The Sacred Harp four-shape system is similar to the do-re-me system seen in The Sound of Music, but it replaces the first three notes of do re mi with fa sol la, and mi replaces ti.
We sing for fun, not performance, and there is no choir director—all the singers take turns leading the group.
Since the four-shape system allows for songs to be sight-read quickly, the leader selects a song and the verses to be sung, sets the tempo, and then leads the song, singing the shapes once through before we sing the song.
Join Mid-Michigan singers on Facebook!
An example two-part shape note hymn from the American Church Harp (1856):
