Mouserat

I don’t’ know if you know this, but SONOS recently changed their name to ARORA. The group claimed that the speaker company, also named SONOS, was getting a lot of recognition, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish the two.

Fair point. Your name is everything. It’s your brand, your identity; it’s how people can find you, talk about you, search for you, socialize with others who share the common interest of you.

Unless you have the fan allegiance of SONOS…ummm…ARORA, changing your name is either next to impossible, because it’s like starting all over again with a new band; or it’s too easy, and by changing it, you’ve sent a message that your group is not important or liked well enough for it to matter what your name is.

Andy Dwyer’s band, Mouserat, from the television show “Parks and Recreation,” changes band names as often as Leslie Knope creates idea binders. (if you don’t watch the show…that’s A LOT) From Eagle Eye Tiger to Ratmouse, the band has gone through a number of different identities, even though the four members have stayed exactly the same.

Why is this on my mind? Because a new a cappella group at Five Towns asked me for advice on a group name. Here’s what I told them:

1) No music puns or music vocabulary

There was a time when I truly believed that music groups should have musical sounding names.

This is only one man’s opinion, of course, but now I dislike group names with musical puns. Besides, a music pun doesn’t explain that you are an a cappella group, just that you are a music group, so the purpose of a musical-pun name is already moot.

Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t some amazing groups out there with musical pun names. Rockapella, for example. Or Pentatonix. Or…

Backbeats, Divisi, Noteworthy, Forte, Solo, Fermata Nowhere, Street Corner Symphony, Vocal Point, Deltones, Soul’d Out, Clef Hangers, Crosstones, Logarhythms, Ithacappella, Acappology, Low Key, Cognitive Resonance, Midnight Ramblers, Undertones, Voices in Your Head, Chollaries, N’Harmonics, Chordials, Rusty Pipes, Off The Beat, A Completely Different Note, Veritones, Scattertones, Casual Harmony, Blue Notes, Rip Chords, Xtension Chords, Fermata Town, Octaves, Counterpoint, Takenote, Groove For Thought, Acafellas, Sirens, Naked Voices, Lost Keys, Compulsive Lyres, Whispers, Singsation, Overtones, Dodecaphonics, Callers, Acoustix, Eight Beat Measure, Decadence, Fundamentally Sound, Pitch Slapped, Socal Vocals, Treble Makers, Da Capo, Vocaldente, Hi-Fidelity, Toxic Audio, The Accidentals, Bvocal, Major Minors, Town Criers, Fundamentally Sound, Jukevox, Men of Note, B-naturals, B-sharps, Joint Sound, Unstrumental, Beyond Measure, Ascending Height, Mxolydians, Tone Appetit, Fermata, Encore, Muses, Offkey, Double Treble, Here Comes Treble, Downbeats, Artists in Resonance, Vocal Rush, Aural Pleasure, Twisted Measure, Spartones, Vox One, Maybebop, MuSix, Class Notes, Ransom Notes, Aural Fixation, Pitches Be Crazy, Opportunes, Nothin’ but Treble, Dischords, Takenote, Sympathetic Vibrations, Treblemakers, Bostones, Undertones, Minor Variation, Notables, Lookin’ Sharp, Not Too Sharp, Cadence, Vocal Motion, Capital Blend, Vocal Majority, MelUDees, Duly Noted, In Achord, Metropolitones, Frequency, Achordants, Vocal Suspects, Vocal Chaos, Groovestand, Soundcheck, Capital Hearings, Keychange, Smokin’ Hot Pipes, Deaftones, Toccatatones…

2) It must have character

Is your group sexy? Hilarious? Professional? Hard-rock lovers? Brainy? Secretly the Ninja Turtles?

The name must reflect that. Don’t call yourselves the “Clownbutts” and expect to be branded as the hippest a cappella group on campus. Speaking of which…

3) It should represent something you have in common

Most commonly, college and high school groups will name their a cappella group after the college mascot or local hotspot. This gives it instant recognition and location dominance. The Pitchforks are from Duke. The Sil’hooettes are from Virginia. No one is going to mistake them with anyone else.

