Remember Pogs? Anyone?...Bueller?...
Pogs were these cardboard discs that people would collect
and then sacrifice in a winner-take-all kind of game. Kind of like marbles,
except flatter, with better designs. Forgive me, loyal fans of Pogs, but they
were a fad. They were really cool for a while, but then they disappeared, like
snap bracelets, sitcom catch phrases, and cassette tapes. If someone wished to
explore the entire scope of a cappella music, an educator or educated student
must examine current a cappella trends, where they evolved from, and where they
are going. I find it fascinating to discover that fans of a cappella music
discover the latest trends only at festivals, when there is so much to discover
on this new invention- the internet. Hopefully, the internet won’t go out of
style like Pogs.
1) Live Looping
Probably the
biggest and fastest growing trend in a cappella music. Live Loopers, like Julia
Easterlin and Mister Tim, have pioneered the next great thing in “I hate other
people and their smelly faces” performing- an entire a cappella song, built
from the ground up, with only one person on stage. It’s a very exciting thing
to see live, especially because you actually watch the song being built part by
part, usually starting with the percussion, followed by the bass line, followed
by the repeated pattern that forms the basis of the harmony. Utilizing the same
equipment, a BOSS RC-50 looper, both artists have achieved what so far, only
box videos on you tube have shown us- that one person can sing every part and
still be entertaining. Oh and speaking of box videos…
2) Box Videos
I have absolutely no idea who started this trend. I first
discovered it after watching Peter Hollens sing “Moves Like Jagger.” But,
regardless of who started it, Box videos have become all the rage. What are
they? Box videos are videos (duh) where one person sings an entire song, every
part with percussion included, a cappella. Recorded on a computer (probably
using Protools, but don’t quote me on that) and then filmed with the artist
singing each part, facing the camera, box videos are called that because they
literally just contain “boxes.” In each box, the artist is singing a different
part, continuously throughout the entire song. Just like live looping…only…not live…looping…
3) A cappella Blogs
It wasn’t too long ago that “The A cappella Blog” took the
internet by storm. Looked upon as a companion to Casa.org, this blog focuses
primarily on the collegiate and high school aspects of a cappella, while trying
to spread the educational message of a cappella’s musical values. But if that
were the only blog out there, then this wouldn’t exactly make the
checklist…would it? Just run a google search for a cappella and blog (and
hopefully my name will come up…maniacal laugh…)There’s acatribe, acappella 101,
the UK university a cappella blog, vocalblog, a cappellapsych, and many more.
In fact, acablog is a website that tracks and summarizes each a cappella blog.
4) Cell Phone Pitch
Pipes
Is it just me,
or have you seen less and less pitch pipes these days? Sure, an electronic tone
is more in tune, but doesn’t the risk of your cell phone going off on stage
warrant at least some concern that maybe you should just buckle down and pay
the twenty dollars for a real pitch pipe? I don’t know. That’s just me I guess.
Though my cell phone would never go off on stage…no one calls me. Ever. (sniff
sniff)
5) Handheld
Microphones
I encourage the progression of this trend. Microphone
set-ups are tricky, especially for large groups and for universal on stage
settings. The trend of one microphone for one voice allows arrangements to not
be limited by ooh’s and ahh’s. Singers can now be heard, even if their part is
all consonants on pitch. Microphones should enhance the dynamics, not get in
their way. Hooray for more microphones!
Here’s a list of resources mentioned in this article.
Mister Tim, Live Looper: http://www.mistertimdotcom.com/
Julia Easterlin, Live Looper: http://www.juliaeasterlin.com/
Peter Hollens, Box Video Specialist: http://peterhollens.com/
ACA Blog, A list of popular a cappella blogs: http://www.acablog.net/
Acatribe, one of my favorite a cappella blog: http://acatribe.com/
What other trends have you noticed? Visit http://acappellaquest.blogspot.com/
for more educational discussions about a cappella music.
Marc Silverberg
http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-current-cappella-trendsand-pogs
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