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, formatting, organizing, and exporting 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 & notation
Learn the plain-text syntax for notes, timing, slurs, repeats, lyrics, and key changes.
Writing questions→Exporting & printing
Tune spacing and line breaks, then export a print-ready PDF 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 score in real time.
Can I import an existing file?
Yes. Import tonic sol-fa source from a .txt or .docx file, review it in the playground, and export a print-ready PDF.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The Chorister plan is free and includes two saved scores and two watermarked PDF exports each calendar month. Explore the full playground, then upgrade when you need more saved scores or clean exports.
Writing & notation
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 preview changes before exporting?
Yes. The live sol-fa preview updates as you edit the source or change layout settings, so you can check notation, lyrics, spacing, and page breaks before exporting.
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, which respects your spacing, line-break, and emphasis settings from the playground. You can also export a portable JSON copy of the source and score settings.
How do I get clean, watermark-free PDFs?
Clean PDF export is included on the Composer plan, and fully unbranded export on Maestro. The free Chorister and Cantor plans export with a watermark.
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?
Export the score as a PDF, then print it or send the file to your choir. Public web links are not available yet.
Account & billing
Can other people open my saved scores?
Saved scores stay in your cloud library. Sol-fa Forge does not currently provide public web pages or share links for them.
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.