Billings employed an additive compositional technique, in which the tenor melody was composed first, then the bass according to rules of consonant counterpoint, then the treble to provide a countermelody to the tenor, and finally the alto. These shapes replaced noteheads. Most were self-taught and earned their main income as shopkeepers, merchants, farmers, or other trades. Some became iterant teachers, traveling from town to town holding informal singing school in local meetinghouses, churches, or schools for 2-3 months. Sacred Harp singing is a non-denominational community musical event emphasizing participation, not performance.
Singers sit facing inward in a hollow square.
The singing is not accompanied by harps or any other instrument. The group sings from The Sacred Harp, an oblong songbook first published in 1844 by B.F. White and E. J. King. The current 1991 Edition contains many songs in these styles by living composers. This style of singing stems from singing schools in the colonial period. Popularity dwindled around 1800.