Music · Lesson 8

Staff and solfa, transposition, transposing instruments, Italian terms, signs and ornaments

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: JAMB Music Section A 7–8 (simple musical terms, signs and abbreviations; transcription staff↔tonic solfa; transposition in treble and bass staves ≤2♯/2♭). WAEC/NECO Theory 1(A)(g)–(i): transcription (staff into solfa and vice versa); transposition including writing for transposing instruments; musical terms, signs, ornaments and abbreviations.

WAEC: JAMB Music Section A 7–8 (simple musical terms, signs and abbreviations; transcription staff↔tonic solfa; transposition in treble and bass staves ≤2♯/2♭). WAEC/NECO Theory 1(A)(g)–(i): transcription (staff into solfa and vice versa); transposition including writing for transposing instruments; musical terms, signs, ornaments and abbreviations.

NECO: JAMB Music Section A 7–8 (simple musical terms, signs and abbreviations; transcription staff↔tonic solfa; transposition in treble and bass staves ≤2♯/2♭). WAEC/NECO Theory 1(A)(g)–(i): transcription (staff into solfa and vice versa); transposition including writing for transposing instruments; musical terms, signs, ornaments and abbreviations.

What you will learn

Transcribe between staff notation and tonic solfa.
Read solfa rhythm signs.
Transpose melodies by interval, by key and by clef.
Write for B♭ and E♭ transposing instruments.
Explain common Italian terms for tempo, dynamics and expression.
Interpret articulation marks, repeats and navigation signs.
Describe the main ornaments.

Key points

Movable doh: doh = major tonic, lah = minor tonic.
Chromatic solfa: -e raises (fe, se), -a lowers (ta).
Solfa rhythm: | : . , –.
Transpose: new key signature, same letter distance for every note.
Accidentals: a raised note stays raised in the new key.
B♭ instruments: write a major 2nd higher.
E♭ alto sax: write a major 6th higher.
Tempo terms from grave to prestissimo.
rit./rall. slower; accel. faster; a tempo back.
Dynamics pp to ff; cresc./dim.; sfz accent.
D.C. al Fine; D.S.; Coda; repeat signs.
Ornaments: trill, mordent, turn, acciaccatura, appoggiatura.

Start here: Transcription: staff notation and tonic solfa

In Nigeria two notations live side by side: staff notation, used in printed classical scores and exams, and tonic solfa, used in countless church, school and choir song sheets. JAMB asks you to transcribe from staff into solfa and back; WAEC lists “transcription (staff notation into solfa and vice versa)”.

Tonic solfa uses movable doh: doh (d) is always the tonic of the major key. The syllables are d r m f s l t, with the octave d′. Higher octaves take a mark above or after (d′ r′), lower octaves a mark below or after (s₁ l₁ t₁). Chromatic notes change their vowel: raised notes end in -e (de, re, fe, se, le) and lowered notes in -a or -aw (ta for flattened te, ma for flattened me, ra, la). The most common are fe (sharpened fah, the leading note of the dominant key) and ta (flattened te, the subdominant of the subdominant key). In minor keys, most Nigerian choirs use lah-mode: the minor tonic is lah, and the raised leading note is se.

Staff to solfa: method

Find the key; doh is the tonic of the major key (for a minor key, lah is the tonic).
Name each note by its scale degree; mark octave changes.
Show rhythm with solfa rhythm signs: a bar line |, a colon : before each beat, a full stop . dividing a beat in half, a comma , dividing a half, and a dash – for a held note.

Worked example: Staff to solfa. Transcribe into solfa (pitch only): in D major, the notes A, D, F♯, E, D, B, A.
Solution. Doh = D. A = s₁ (below doh), D = d, F♯ = m, E = r, D = d, B = l₁, A = s₁. Answer: s₁ d m r d l₁ s₁.

Worked example: Solfa in a minor key. Transcribe into lah-mode solfa: in A minor, the notes A, C, E, G♯, A.
Solution. A minor is the relative of C major, so doh = C and lah = A. The A below middle C’s doh lies below doh, so it is written l₁; then C = d, E = m, G♯ = se (raised soh) and the upper A = l. Answer: l₁ d m se l.

Many Nigerian choir books print the key at the top as “Doh is G” or “Key G”, and minor-key songs as “Lah is E” or “Key E minor (doh is G)”. Always read this line before transcribing.

Worked example: 8.13 Staff to solfa in a minor key. Transcribe A–B–C–D–E–G♯–A (A minor) into tonic solfa (lah-mode).
Solution. In the lah-based minor, A = l, B = t, C = d, D = r, E = m, G♯ = se, A = l. So: l, t, d r m se l (with octave marks as needed). The raised 7th of the minor is “se” (from soh). In doh-based minor systems the same tune would read d r ma f s ti d; ask your teacher which system your board’s past papers use (Nigerian schools mostly use lah-mode).

Continue this lesson in the free app →

Practice questions

1. In lah-mode tonic solfa, the raised 7th of the minor scale is

Show answer

A: se
From soh: s → se.

2. In C major, the note G is sung as

Show answer

D: soh
d r m f s l t.

3. Transposing G–C–F♯–G up a major 2nd gives

A♭–D♭–G–A♭
B–E–A♯–B
A–D–G♯–A
A–D–G–A

Show answer

C: A–D–G♯–A
Each note up a tone.

4. A song moved from F major down to D major moves down a

perfect 4th
minor 3rd
major 3rd
major 2nd

Show answer

B: minor 3rd
F → D.

5. A B♭ clarinet sounds

a major 2nd lower than written
a major 2nd higher than written
an octave lower
a minor 3rd lower

Show answer

A: a major 2nd lower than written
So its parts are written a tone higher.

Key words

Tonic solfa: Notation using d r m f s l t.
Movable doh: Doh is always the tonic of the major key.
Transcription: Rewriting music in another notation.
Transposition: Rewriting music at a different pitch.
Concert pitch: The pitch actually heard.
Transposing instrument: Instrument that sounds at a different pitch from what is written.
Allegro: Quick, lively.
Andante: At a walking pace.
Ritardando: Gradually slower.
Crescendo: Gradually louder.
Staccato: Short and detached.
Fermata: Pause sign: hold longer.

Learn Staff and solfa, transposition, transposing instruments, Italian terms, signs and ornaments step by step, free.
The Cara's Tips app teaches every topic from the very basics, with quick checks, worked examples and exam practice. It works offline.
Open this lesson in the free app Download for Android