4) Please Google/Bing it

If you don’t want to have to keep explaining “Oh no…we’re that OTHER group with the same name,” then don’t have the same name.

5) Can you draw it?

Once you’ve allegedly picked a name, draw a logo for it: something that embodies the entire name in one picture. Can’t do it? Don’t use it. That means it’s probably forgettable.

6) Make sure it can’t be transformed into something bad.

Eventually, you are going to develop a nickname for your group. Pentatonix is PTX. A group I was once in, Vocal Point (not BYU…a different one) was referred to as VP.

A group like “Pitch people” may run into some trouble (The PP’s). The University of New York (not a real place) Sextet could also be misconstrued (UNYsex, The Sexes, The Tet’s).

7) Merchandising! Merchandising! Merchandising!

Will this name, with it’s twenty-plus letters, cost too much ink on your T-shirt? Will your groupies be known as the “UNYsex lovers?” Will you be able to identify your songs on iTunes?

Creating a name, or even changing a name, is a big responsibility. Don’t take it lightly.

Of course, you could always go to a random name generator. For example, my Hobbit name is “Reginard Foxburr of Loamsdown.”

Marc Silverberg

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A cappella Game Theory

I recently read a book that included a chapter on “Game Theory.” Did you know that there is a mathematical formula for determining the outcome probability in games?

I sure didn’t.

I tried to learn more about this theory, but after realizing I have the math skills of a four-year-old, I gave up quickly.

However, it got me thinking…Are there elements of a cappella that could be better understood by mathematical equations? (assuming you understood mathematical equations...)

Let’s try it…

Arranging for an a cappella group:

1 root-filled bass line + (3 rhythm voices + LOTS of eighth notes) + (3 harmony voices singing only words) – “jen” and “jo” + solo + solo harmony – written out solo because I’m lazy + “doo” = A cappella Arrangement

Planning a concert:

1 set list + 15 contrasting opinions – logical sense of order + vocal percussion microphone + bass microphone + solo microphone + other random microphone that no one is really sure why you need it + 1 hour of light design – 50 minutes of wasted time discussing one color of lights x number of audience members who don’t understand what “a cappella” is = Concert

Recording a CD:

1 protools + 2 producers – 1 producer – 1 solo microphone x hours per day needed to track the arrangement x (number of dollars you think it takes to produce an album + 7,000) / number of notes that must be corrected using Melodyne = A cappella CD

Vocal Percussion:

1 “dm” + 4 “ts” + 1 “pfft” + boots + cats + (number of beats per minute in the correct tempo – 2 beats per minute) x volume of human saliva= Vocal Percussionist

Rehearsal:

1 music director x (human ego + 5,000) / number of group members + 3 hours – 2.5 hours for business + number of water bottles required to hydrate group + 1 bag of salty Doritos + 1 piano – 87 out-of-tune keys= Rehearsal

Competition set:

10 groups + 5 judges – 4 biased judges + (number of group members/ 1 microphone) + 12 minutes – 2 minutes for unnecessary audience applause – highest score which could have helped you win – lowest score which is too embarrassing to read + 10 judges’ comments – 9 unhelpful comments + 25 dance moves + 4 solos – 3 bad solos = Competition Set

Bobby McFerrin:

God + music = Bobby McFerrin

Marc Silverberg

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The Hydra

The Hydra is a mythical Greek serpent/water-beast. The Hydra's most distinguishing feature was its many heads…and its ability to regrow them when one head was chopped off. Chop off one head, three more sprout up. Ever see Disney’s “Hercules?” Kind of like that.

I like to think of a cappella as a Hydra. Not because I think the term a cappella is actually a mythical Greek serpent/water-beast, but because I think the process of "keeping up with a cappella trends" is like fighting a many-headed Hydra.

