I get asked this question time and time again:
“I want to start an a cappella group, but I don’t know where
to find arrangements.”
Okay, that’s more of a statement than a question. But it’s a
common problem for amateur a cappella directors or choral directors who want to
incorporate a cappella into their curriculum.
Hopefully, this handy guide will help:
1)
Betteracappella.com
One of the most popular websites for a cappella arrangements
is betteracappella.com. Arrangements are often cheap (or sometimes free if you
ask REALLY nicely). You will have to contact the arranger by email to do
business, so if you’re looking for an arrangement at that very moment, this is
NOT the place to go. Also, anyone can post their arrangement on the website, so
there is no quality control. Be sure to ask for a sample before you buy.
2)
Random-notes.com, Acappellapsych.com,
thevocalcompany.com, totalvocal.com, human-feedback.com, thebenbram.com,
edboyeracappella.com, clearharmonies.com, etc.
All of the websites above offer arranging services, with
either a catalogue to choose from or a service that creates a new arrangement
tailored for your group. The good news is that all of the above websites are
run by experts in the field, so you’re almost always guaranteed to get a
quality arrangement. For example, random-notes.com is run by Tom Anderson,
arranger for Peter Hollens and many other groups. Total Vocal is Deke Sharon’s
website, the father of contemporary a cappella. Thebenbram.com is Ben Bram’s
website, arranger for many groups including Pentatonix.
The bad news: With quality comes price. Custom arrangements
are expensive. They are worth every penny, but they will dip into your already
limited choral budget.
It’s important to understand that once you purchase an
arrangement, it is generally understood that you can make as many copies as you
need, without paying per copy.
3)
Borrow arrangements
Do you have a favorite a cappella group that you’ve seen on
youtube? Try contacting them directly and asking to use one of their
arrangements. More often than not, groups are happy to comply.
4)
Do it yourself
Arranging a cappella is an art, but that doesn’t mean it is
a talent. It’s a skill, just like composing other music. Through trial and
error, or resource guides (like A cappella Arranging by Dylan Bell and Deke
Sharon) you can learn the skill yourself.
5)
Formal websites such as jwpepper.com,
Alfred.com, etc.
There are pros and cons of buying arrangements on these websites.
One benefit is that most school districts favor these companies, because they
usually have an account with them, so ordering is simple. Another benefit is the authenticity of the
arrangement. It would be a mistake to assume that every song you buy on these
websites is a quality arrangement…I’ve been burned by too many scores to back
that statement up. But well known names in the choral world, Kirby Shaw for
example, carry more recognition capital than arrangements by unknown authors.
If you’re playing the political choral game, this may be your best bet.
As an a cappella superfan/academic/crazed stalker, I try to
avoid these websites as much as possible. Only a small handful of a cappella
arrangers have had their music officially published (Deke Sharon has the most
titles), but these titles are often older and written for general use. Let me
explain each of these further:
Typically, a cappella groups want to sing pop music, and
even more typically, they want to sing CURRENT pop music. The chances of
finding an a cappella arrangement of a current radio hit on a publisher’s
website is next to impossible. The publishing world doesn’t work that quickly.
If you’re looking for an earlier song, maybe ten years or more, that would be
much easier to find.
The other problem is the general use: The go-to a cappella
arrangers are writing arrangements for specific groups. They ask a lot of
questions, so that the arrangement comes out exactly the way you want it. They
even ask you to pick your soloist in advance, so that the key fits the soloist
perfectly. Published arrangements are not tailored to specific groups. They are
tailored for a unknown group, or commissioned by a group that isn’t yours. You
have no idea how many parts are in the arrangement, or if the key fits all of
your singers. It’s a roll of the dice.
6)
CASA.org and Acappellaeducators.com
Both of these organizations have a free a cappella library.
All of the arrangements are public domain or original material, so you’re not
going to find the current radio hit you are looking for, but the arrangements
you do find are 100% legal and 100% free. Speaking of which…
7)
Copyright problems
Okay, so this isn’t a website to find arrangements, but I
believe it needs to be addressed. Want to know why there aren’t a lot of guides
pointing you in the right direction of where to find arrangements? Want to know
why it is so difficult to find a cappella arrangements? Because there are a
significant amount of copyright problems associated with a cappella music.
Typically a school will have an auditorium, and for that auditorium
to be legal, the school will have a performing license. Wonder why you can put
on so many concerts in your school? It’s because the performing license covers
this. It says that anyone can perform any minimal work legally (note how I said
minimal…full length plays and musicals are NOT minimal). A cappella is included
under this umbrella. Performing an arrangement of a pop song, that just happens
to be with a cappella singers, is fine. Writing an arrangement and selling it
is not. A cappella arrangers have ways of selling their material legally, but
since I’m not a professional a cappella arranger, you’re going to have to ask
them how they do it.
There is a handy-dandy website that explains all of this in
much better detail than I have: acappella101.com
Marc Silverberg
Follow the Quest For The A cappella Major:
Twitter.com/docacappella
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