Voice parts
S: d r m f s A: s, l, t, d r
Label each line with a part name followed by a colon. All content after the colon is that part’s note stream.
How can we help?
Guides and answers for writing, playing back, exporting, and sharing your tonic sol-fa scores. Can’t find what you need? We’re an email away.
Getting started
Create a free account, open the playground, and turn your first line of sol-fa into a formatted score in seconds.
Read the docs→Writing & playback
Notes, timing, slurs, repeats, lyrics, and key changes — learn the plain-text syntax and hear every part as you write.
Writing questions→Exporting & printing
Tune spacing and line breaks, then export clean PDF, MIDI, and MusicXML your whole choir can use.
Export questions→Songbooks & library
Save scores to the cloud, bundle them into print-ready songbooks, and pick up on any device.
Library questions→Syntax
Sol-fa at a glance
A quick reference for the plain-text format the playground understands. Open the playground for live syntax highlighting as you type.
Beats & timing
d.r → half-beat notes d>r.m>f → quarter-beat notes
Colons separate beats. A period snaps to the next half-beat; > snaps to the next quarter-beat.
Slurs & triplets
/d r m/ → slur (d r m) → triplet
Wrap slurs in double slashes. Group tuplets in parentheses — (d r m) spans one beat; (d r m)2 spans two.
Lyrics & repeats
L: Ho-ly night [ …notes… ]]
Prefix lyric rows with L:. Mark repeats with brackets and closing runs — ] for D.S., ]] for D.S. al Coda.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Getting started
Do I need to install anything?
No. Solfaforge runs entirely in your browser. Open the playground on a laptop, tablet, or phone — there is nothing to download or configure.
How do I write my first score?
Sign up free, open the playground, and type sol-fa syllables (d r m f s l t) with colons between beats. Label your parts with S:, A:, T:, and B: and your text becomes a formatted, playable score in real time.
Can I import an existing file?
Yes. Drop a plain-text sol-fa file into the playground and it renders in one step. You can also import MusicXML and export back to sol-fa, MIDI, or PDF when your plan includes those formats.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The Chorister plan is free and includes three saved scores per month. You can explore the full playground and export PDFs with a small per-export charge before upgrading.
Writing & playback
How do timing and sub-divisions work?
A colon separates beats. Within a beat, a period snaps to the next half-beat and a “>” to the next quarter-beat — so d.r gives two half-beat notes and d>r.m>f gives four quarter-beat notes. Rests use * and holds use -.
How do I add slurs, triplets, and repeats?
Wrap a slur range in double slashes (/d r m/), group triplets in parentheses like (d r m), and mark repeats with brackets such as [ …notes… ] followed by ] for D.S. See the syntax tips above or open the playground for live highlighting.
Can I hear the parts play back?
Yes. Press play in the playground to hear your score. Switch between sol-fa and staff views as you work, and export MIDI or MusicXML on Cantor plans and above.
How do lyrics and part-specific lyric rows work?
Add a general lyric row with L: or attach lyrics to a part with a matching label, such as SAL: for a part labelled SA:. Hyphens split words across beat cells; ** adds empty extension cells.
Can I change key or time signature mid-piece?
Yes. Add KeyF or KeyBb above the beat where the new key takes effect, and Time3/4 or Time6/8 for time-signature changes. Use s;m for a key-change transition showing the outgoing syllable in superscript.
Exporting & printing
What export formats are supported?
Every plan can export print-ready PDF. Cantor and above add MIDI and MusicXML. Exports respect your spacing, line-break, and emphasis settings from the playground.
How do I get clean, watermark-free PDFs?
Clean PDF export is included on the Composer plan; unbranded export on Maestro. Lower plans export with a watermark or a small per-export charge on the free Chorister plan.
Can I control the page layout?
Yes. The playground gives you live spacing, line-height, and emphasis controls so each score reads cleanly on A4 before you export. What you see in the preview is what prints.
Will my export include lyrics and annotations?
Yes. Musical terms in curly braces, repeat markings, volta brackets, key changes, and lyric rows all render in the sheet preview and carry through to PDF export.
Songbooks & library
Where are my scores saved?
Saved scores live in your cloud library and sync across every device where you are signed in. Open the scores hub or songbooks from the main navigation.
How do songbooks work?
Collect scores into a booklet with a cover page and auto-generated table of contents. Reorder entries by drag, then export the whole book as one print-ready PDF.
Can I share a score with my choir?
On Chorister, Cantor, and Composer plans, saved scores are public to the Solfaforge community by default. Maestro lets you choose public or private per score. Share the link from your library.
Account & billing
Are my scores public or private?
On Chorister, Cantor, and Composer plans, saved scores are public to the community. The Maestro plan lets you choose public or private per score. See our Privacy Policy for how public scores are displayed.
How do I change or cancel my plan?
Manage your subscription from your profile. Upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time — paid access continues until the end of your current billing period.
I forgot my password — what now?
Use the “Forgot password” link on the login page. We email a secure reset link that expires in 30 minutes. If nothing arrives, check spam or visit the verification help page.
How do I delete my account or data?
Email us at support@solfaforge.com and we will help you export anything you need and remove your account. See the Privacy Policy for full details on retention and deletion.
Still have a question?
Email our team and we’ll get back to you. We read every message and love hearing from choirs.