Jesse Bowman Aikin (1808–1900) was a shape note "singing master", and compiler of the shape note tunebook The Christian Minstrel. Aikin was the first to produce a song book with a seven-shape note system, in 1846. He vigorously defended his "invention" and his patent, which included the elimination of bass and treble clefs and the simplification of time signatures. The note shapes used in Aikin's Christian Minstrel eventually became the prevailing standard in shape note music publication, although few other compilers adopted his other innovations. This owes much to the influential Ruebush & Kieffer Publishing Company adopting Aikin's system around 1876.
Aikin's names for the notes were originally written: Doe Ray Mee Faw Sole Law See. All the note stems pointed downwards, and the stems for Doe, Ray and See were placed centrally on the shape, rather than to the side. These conventions were discarded by later users of his system, so as not to deviate so much from standard notation.
Aikin was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania and lived on a farm in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Church of the Brethren.
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