Imagine that listening to a new a cappella song is the equivalent to “chopping off a head.” Listen to one song, three new ones are released in its place. Every day I check facebook, and at least five new a cappella groups are releasing singles, or making albums, or trying out new music on tour. It’s enough to make your own head spin.

How can someone keep up with the latest a cappella trends, when new ones pop up every day? Here are some handy methods that I use to keep myself informed:

Method 1: “Buying in Bulk.”

Picture a warehouse store, like Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s. You don’t go there every day to buy toilet paper…you go there once a month to buy a tremendous amount of toilet paper and keep yourself stocked through Christmas.

Method one is sort of like shopping at these warehouse stores. Instead of downloading or listening to new a cappella music every day, take one day out of the week/month/year to download a "buttload" (technical term) of music, and then spend the rest of your down-time listening to your new purchases.

You may be slightly behind everyone else in terms of present-day knowledge, but you won’t have to worry about playing catch-up every day of the week.

Method 2: “The Family Tree”

This method is similar to a family tree. You start at the top. Your parents/siblings are listed below. Their parents/siblings are listed below them, etc.

Let’s put this to some aca-use. Look at the five CARA-nominated albums for best pop album. You download/listen to those first. Next, you download/listen to every album by those same artists. Then, you download/listen to every album that comes up in a music store recommendation list. Then you download/listen to all the albums by those artists, etc.

Method 3: “The Subscriber”

Like an a cappella group? Subscribe to their Youtube page, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, blog about them on Reddit, bookmark their website, sign up for a Google notification, look at their instagram photos, download their app…see where I’m going with this?

The best part is, most of these websites and programs do the notification work for you. They inform you when a group’s page has been updated or new information has been added. You can decide what to look at and what to ignore.

Method 4: “The Expert on Nothing”

Who says you have to be up-to-date with every a cappella trend? Why not spend all of your time becoming an expert on one particular group? It would save you time, money, and you could be considered the foremost “expert” on group knowledge at every major a cappella festival.

When fighting the a cappella Hydra, one method may not be enough. Hercules kept chopping off heads, only to make his situation worse. If you want to be an expert on a cappella, you have to try different methods and spend your time, and money, wisely. Good luck.

Marc Silverberg

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The top five a cappella moments of Andy Bernard

And…we’re back…

This spring, we lost a dear television show that revolutionized the “mockumentary” format, as well as the “America always steals good television show ideas from England” format. It’s time to celebrate “The Office.”

A cappella was treated more as a punch-line than a serious art form, but Andy Bernard’s passion for a cappella represented more of the a cappella geeks than previously realized. So today, we honor the top five a cappella moments of Andy Bernard:

[WARNING- FULL SPOILERS TO FOLLOW]

Number 5- “Night at the Roxbury”

His first day at the Scranton Dunder Mifflin branch showed us how ambitious Andy Bernard was. He was willing to mimic Michael Scott’s personality, down to the exact inflection of his tone; he won over Angela by changing his screensaver to kittens; and he managed to out-grovel Dwight during the “Integration Celebration” meeting.

Michael, in one of his utterly miserable attempts to be funny, claimed that a day at work was like a “night at a party.” Michael goes on to say that “business should feel like a night out…at the Roxbury.”

Cue the boombox…which doesn’t work. Andy steps in, singing the bass line to “What is love” in a ridiculous techno voice. And the age of “Nard Dog” begins.

Number 4- “Drift Away/Lion Sleeps Tonight”

On the road with Jim to speak to one of their biggest clients, a local high school, Andy is asked if the car has any music. So of course…Andy begins to sing “rit-dit-dit-doo…Gimmie the beat boys…” and Jim is thoroughly annoyed.

Then it turns out that Andy’s new girlfriend attends the very same high school...and Andy becomes jealous of a seventeen year old boy who flirts with her.

In an attempt to cheer him up on the way home, Jim sings a very…unique…”wim-o-wep” (John Krasinski is not the greatest singer in the world) and Andy’s blues melt away with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

Just another example of how a cappella can cheer anyone up…even someone who accidentally dates a high school student.

