Sacred Harp singing is a community musical and social event emphasizing participation, not performance, where people sing songs from a tunebook called "The Sacred Harp" first published in 1844. Many of the songs come from the British Isles, New England and the American South. Traditionally, the notes are represented by shapes to facilitate sight reading. "Sacred Harp" refers to the human voice in general or the vocal chords in particular. No musical instruments are used.