Do Re Mi and C D E F G A B are two naming systems for the same seven notes. In the fixed do system used across much of Europe, Latin America, and Asia, Do is C, Re is D, Mi is E, Fa is F, Sol is G, La is A, and Si is B. Neither system is more correct; use the one your teacher and country use.
The side-by-side map
| English letters | C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solfege (fixed do) | Do | Re | Mi | Fa | Sol | La | Si (Ti) |
| German system | C | D | E | F | G | A | H |
| Japanese | ハ (ha) | ニ (ni) | ホ (ho) | ヘ (he) | ト (to) | イ (i) | ロ (ro) |
What note is each Do Re Mi syllable?
Taken one syllable at a time, in order:
- Do is the note C. In fixed do it is always C, whatever key the music is in.
- Re is the note D, one step above Do.
- Mi is the note E, the third note of the scale.
- Fa is the note F, a half step above Mi.
- Sol is the note G. Often written So in ear-training materials, and the note the treble clef curls around.
- La is the note A, the note orchestras tune to.
- Si is the note B, written Ti in the movable-do system, and called H in the German system.
Do Re Mi order: the full sequence
The seven syllables run Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, and then Do again an octave higher. The letters run C, D, E, F, G, A, B, then C again. Both sequences are circular, so after the seventh note you are back at the first, just higher in pitch. This is why the letters seem to start "in the middle" at C rather than at A: the alphabet keeps its own order, while the major scale everyone learns first happens to begin on C.
Do Re Mi in letters, written out
If you are converting a whole passage, the substitution is mechanical: Do C, Re D, Mi E, Fa F, Sol G, La A, Si B. A melody written Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol is C C G G A A G, which is the opening of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Sharps and flats attach to the letter exactly as they attach to the syllable, so Do sharp is C sharp.
Where each system lives
- Letters C to B: the English-speaking world, plus the Netherlands and most pop, jazz, and guitar contexts everywhere.
- Solfege Do Re Mi: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Romania, Russia, and much of Asia, where "Do Re Mi" simply is the names of the notes (fixed do). In American ear training, the same syllables are also used as movable do, where Do means the first note of whatever key you are in; that is a separate skill, not a naming system.
- German H: in Germany, Austria, Poland, Scandinavia, and much of Central Europe, B natural is called H, and the letter B usually means B flat. If you learned CDEFGAH, that is why.
- Japanese ha ni ho he to i ro: traditional katakana names still used in Japanese music education, mapping directly to C through B.
Which should you learn?
The one used around you. Note reading is a translation between staff positions and names; the names are just labels, and switching labels later is far easier than people fear. What actually matters is drilling your labels to instant recall, using the same lines-first, spaces-second ladder as everyone else: line notes are level 1 because they are the easiest to see correctly, space notes are level 2 because each one falls between two lines you already know.
One practical warning: mnemonics like Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge and FACE only work in the letter system. If you learn in solfege or CDEFGAH, lean on landmark notes instead: anchor Sol (treble G) at the clef's curl, Do (middle C) between the staves, and Fa (bass F) between the bass clef dots, and read neighbors from those anchors. Landmarks work identically in every naming system, which is one more reason fluent readers prefer them over mnemonics.
Practice this in Learn Music Notes Piano
The app lets you pick your naming system: CDEFGABC, CDEFGAHC, Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do, or Japanese ハ ニ ホ ヘ ト イ ロ. Every flashcard, lesson, and game then uses your labels, so you drill exactly what your teacher expects. You can even answer on note-name buttons carrying those labels instead of piano keys, which makes the app a pure note-name trainer for singers and for anyone who has not learned the keyboard yet. Scales with sharps or flats are supported, and the Landmark Notes mode gives you the mnemonic-free path that works in every language.
