If you like early American psalmody / shape notes: a Kickstarter
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,088
    Dr. Nym Cooke, who knows all the backwaters of the Early American vocal repertoire, has compiled a lovely scholarly-yet-singable collection of this music, but his publisher doesn't have the capital to actually print it. Yes, it's not Catholic, but I know some people use shape-note music in the OF Mass. Please check out https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1567181787/american-harmony (Disclaimer: one of my pieces is included.)
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,421
    I hope that this project comes to fruition.
    I'm not really a shape-note scholar, but do appreciate this genre, this real folk music, when I happen to hear it.

    It should probably find a place in music history and musicology curricula -
    and be taught to children in school.
    (Don't you know that children would have great fun with it!?)
  • stulte
    Posts: 355
    It should probably find a place in music history and musicology curricula -
    and be taught to children in school.


    I'm pondering using a shapenote system for teaching singers at my parish. Musescore has a plugin for converting standard scores into shapenotes with a click. I can do without the theologically dubious texts in common use, but the actual system notation can be useful I think.
    Thanked by 1tsoapm
  • tsoapm
    Posts: 79
    It sounds appealing to this singer with little useful knowledge of music theory. I don’t suppose I’ll ever learn to sight sing, but perhaps shape notes would be a step up from just memorising parts over multiple rehearsals with sheet music as a slightly mysterious visual reminder.

    Were you pondering 4-shape or 7-shape? I’ve just about got the idea of why a 4-shape system exists in the first place.

    (I hope no-one will get too inquisitive. Here in Italy moveable do with 7 syllables is hard enough to explain: if I suggest using 4 for the whole scale, they might think I’ve gone nuts.)
  • stulte
    Posts: 355
    7-shape. I'm using my 8-year old as my guinea pig. We just started this week doing solfege by rote telling him the number on the scale and the corresponding syllable for each note. He has a good ear. So, I'll start with having him look at the shapes shortly.
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,187
    The mentioned project sounds good at first, and on examination looked even better. I've sung shape note music from a couple of collections, but a new one with this depth of purpose is worth looking forward to.

    I backed this project. Please consider doing so too.
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