Kodaly Solfege International Music Hand Signs:

       "Western Civilization's seven-note diatonic (from the Greek "across the tones") musical scale has been used from time immemorial. In ancient times it was traditional to arrange the strings to play the scale downward, as if it were descending from heaven. The modern names of the seven familiar notes in descending order. DO-SI-LA-SOL-FA-MI-RE-DO were proposed by Guido d. Arezzo, inventor of the musical staff, around 1000 A.D.
       These popluar names are only the first letters of Latin words whose translation reveals a cosmological structure derived from an earlier age:

DOminus "Lord" Absolute
SIder "Stars" All Galaxies
LActea "Milk" Milky Way Galaxy
SOL "Sun" Sun
FAta "Fate" Planets
MIcrocosmos "Small Universe" Earth
REgina Ceolie "Queen of the Heavens" Moon
DOminus "Lord" Absolute

       The seven-note scale is meant to model the hidden side of the macrocosmic design, the universe ruled by mathematical harmonies of music. The ancients designed and used the musical scales to play the harmonies of the heavens, the music of the spheres pleasing to both gods and humans. Music was meant to allow the higher principles to enter our lives through our sense of hearing and our emotions." (From "The Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe" pg 234.)
       The origin of hand positions to signify the scale note positions are a bit hazy but have been attributed to the hungarian composer, Zoltan Kodaly.

       I prefer to use the Italian spelling for solfege (in parenthesis). But we are also posting the three letter spelling and their descriptions for the students from The Lionel Hampton School of Music in Moscow Idaho. Welcome. And special thanks to Austin.

The descending major (diatonic) scale:

high doh