Nature Notes
Natural SingLets are A, B, C, D, E, Fi, and G. In pronunciation, these correspond to /eɪ/, /bi/, /si/, /di/, /i/, /fi/, and /dʒi/ (Table 1, the “Natural Note” rows in the middle).
Explanation
The SingLet System
SingLet gives every music note you've ever run into a unique, singable label. These SingLets are monosyllables with monogesture articulation, i.e. monogesture words, as defined in How It Works.
Monogesture Defined
Some words are not only monosyllabic but also pronounceable through one smooth, uninterrupted articulatory movement, which the author defines as monogesture.
Words such as “A,” “Ben,” and “song” can be articulated monogesturally. Words such as “F,” “exist,” and “C-sharp” cannot.
Monogesture forms are single letters or monosyllables whose core pronunciation is a vowel nucleus, while both a consonant onset and a permissive coda are optional. In syllable terms, SingLets therefore take the structures V, VN, CV, or CVN.
Every SingLet syllable is designed so that its pronunciation can be realized through one smooth tongue movement, without interruption or secondary articulator re-targeting. All SingLets are monogesture words.
A Comprehensive SingLet System
Sharp and Flat Accidentals
Sharp SingLets are A♯→Ah, B♯→Bah, C♯→Cah, D♯→Dah, E♯→Eah, F♯→Fah, and G♯→Gah, all rhyming with /ɑ/ as in “grandma” (Table 1, the “Single Sharp” rows). The beginning C and E in accidental SingLets have consonant onset pronunciation of /s/ and /j/, respectively.
Flat SingLets are A♭→Aeh, B♭→Beh, C♭→Ceh, D♭→Deh, E♭→Eeh, F♭→Feh, and G♭→Geh, all rhyming with /ɛ/ assigned to syllable “eh.”
Double Sharp and Flat Accidentals
Double sharp SingLets are A♯♯→Aw, B♯♯→Baw, C♯♯→Caw, D♯♯→Daw, E♯♯→Eaw, F♯♯→Faw, and G♯♯→Gaw, all rhyming with /ɔ/ as in “law.”
Double flat SingLets are A♭♭→Aoo, B♭♭→Boo, C♭♭→Coo, D♭♭→Doo, E♭♭→Eoo, F♭♭→Foo, and G♭♭→Goo, all rhyming with /u/ as “oo” in “zoo.”
Triple Sharp and Flat Accidentals
Triple sharp SingLets are A♯♯♯→Aon, B♯♯♯→Bon, C♯♯♯→Con (pronounced as /sɑn/ as a SingLet, instead of /kɑn/ as a normal English word), D♯♯♯→Don, E♯♯♯→Eon, F♯♯♯→Fon, and G♯♯♯→Gon, all rhyming with /ɑn/ as in “Don.”
Triple flat SingLets are A♭♭♭→Aen, B♭♭♭→Ben, C♭♭♭→Cen (pronounced as /sɛn/, instead of /kɛn/ for a normal English word), D♭♭♭→Den, E♭♭♭→Een, F♭♭♭→Fen, and G♭♭♭→Gen, all rhyming with /ɛn/ as in “pen” (Table 1).
Quadruple Sharp and Flat Accidentals
Quadruple sharp SingLets are A♯♯♯♯→Aong, B♯♯♯♯→Bong, C♯♯♯♯→Cong, D♯♯♯♯→Dong, E♯♯♯♯→Eong, F♯♯♯♯→Fong, and G♯♯♯♯→Gong, all rhyming with /ɔŋ/ as in the English word “song” (not the Chinese Pinyin “Song” as for “宋”) (Table 1).
Quadruple flat SingLets are A♭♭♭♭→Aung, B♭♭♭♭→Bung, C♭♭♭♭→Cung, D♭♭♭♭→Dung, E♭♭♭♭→Eung, F♭♭♭♭→Fung, and G♭♭♭♭→Gung, all rhyming with /uŋ/ as in “ung” from “Kung Fu,” while staying manageable for English speakers.
Natural Notes
Natural SingLets are A, B, C, D, E, Fi, and G. In pronunciation, these correspond to /eɪ/, /bi/, /si/, /di/, /i/, /fi/, and /dʒi/ (Table 1, the “Natural Note” rows in the middle).