Number 3- "Here Comes Treble"

In the final season, Andy’s Cornell a cappella group, “Here Comes Treble” makes a guest visit to the Dunder Mifflin branch, and the a cappella jokes commence.

Best parts about this episode…Stephen Colbert’s guest appearance as Broccoli Rob, the battle of the “Faith” solos, and the hundreds of jokes thrown in a cappella’s face.

Number 2- “Take a Chance On Me”

In one of the sweetest moments on the Office, Andy tries to court Angela with a song, sung by his college a cappella friends on speakerphone. The rendition of ABBA’s hit isn’t perfect…often the tempo falls apart and the chords are not always in tune…but the moment is a perfect example that a cappella doesn’t haven’t to be perfect to mean something.

It also proves that a cappella can sound good with only three voices.

Number 1- “Rockin’ Robin”

In his first season on “The Office,” Andy was the office villain to end all office villians…a scheming “yes-man” whose focus was destroying Dwight. When he finally achieved his goal, he stole Dwight’s desk, right across from Jim. And the battle began…

Andy’s most annoying feature? His cell phone ringtone, which was a spectacular four-part a cappella arrangement of “Rockin’ Robin,” which according to him “took forever to record.” It wasn’t the arrangement that was the problem…it was Andy’s insistence of calling himself, just so everyone could hear it over and over again.

Jim’s revenge was swift and effective. By hiding the cell phone in the ceiling, and then calling it repeatedly, Jim drove Andy to the point of no return: Andy’s frustration with not being able to find the phone made him so angry he punched a hole in the dry wall…proving to Michael, and everyone else, that Dwight deserved to be there much more than Andy did.

To this day, I have still never heard a better "Rockin' Robin."

Honorable mention- “The next great A capella Star.”

No…you didn’t read that incorrectly…a cappella was spelled wrong on the show. Andy quits his job to audition for the Sing-Off/Idol hybrid reality show, bombs the audition, cries in front of the judges, and becomes an internet phenomenon. I’d put this moment in the top five, but the fact that they spelled A cappella incorrectly, on a show that airs on the same network as “The Sing-Off,” is unforgivable.

Marc Silverberg

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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-top-5-cappella-moments-andy-bernard

Your Summer Aca-Fix

One pet peeve I have about a cappella music is that the volume of interest seems to wind down during the summer. Obviously, this is the time when colleges wrap up their semesters, graduation looms upon us, and group members disperse to their home town/state/country.

I notice a dip in aca-internet traffic as well, as if we were a sports-ball team and this is our off-season.

But we are not a sports-ball team. We have no off-season. Sure, the competitions may be over, but do we really only get together to compete? Are we not able to perform over the summer? And what about the aca-holics, who live off a cappella music like junkies? Are we supposed to sit in the corner of our bedroom, rocking back and forth, singing bass lines to no one?

I refuse to believe it. For those of you who don’t want the fun to end, here’s a few suggestions on how to get your aca-fix this summer:

1) Conventions

VoCALnation is held in Philadelphia this year. Camp A cappella is in Ohio. The Real Workshop is in Sweden. The Women’s A cappella Association is having their first festival in Oregon.

Just because college may be over does not mean the world is slowing down. Now is your chance to take the big leap of faith/money/travel and go somewhere you couldn’t go before because of your academic priorities.

2) Record an album

The summer is the PERFECT time to record an album. The process of recording the vocals (called “tracking”) is a time consuming process and is best done one person at a time. In fact, the entire group doesn’t even need to be there simultaneously. You only need a group representative and the album producer with you in the room. Then you can go part by part, person by person, day by day.

3) Tour

Did you know that the members of popular a cappella groups like Musae and Overboard don’t even live in the same area? They live in opposite ends of the country. They get together a few days before a concert, rehearse, perform, and go home.

