Introduction to C Scale
Primary 4 · Creative Arts
Introduction to C Scale
Lesson 2 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
On Sunday, Mutesi watches the church choir practise. The music on their sheets has no staff at all, just small letters: d r m f s. "How can they sing from letters?" she wonders. They are reading sol-fa.
In sol-fa, each note of the scale has a short singing name:
do re mi fa so la ti do
When we write them, we often use just the first letter: d r m f s l t d'. The little mark on d' means the high do, at the top of the scale.
In the C scale, do is C. Then each sol-fa name matches one letter name:
| Sol-fa | do | re | mi | fa | so | la | ti | do |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
Look at the ladder: the rungs for mi–fa and ti–do are closer together. Those are the two half steps you found on the keyboard (E–F and B–C).
About 200 years ago, a music teacher in England called Sarah Glover drew a sol-fa ladder on the wall to help children learn to sing. A church minister, John Curwen, spread her idea and added hand signs, one for each note. Sol-fa became popular all over the world, and many choirs in Rwanda still read songs written in sol-fa letters.
Hold your hand low for do and raise it a little for each note going up. Your hand shows the pitch!
Tip
Do is home. In the C scale, do lives on C. Every song in C loves to finish at home, on do.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
In the C scale, which letter is do?
Answer: C.
Which sol-fa name goes with the letter G?
Answer: so (s).
Write the sol-fa letters for C D E.
Answer: d r m.
Which two pairs of sol-fa notes are half steps?
Answer: mi–fa and ti–do.
Who drew the first sol-fa ladder to teach children to sing?
Answer: Sarah Glover.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The story, the sol-fa ladder drawing, the hand-sign descriptions and the practice questions were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each sol-fa name to its letter in the C scale.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
