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Basic Music Theory #5

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Solfege syllables may have Arabic origins but no one is sure.  There are seven of them as there are seven pitches.  ( If you see eight, it is because the 8th one is a repeat of the first one but an "octave higher." )   The first one is "Do"  (Pronounced -Doe.)  The second one is " Re" (Pronounced -Ray)  The third one is Mi ( Pronounced- Me.)  The fourth one is "Fa."
(Pronounced like Far with no emphasis on the "r".)  The fifth is Sol ( Like "Sold," but without the D.)  The sixth is "La,"  (pronounced as fah.)  The seventh is Ti (Pronounced like "Tea.")  Then go an octave higher for the "Do"
 
     So if you were playing a key of C ( Like the middle c on the piano.)  you would know the key of c has no sharps or flats in it.  You would say "do" on C,  "Ra" on D, "Mi" on E, "Fa" on F, "sol" on G, "La" on A, "Ti" on B, and "Do" on the octave above it. 
 
     Now major television stations have used a variant of Solfege syllables for their trademarked call letters.  Like N.B.C.  back in the day used a Solfege syllables . 
Hence N. B. C.  sounded like Do  Re Mi.  The Country song from the 90's that went like "Don't break my heart...My ackey breaky heart... You know it just won't be the same...."  Well that's:
Bb...  F.....Bb... F....  Bb... and back to F.  Two Notes and a Million dollars latter, I'm sure music theory instructors are kicking themselves for not thinking of it first. 
 
    You want to memorize the Solfege syllables and use them to whatever scale you need.  This way you can tune your instruments without depending on a piano or tuning key.  Match the first Solfege syllable to the piano key.  Hence, sit down at a Piano and when you hit middle C and say Do the pitch should match.  It should match until you can say Do to the same pitch before you hit the piano key.  Once you have this memorized do it for the rest of the scale.  Then do it for all scales.  If you notice material for this web site comes out about once a month.  That's a significant amount of time to practice the material before moving on.  This is important because you can tune your guitar and put it down.   When you pick it back up again, it's already out of tune.
 
     Vocal exercises to warm up use some form the Solfege syllable scale.  They just hit all the accidentals in between as well as the Solfege syllables themselves.  Hence it's an extension and in some cases totally different.  I've heard some that started out as "Moo"  instead of "Do."
 
    When you can write it on paper and hear the note in your head exactly correct, then you have accomplished your mission.  This is how Beethoven was able to continue writing music after he became deaf.