How to Change the Note Naming Convention

Neck Diagrams lets you choose different naming conventions for notes to suit your musical background or preferences. This is especially useful because note names vary by region and teaching method.

How to change the note naming system

1. Open Neck Diagrams.

2. Go to Preferences :

3. Look for Note Names in the left-hand list :

4. Select the desired option, and don’t forget to Apply them :

Available Naming Conventions

1. Standard Western
2. Northern European/Scandinavian
3. Unambiguous Northern European/Scandinavian
4. Solfège, Romance (Fixed Do)
5. Solfège, Chromatic (Fixed Do)

Standard Western

This is the most common system used in English-speaking countries and worldwide. It uses the note names: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, with sharps/flats as normal.

Northern European/Scandinavian

Used in countries like Germany and much of Scandinavia, this system replaces the Western B with H, and uses B to represent what is known as Bb in the Western system.

• Example - F major scale:
  F – G - A – B – H – C – D – E – F
  → Here, B = Bb, and H = B

Unambiguous Northern European/Scandinavian
This variation aims to reduce confusion by using H instead of Western B, like the traditional Northern European system, but keeping Bb for B-flat instead of calling it B.

This way, H still represents the note above A (what Westerners call B), but Bb stays as Bb, not B — making it clearer for users switching between systems.

• Example  - F major scale:
  F – G - A – Bb – H – C – D – E – F
  • → Here, H = B, and Bb = Bb not B

Solfège, Romance (Fixed Do)

This naming system uses solfège syllables popular in Romance language countries (like Spain, France, Italy):

• • Do (C)

  • Re (D)

  • Mi (E)

  • Fa (F)

  • Sol (G)

  • La (A)

  • Si (B)

• This system assigns fixed syllables to specific notes regardless of the key.

• C major scale in this system:
  • Do – Re – Mi – Fa – Sol – La – Si – Do

Solfège, Chromatic (Fixed Do)

Similar to the Romance solfège, but includes all chromatic notes with solfège syllables, allowing representation of sharps and flats within the fixed do system.

• Example (Chromatic scale starting from C):
  Do – Do♯/Re♭ – Re – Re♯/Mi♭ – Mi – Fa – Fa♯/Sol♭ – Sol – Sol♯/La♭ – La – La♯/Si♭ – Si – Do

Why Choose Different Naming Conventions?

• If you work with students or musicians in Northern Europe or Scandinavia, selecting the Northern European/Scandinavian naming makes your diagrams more familiar to them.

• If you teach relative pitch or use solfège in your lessons, the Solfège options make diagrams easier to understand and sing.

• The Unambiguous Northern European/Scandinavian option is useful if you want to avoid confusion between B and H note names.

• The Standard Western option is best if you are accustomed to the traditional English system.

Final Notes

Changing the note naming convention updates all diagrams automatically, so you don’t have to relabel notes manually. This makes Neck Diagrams flexible for different musical contexts and easier to use worldwide.