Origin Story
A learner's frustration became a new way to sing note names.
Fuping Zhu came to piano later in life and practiced hard, but one thing kept resisting her: she could not reliably attach Do-Re-Mi syllables to fixed pitches.
About SingLet
SingLet grew from a personal learning question into a research-informed project for clearer chromatic note labeling, fixed-pitch practice, pilot teaching, and future course development.
The surprise was that she was also singing in a choir, where movable-do training made Do, Re, and Mi change with the key. That method is powerful for relative pitch and tonal function, but for Fuping it raised a practical question: could movable-do be getting in the way when a learner is trying to build fixed pitch names?
She did not want to accept that the door to pitch learning had already closed. Maybe her brain was not wired for absolute pitch, as some research discussions suggest for adult learners. But without an effective absolute-pitch-oriented training system, it was hard to know what was impossible and what was only poorly supported.
That question led her into the design problem behind SingLet: if every written note could have one clear, compact, singable name, learners could practice pitch spelling without constantly translating through awkward accidental language.
English offers only a limited set of easy open vowels, which is one reason traditional solfege becomes irregular around sharps and flats. Mandarin Chinese offered Fuping another path: vowel compounds and nasal finals that can stay singable while carrying more systematic information.
From that insight she created SingLet, a letter-name solmization system designed to cover natural notes, sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and higher accidental tiers with a complete family of singable syllables. She then teamed up with her son John Mo, a software engineer with absolute pitch, to refine the system, build public materials, and invite educators and learners into the next stage of testing.
The learning problem
Adult learners need tools that test what can be trained instead of assuming fixed-pitch naming is out of reach.
The musical tension
Movable-do is valuable for relative pitch, but fixed-pitch practice needs stable names that do not change with key.
The design opening
Mandarin-inspired vowel and nasal patterns make it possible to give complex note spellings compact, singable labels.
Main Author
Fuping Zhu
Founded SingLet from her own late-learner pitch-training questions and leads its research, teaching, and pilot development work.
LinkedIn profileCo-Author
John Mo
Supports the project as co-author, software engineer, and collaborator on the broader SingLet concept and communication work.
LinkedIn profileContact
[email protected]
For pilot participation, project questions, collaboration, or future course interest, reach out directly.
Project focus
Research, pilots, and courses
The current public site supports three tracks at once: research publication, ongoing pilot use in teaching, and the development of future paid courses and materials.