather than a course on its own, so we didn't develop it extensively.

As far as perfect pitch goes: No. I don't have perfect pitch, but I have good relative pitch and it serves me well enough.
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-Tom Hall-

"A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence."
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[kehaulani]

For me, using solfege with a moveable Do has sharpened my ear. It has also helped in music that modulates. Gives context and relevance to the pitches. I also think 1, 2, 3 instead of do, re mi.

To answer your other questions:

No I don't have perfect pitch (but relative pitch is very good).
C-solfeging the notes you are playing on the particular instrument you are using at the time.

Note - you can make a case for fixed Do, I think that is what's taught in Italy, e.g.. It would be very good for atonal music, but practically we play overwhelmingly little atonal music. I find moveable Do much more practical. (And besides, it makes me more sympatico with the ghost of Percy Grainger. )
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[Pete]

[ravel]

1. fixed
2. have perfect pitch
3. transpose fixed with clefs

[JoseLindE4]

Moveable do. In minor I use and teach a do-based minor (as opposed to la-based as some choral teacher use - which kills the tonic/dominant relationship). As a native English speaker, fixed do doesn't make much sense to me. We already have words to denote note names (C, D, E, F...). If a passage doesn't really make sense tonally, just sing the note names if it helps. I don't get why I'd say "do" instead of "C." Languages that use the solfege syllables for note names are a different story. I'm less inclined to call that fixed do; it seems more like just saying the note names.

I don't have perfect pitch. But I have a strong sense of relative pitch and a pretty good pitch memory. Solfege is about understanding the relationship of notes within a key for me. Specifically, it's about understanding the notes within the tonal system and the tonic/dominant relationship. This means minor keys should still be do-based to preserve the pull of ti to do. I've seen people use si (the raised fifth) to la, which baffles me.

I don't really understand the last question. I sing the right pitches and use do as the tonic. That doesn't change when I change horns or transpositions. The only thing that changes are the buttons being pressed down. If I refer to note names, I tend to think in terms of the note I am playing on the horn unless I need to communicate with someone else.

[deanoaks]

At Eastman, we used both fixed syllable solfege and sang on scale degrees.
I didn't gain perfect pitch but my relative pitch is considerably stronger than it was and my ability to retain intervals improved immeasurably making serialized pieces remarkably easier.
I haven't used solfege since I finished my 4th semester of aural skills but having done it in the past, I know it had a positive impact on my ability to pick up differently pitched instruments with ease.

[jicetp]

Moveable Do is a pain for me.
I have ' quite ' perfect pitch ( in Bb ) and for example, C trumpet or worse D/Eb... horns are requiring that I transpose the part ( in Bb ) to hear and play them.
Same with others instruments. I cant hear a Horn or Saxophone in its key. I have to mentally ' adjust ' to their respective key.

[ejackson21]

The main reason I use solfege is when I'm focusing on singing intervals. For this reason, I typically stick with movable. It's easier for me that way. I do not have perfect pitch AT ALL. When using solfege with different keyed horns, I just solfege the written notes and do my best to sing the pitches that will be produced on the horn.

[jhahntpt]

I am very against fixed do solfege. I feel that the point of knowing the solfege is to understand the function of the pitches related to the key that they are in. Sol should always be the dominant, not G.

That said, practicing with letter-names is also valuable to help with musical literacy. They should be seen as two different things with the letter names taking the role of “fixed do.”
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[jengstrom]

I think the whole point of solfege is to teach scale position. For me, do is always the tonic of whatever key I'm in and everything else relates to that.

I learned how to play by ear early on, playing along with Al Hirt and Herb Alpert records. Because of that, I do not think in sharps and flats. I think in keys. Play me a melody and tell me what key you want me to play it in, and I will. I hear the scale position without thinking about syllables. I learned solfege in college and, frankly, trying to remember syllables just gets in the way.

Respectfully, as for fixed do solfege, I do not see the point except to teach perfect pitch, which has no musical value, IMO.

John
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[laser170323]

When I think of solfege, I immediately think of Penzarella and Vacchiano. Can any students of theirs comment what they did?

[Proteus]

Movable.

Why?
Because it's what they taught at McGill University's Faculty of Music and it's arguably better for tonal music.

Do you have perfect pitch?
Nope.

When using solfege with different keyed horns are you:
Yes, solfeging the notes on the written page, because that's how movable works.
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