In Shape Note Solfege Minor Melodies, you sang in La based minor. The big benefit you get from La based minor is that you can use the same syllables as the major scale. La based minor gets used a lot for children for this reason.
Reading in La based minor does not change the notes sung. Rather, it changes which notes get emphasized. However, you can sing minor scales a different way. Do base minor allows you to change from a major key to a parallel minor by changing which syllables get sung.
The minor scales below (examples 1 and 2) contain the notes: E F# G A B C D E.
The major scale below (example 3) contains the notes: E F# G# A B C# D# E.
Therefore, the parallel minor scale has some notes that remain the same as the major scale: E F# A B (syllables Do Re Fa Sol).
However, it has some notes that differ:
- G# turns into G in E minor (the syllable Mi turns into May)
- C# turns into C in E minor (the syllable La turns into Lay)
- D# turns into D in E minor (the syllable Ti turns into Tay)
If you use the La based minor syllables, you lose the connection that E major and E minor have. When you sing shape note parallel minor melodies, you’ll use some of the same syllables as the major scale: Do Re Fa Sol. However, you will change certain syllables to the solfege flat versions: May Lay Tay (from Mi La Ti).
For a review of chromatic solfege: