I began signing from the Sacred Harp book many years ago. It started during my ritual visit to Montréal every summer since I moved to Vancouver. It has been a blessing to see my mom who was already taken with going to religious choirs for the purpose of signing. We had talked on the phone about this particular group who practised shape note music, a big part of her life, along with all sorts of other choirs. It peaked my interest so I investigated YouTube and immediately saw what she meant by beating the measure with one's arm and how everyone would do it to stay in the rhythm. The physical movement really pushes the discipline further into the body making for a deeper learning experience. I was not crazy about how it sounded at first but in due time, I became used to these recordings.

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There she is, Mishi who has made an impression on countless communities but won the heart of this one like no other.

When I gave Sacred Harp a try, I found it challenging yet achievable. I was lucky to have a historian visit from the US and explain the origins of this distinctly American tradition. The fact that black and white people shared their love for these hymns and psalms together out in the field, an early example of inclusion, struck me. Another fact made an impression on my psyche: pastors deliberately wanted the activity to stay out of service, because even though the lyrics are pious, they empower you to think for yourself when a congregation was meant to be more docile. Coming to terms with death or reflecting on the timeless bonds of friendship was not the kind of content which most Protestant churches would put forward in the 19th century. Besides, it was sung for pleasure.

Since joining my East Coast group, Mishi and I have clocked in a myriad hours of unadulterated fun in harmony.

This music is written in standard scales but the name of the notes have been swapped to make it easier to learn.

The Fa is a triangle, connect the bars of the F, the Sol is a circle, like the O in Sol and the La is a square, Like the capital L (sorta). For the Mi, I link the diamond shape to the dot of the letter i.

These are my little tricks to remember the notes.

As a kid, I had a hard time learning to read or to memorize my multiplication tables. I consider myself to be slightly dyslexic which is why I am happy I learned to read music with all these tricks which has done wonders for me culturally speaking.

The book is a testament to many older melodies from Great Britain and in some cases, Christian lyrics were added later on. Wondrous Love (159) for example, used to be about a famous pirate. At times, it is tedious to sing God's praise. I wrote Lena (210) this verse for just for fun, I am renaming it Dunham.

There was once a sweet young unicorn, she adored th'birds of morning.
In the ruins she met a wise man who had but one leg walking
Misty marshes, magical season, gather around the time is near

Though there are a few three-part melodies, most hymns are composed in four parts: bass, tenor, treble and alto. However, similarly to the name of the notes, the musical terminology here is given a different meaning than usual.

There is no vibrato allowed in this style. This is to increase accuracy resulting in a polyphonic sound which somewhat captures the mystery of eastern European folk signing. Sacred harp is undoubtedly a tradition, but there are many places you can go with it given the right consistency, as the group progresses. Every local sing creates its own subculture and Montreal is famous for being young, fearless and a bit edgy too!

Originally, Sacred Harp was not performed for the public but for the choir itself. This is known as participatory music.

It is common for people to feel entranced in the experience which may explain why atheists and folks of different religions gravitate to it. I for one much enjoy dedicating the endeavour to my mysterious pagan goddess (who is nebulous indeed), so the invisible field is making the desired spiritual connection.

I am lucky to be such good friends with Mishi, she is the biggest joy in my entire life and our bond is pure like crystal. Mom, I love you and I am so happy that we get to sing together. Hang in there just another day until the overwhelming tide of climate change submerges us all for all eternity :P