What’s stopping YOU from doing that with your own group members? Plan a performance, pick a location to meet, plan a blitzkrieg rehearsal, sing, go home.

4) Catch up on your listening

Chances are, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of a cappella albums you haven’t yet listened to because you just didn’t have time. Well guess what…now you have time! Get cracking.

5) Loop yourself

Who says you need an a cappella group to have fun? Download a free loop app on your phone and go nuts. Write some original songs. Improvise. Make a fool out of yourself in the privacy of your own home.

6) Train for a riff-off!

Start building a repertoire of songs now and figure out how the chord progressions move. Challenge a friend to a game of Hot Spot. Form a small team and challenge another team to a riff-off. Or…you could just completely abandon the riff-off idea and start a massively large circle song.

7) Get a jump start on next year.

Only one group can win the ICHSA. Only one group can win the ICCA. Only one group can win the Harmony Sweepstakes. Only a handful of groups can appear on BOCA, BOHSA, SING, or Voices Only.

If you are not one of those groups, now's the time to start planning. Your next ICCA set should be arranged during the summer. Your album that you will submit to BOCA should be mixed during the summer. Your choreographer should start planning moves during the summer. The sooner you get a head start, the more time you will have to perfect your set.

As far as I’m concerned, the end of another school year is not an excuse to stop singing. If you need your aca-fix, go make it yourself.

Marc Silverberg

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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-your-summer-aca-fix

A cappella Development

And now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together…It’s Arrested Development.

"Miraculous" would be the best word to describe this show’s resurrection. In 2003, a humble, under the radar comedy, aired on FOX, with nine of the most talented actors ever assembled and a writing staff who chose to write for highly intelligent audiences instead of the lowest common denominator. In its first year, Arrested Development won the Emmy for best comedy. Critics around the country were hailing it as one of the most groundbreaking comedies of all time.

But no one watched.

The show got picked up for a second season. The jokes became funnier. The show had the uncanny ability to set a joke up in one episode and then delay the punch-line for three to four more episodes. It was a show you had to actively watch to catch everything, a show in which I’ve seen, in its entirety, ten times, and I still catch something new every time I watch.

But no one watched. And the show was cut back to 18 episodes instead of 22.

The show somehow got picked up for a third season...but only for 13 episodes. Arrested Development brought in A-level guest stars, and even begged you, the audience, to tell your friends about the show by actually saying the line: “Please tell your friends about this show.”

But no one watched. And it was cancelled.

It was mourned for 8 years. And then…out of the blue (get it, fans?)…Netflix picked it up for a fourth season. It was the Mother(boy) of all comebacks.

Why? Because the DVD sales were only growing, sort of like Family Guy. And a movie was rumored. And the fans grew in number.

That’s what this post is all about. The fans. As great as Arrested Development is, and as thrilled I am to see it return, it really would not have done so without the fans. A cappella groups…this is where you should start paying attention.

The lifeblood of your group is your fans. Does music exist if no one is around to hear it? Of course it does, but it’s not nearly as appreciated. I always respect successful stars who acknowledge that it is because of the fans that anyone knows who he/she is. My point is, if you are successful…if everyone knows who you are…thank the fans.

As for the fans, it is up to YOU to help people succeed. As talented as Rockapella is, they would nothing without the fans buying their CDs, attending their concerts, and checking them out on social media. The fans are in power, not the superstar. And we have to shoulder that responsibility.

Just like Arrested Development, the fans (or lack thereof) was the reason the show got cancelled. Popular a cappella groups, like Five O’Clock Shadow for instance, don’t get nearly the recognition they deserve, because the fans think the group will promote themselves.

Let me tell you this…no marketing tool, no billboard, no commercial, no social media blitz is more powerful than word-of-mouth. You talk about something to two people. They tell two people. They tell two people…and so on…and so on…and so on…(Party on Wayne!)

You, as a fan, must go and actively promote your favorite a cappella groups. A cappella groups must take time to celebrate and thank your fans. The little people may not matter during your current show, but if you want to keep performing more shows, you need the little people to support you.