Only F shifts away from its ordinary letter-name pronunciation, changing /ɛf/ into the smoother /fi/.
| Note | IPA | SingLet | Conventional | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | /eɪ/ | A | /eɪ/ | Direct letter-name identity |
| B | /bi/ | B | /bi/ | Stable B onset |
| C | /si/ | C | /si/ | Stable C onset identity |
| D | /di/ | D | /di/ | Stable D onset |
| E | /i/ | E | /i/ | Zero onset base for E |
| F | /fi/ | Fi | /ɛf/ (VC) | F changes to Fi for legato singing |
| G | /dʒi/ | G | /dʒi/ | Stable G onset identity |
Accidental Families
The accidental system stays compact by keeping pitch-class onsets stable while vowel families encode accidental direction and tier.
Single Sharp and Flat Accidentals
The accidental system stays compact by keeping pitch-class onsets stable while vowel families encode accidental direction and tier.
Sharps
A♯
Ah
B♯
Bah
C♯
Cah
D♯
Dah
E♯
Eah
F♯
Fah
G♯
Gah
Sharp SingLets rhyme with /ɑ/ as in “grandma.” The beginning C and E in accidental SingLets have consonant onset pronunciation of /s/ and /j/, respectively.
Flats
A♭
Aeh
B♭
Beh
C♭
Ceh
D♭
Deh
E♭
Eeh
F♭
Feh
G♭
Geh
Flat SingLets rhyme with /ɛ/, assigned to the syllable “eh.”
Double Sharp and Flat Accidentals
The accidental system stays compact by keeping pitch-class onsets stable while vowel families encode accidental direction and tier.
Sharps
A♯♯
Aw
B♯♯
Baw
C♯♯
Caw
D♯♯
Daw
E♯♯
Eaw
F♯♯
Faw
G♯♯
Gaw
Double sharp SingLets rhyme with /ɔ/ as in “law.”
Flats
A♭♭
Aoo
B♭♭
Boo
C♭♭
Coo
D♭♭
Doo
E♭♭
Eoo
F♭♭
Foo
G♭♭
Goo
Double flat SingLets rhyme with /u/, as “oo” in “zoo.”
Triple Sharp and Flat Accidentals
The accidental system stays compact by keeping pitch-class onsets stable while vowel families encode accidental direction and tier.
Sharps
A♯♯♯
Aon
B♯♯♯
Bon
C♯♯♯
Con
D♯♯♯
Don
E♯♯♯
Eon
F♯♯♯
Fon
G♯♯♯
Gon
Triple sharp SingLets rhyme with /ɑn/ as in “Don.” C♯♯♯→Con is pronounced /sɑn/ as a SingLet rather than /kɑn/ as a normal English word.
Flats
A♭♭♭
Aen
B♭♭♭
Ben
C♭♭♭
Cen
D♭♭♭
Den
E♭♭♭
Een
F♭♭♭
Fen
G♭♭♭
Gen
Triple flat SingLets rhyme with /ɛn/ as in “pen.” C♭♭♭→Cen is pronounced /sɛn/ rather than /kɛn/ in ordinary English.
Quadruple Sharp and Flat Accidentals
The accidental system stays compact by keeping pitch-class onsets stable while vowel families encode accidental direction and tier.
Sharps
A♯♯♯♯
Aong
B♯♯♯♯
Bong
C♯♯♯♯
Cong
D♯♯♯♯
Dong
E♯♯♯♯
Eong
F♯♯♯♯
Fong
G♯♯♯♯
Gong
Quadruple sharp SingLets rhyme with /ɔŋ/ as in the English word “song,” not the Chinese Pinyin “Song” for “宋.”
Flats
A♭♭♭♭
Aung
B♭♭♭♭
Bung
C♭♭♭♭
Cung
D♭♭♭♭
Dung
E♭♭♭♭
Eung
F♭♭♭♭
Fung
G♭♭♭♭
Gung
Quadruple flat SingLets rhyme with /uŋ/, written here as “ung,” echoing the sound in “Kung Fu” while keeping the form compact.
Pattern Summary
Assigning the seven onset cases nine distinct Let forms results in 7×9=63 SingLets. Every SingLet is a monosyllable with monogesture articulation. Accidental directions and tiers are distinguished by systematic vowel shifts. Natural notes rhyme with /i/, single and double sharps move toward darker vowels /ɑ/ and /ɔ/, and flats use /ɛ/ and /u/. Higher tiers extend the ladder to /ɑn/, /ɔŋ/, /ɛn/, and /uŋ/.
If accidentals higher than the 4th tier, such as quintuple or sextuple, ever become necessary, their SingLets can be created accordingly.
Theory and Pilot/Demo
To compare the system in real scales, continue to Theory; to hear songs and demo material, continue to Pilot/Demo.