Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you get confused about the different types of solfege? Which is better for sight singing music? Fixed or moveable Do solfege? Read Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shapes Notes for practical suggestions on how to sing music with lots of sharps and flats.
What are shape notes? To review the basics of shape note sight singing:
For the post you’re reading, you’ll also need to understand how to sing shape note sharps and flats. To review sharps and flats:
The sing-along songs use synth voices rather than actual voices. Research has shown that this will help with the ability to recognize and produce absolute pitch information. For more info:
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shape Notes: Moveable vs Fixed Do
If you’ve been following my earlier shape note posts, you’ll know that moveable Do solfege sits at the heart of the shape note notation system. So, what’s fixed Do solfege, and how does it compare with singing chromatic solfege using shape notes?
The subject of moveable Do vs fixed Do solfege can raise tempers among music teachers. Both have their pros and cons, and I hope to show that it doesn’t have to be an either/or question. Rather, the question should be when.
Moveable Do’s Pros and Cons:
Moveable Do has the advantage of being intuitive. Most people will hear the notes of a melody as being the same, even if you begin the song on different starting pitches.
This makes moveable Do Solfege ideal for young students, teens, and beginning adults.
One criticism of moveable Do centers around the fact that you have to know the key of the song in order to sing it. However, the shape notes provide this information, making sight singing much easier.
Another of moveable Do’s cons has to do with complex music that does not stick to one key or has no tonal center at all. In this context, moving around Do to other starting notes can be awkward even when singing chromatic solfege using shape notes.
Fixed Do’s Pros and Cons:
In fixed Do solfege, the singer always sings Do as some form of C, whether C, C#, or Cb. Namely, Do has been “fixed” in place and no longer moves around to other notes.
Only the syllables Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Ti get used. Fixed Do solfege lacks special syllables for sharps and flats. This means that you lose all the advantages of singing chromatic solfege with shape notes.
The big advantage to fixed Do solfege centers on its ability to deal with music that contains a lot of accidentals. It can be especially effective when applied to music that lacks a definite key center.
This means it remains a good option for advanced singers. However, younger students find it difficult to work with.
I had a mixed experience with fixed Do solfege at UMass Lowell. Because one syllable could represent three different sounds, I sometimes felt that I sang the notes despite the syllables. That the syllables held me back more than they helped.
A Middle Ground for Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shape Notes
It has been suggested that choirs can sing fixed Do solfege, but still employ the chromatic solfege syllables. In other words, you anchor the moveable Do solfege so that Do remains on C. Then, you work with the natural and chromatic syllables to get the sound of each note in your (or your student’s) ear.
This means a teacher or school system can start with moveable Do solfege, and gradually transition to fixed Do solfege with chromatic syllables.
In the next section, I have you sing chromatic solfege using shape notes. It doesn’t center around C, so it can’t really be called fixed Do. Nevertheless, it will give you an idea of how chromatic syllables can be used if you do center Do on the note C.
Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shape Notes in Alexander’s Ragtime Band
In this post you’ll sing Alexander’s Ragtime Band for your song. As you sing the chromatic solfege using the shape notes, you’ll find the solfege syllables located under each note.
Listen to the distance between notes, because this will help improve your melodic intonation. I’ve picked a tuning for the soundtrack that helps with this goal.
Also, I’ve provided a video below so you can hear the words to the full song.
Soundtrack for Alexander’s Ragtime Band:
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Alexander’s Ragtime Band Video
Quiz for Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shape Notes
Try singing the chromatic solfege using the shape notes after you’ve gotten Alexander’s Ragtime Band down pat.
Conclusion
Singing chromatic solfege using shape notes can provide a pathway for beginning sight singers to progress to reading complex styles of music. However, the only way to get there is with regular practice, and regular practice with the sing-along song tracks will turbocharge your learning.
Any vocalist will benefit from shape note notation. However, this multisensory strategy is particularly important for special needs, LD, ADD, and autistic vocalists.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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