The fans are in the driver’s seat. The fans are in control. And when the fans demand something, it gets done. That’s why Arrested Development is back on the air…the fans.

Please, be an active fan for your group...and watch Arrested Development.

Marc Silverberg

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A cappella for Soloists

If I had to estimate how many members of collegiate a cappella groups were actually music majors, I would guess about thirty to forty percent. If I were to estimate how many of those people were vocal majors, I would estimate about fifty to sixty percent.

Even if the numbers are off, one detail that keeps staring me in the face is that some, even many, a cappella singers are also vocal majors. I mean, I was one in college, and there’s no way I could be the only one. So we know there’s at least two.

This blog post is for those people. The rest of you can go back to watching Game of Thrones.

Hey vocal majors! Ever wonder how you can translate your love of a cappella music into your classical studies? Ever get that burning desire to bring a cappella music to your next senior recital, even though your voice teacher would rather die than let you perform a popular song?

Well I’ve got good news. There happens to be a small, practically unknown subset of classical arias that are….wait for it…A CAPPELLA!!! YAY!!!

When I mean a cappella, I'm talking about classical arias written for one unaccompanied voice. They use a combination of traditionally sung notes, extended vocal techniques, vocal sounds, scat singing, overtone singing, and spoken word to create musical paintings that actually force the audience to consider what the true definition of music is.

Here is the history.

Before a cappella arias were written, early 20th century composers like Arnold Schoenberg were using one specific vocal technique called Sprechstimme, or singing with an approximate pitch. In his masterwork "Pierrot Lunaire" (which is NOT a cappella), the singer is encouraged to recite the text around the notated pitch, but not exactly on the pitch. Listen to a part of it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veUJxETj7-c

The first composer to write a classical aria for unaccompanied voice was the highly controversial, but also highly revered composer, John Cage (Yes…he’s the "4’33" guy). Cage composed a piece called "Experiences: No. 2 for Solo Voice." It was traditionally notated, like you would see in any other type of music. Take a listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffv6w2vFkJM

I posit that all of the unaccompanied vocal arias I could find can be categorized into three groups: Art music, Theatrical Music, and Popular Music. Art music, like Cage’s "Experiences No. 2," is composed with a message in mind. While it can be freely interpreted and it contains a lot of extended technique, the philosophy behind the piece, the moral of the story, and/or the message of the lyrics takes precedence over the flash of performing as an unaccompanied soloist. Here are a couple of examples:

John Cage’s "Aria" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGp1d8OIYfg
Luciano Berio’s "Sequenza III" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5VOvGARApo

Theatrical music is what I call the “bang for your buck” music. Composers of unaccompanied theatrical music try to include more visual elements, to keep the audience entertained. The scores of these types of pieces are more graphically notated, and there are usually written instructions on what to do as a performer and how to interpret the score. Here are a few examples:

Cathy Berberian’s "Stripsody" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dNLAhL46xM
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz’s "The Moon" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTGPTfPS3UE

Popular music is exactly what it sounds like: Interpreting popular radio music, like jazz and rock-and-roll into solo unaccompanied vocal works. The most famous (and most experienced) performer of these works is the great Bobby McFerrin. Just listen to his one man "Blackbird:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37DHXrFfwrE

I would also categorize a cappella live loopers in the popular music group. I believe that if a live looper is looping his or her own sounds, and the only sound source is coming from the singer, then the piece can still be considered an unaccompanied solo aria. Julia Easterlin is a very good example of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGCoFfoMuWM

However, if a live looper uses voice modulation boxes or electronic effects, I would NOT consider the work to be an unaccompanied solo aria, because the electronic device is adding a new sound source.

Here are some references to help you find solo a cappella literature for your next recital:

Edgerton, M. (2004). The 21st century voice. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press

Mabry, S. (2002). Exploring twentieth-century vocal music. New York: Oxford University Press

Enjoy!

Marc Silverberg

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