Dissecting the Pitch Perfect 2 Trailer

The trailer for Pitch Perfect 2 is out! I’m SUPER excited for this movie. So excited in fact, that I decided to watch, re-watch, and breakdown the trailer piece by piece. I recommend you watch the trailer first, because this article will contain trailer SPOILERS!

1)   The World Championships of A cappella

Is there such a thing as the world championships of a cappella?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: Sort of.

The most well known international choral event is called the World Choir Games. Though not exclusively a cappella, and definitely not exclusively pop a cappella, the World Choir Games is the Olympics of the choral world, so in a sense, there is definitely an international choral competition. That part is true.

Also, don’t forget that the ICCA is an international competition already. (hence the word “International” in the title)

There are DEFINITELY international a cappella festivals, and some even have local competitions. As for the competition featured in the movie, no, that doesn’t exist…yet. I’ll bet five dollars that this becomes a thing once the movie has premiered.

2)   Riff off part 2

David Cross (Arrested Development, Mr. Show) is a rich a cappella enthusiast who hosts an international, underground Riff-Off. That’s the mansion the Bellas travel to in the trailer (the one that requires a fart noise password…or so I assume). Does this exist? As I am not part of the underground a cappella scene (most likely the dorkiest underground scene of ALL TIME) I can neither confirm nor deny this. But all bets are that this does not exist.

3)   Cups

I LOVE the new version of cups. After the song hit the Billboard charts and went viral, I was wondering if a bigger, cup-pier version would make an appearance in the sequel, but the softer, more mellow version is more appropriate to the story. Besides the main rivalry between the Bellas and the international groups, the story is mostly about life after college, where the Bellas will “miss me when I’m gone.” Well done.

4)   Recurring characters

They are hard to spot, but Benji (Ben Platt), Aubrey (Anna Camp), and Jesse (Sklyer Astin) are definitely there. Benji is the hardest to spot, because he only has one quick glimpse, when he performs a magic trick with a puff of smoke.

5)   They don’t speak loser

The two European actors who stole the trailer are possibly (this is a guess) Flula Borg and Birgitte Hjort Sorensen.

Birgitte is not very well known in the American cinema community, as she has only had roles in mainstream films like Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s “The Worlds End.” She is starring in an upcoming rock and roll project for HBO, according to imdb.com, but after Pitch Perfect 2, I’m sure she will be much more recognizable.

Flula Borg is more of a musical personality, with a viral Youtube page of over 40 million views. A musician/DJ from Germany, Flula has many comedic posts on Youtube, combining silly discussions of American idioms with music.

6)   Aca-talent

The first glance of the riff-off shows a tremendously talented beatboxer. Deke Sharon has confirmed that his name is Andrew Fitzgerald, formerly a collegiate a cappella singer from Madison. You may also have noticed famous live looper and comedian Reggie Watts of Comedy Bang Bang. Multiple sources have confirmed that famous groups such as Pentatonix and the Filharmonic are set to appear in the movie, but are not currently in the trailer.

Marc Silverberg

Follow the Quest For The A cappella Major:

Twitter.com/docacappella

Acappellaquest.blogspot.com

Docacappella.tumblr.com

An Introvert's Guide To A cappella

Recently, I read an article, or rather a comic strip, that perfectly summed up how I would describe my personality. You see, I am an introvert. According to the comic, the main difference between introverts and extroverts is how they gain and lose energy.

Extroverts gain their energy by being around people. When they need energy, they socialize. Introverts make their own energy by thinking, reading, creating, etc. Socializing is seen as a way they spend energy. That’s why introverts often feel exhausted after being social and have trouble being social multiple times in a row.

So why would someone so introverted, like myself, be so attracted to a vocal genre that is, by definition, an extroverted music experience? After all, unless you are live looping or you’re Bobby McFerrin, a cappella cannot be performed live without another person, which forces you to become extroverted.

My introverted personality often wins the argument, especially when I’m faced with a choice of going to the after party or going home and being alone. (Home usually wins) I can’t imagine that I’m the only introverted person in a cappella today, so here is my handy guide to being a successful a cappella introvert (with a few lessons that I should follow myself)

1)   The Lunchroom Scenario

A cappella festivals are often packed with the who’s who of the game, and these people tend to know each other from years of experience and collaboration. So what if you’re the outsider? What if you get your tray of food, you look around the lunchroom, and all the popular kids are at the popular table, a table you desperately want to be a part of?

A cappella is a much friendlier genre than you think. The people who are clustered around their own table only do so because they know each other, not because they are trying to exclude you. Never once have I ever heard someone say “Uh oh. Here comes _______. Let’s make sure they don’t sit here.”

Just because you are an introvert doesn’t mean that no one wants to hang out with you. It just means that you have to make the first move. Your best course of action is to approach these people separately, make conversation, and then leave. They will remember you and, over time, they will get more comfortable around you. Then, there just might be a seat at the table for you.

2)   The Peer Pressure Scenario

This happens with my a cappella group all the time. (cue the angry text messages now…) Rehearsal is over, I’m exhausted from spending my well-earned introvert energy, and they want to keep the party going by hanging out. Now I’m torn.

You see, I understand, just as much as anyone, that these hang out sessions are one of the most important exercises in becoming a great a cappella group. Group bonding is the key to group success, and group success is something I want very badly. But I don’t want to keep the party going, because I am physically and mentally drained.

What do you do? You basically have two options, neither of which is bad, just different. You can either force yourself to hangout, keeping in mind that it’s for the good of the group, or you can keep your distance, and treat them like you would a class of students, where you are the teacher and though you enjoy their company, it stays strictly professional.

I know groups that work both ways, successfully. But if you want to hangout without the stress of hanging out directly after rehearsal, why not do what my group does now, and schedule some hangout time on your calendar, and treat it as importantly as you would a regular rehearsal?

3)   Sing More, Talk Less

Carrying on a conversation with someone I barely know, or talking to someone I’ve known for too long and having nothing to say, are the two biggest reasons I avoid conversation. I detest trying to force conversation and I often avoid situations where I might have to do that.

But singing, especially in a group, or even improvising in a circle song setting, is much more natural, and much easier for me to do. The conversation isn’t technically about anything, because you’re just singing. The easiest way to make friends is to sing.

And that may be the very reason I’m drawn to a cappella music. Singing, especially improvising, is as natural to me as breathing air. I don’t have to think about it. I just do it. When I’m in a group of people singing, I don’t think about how introverted I am. I’m not even worrying about whether or not these people like me as a person. I’m lost in the moment and singing is the quickest way to get to that euphoric feeling. Singing a cappella allows me to act extroverted while simultaneously gaining introverted energy because I’m creating.

How does an introvert survive in a primarily extroverted activity? Sing, and don’t ever stop.

Marc Silverberg

If you want to read the original comic that inspired this post, go here:

http://atchuup.com/how-to-understand-introverted-people/

Follow The Quest For The A cappella Major:

Twitter.com/docacappella

Acappellaquest.blogspot.com

Docacappella.tumblr.com

Adventures in Babymixing

I have a word problem for you to solve:

Let’s say you want to make an a cappella album, but you are highly introverted and the thought of collaborating with someone, anyone, is terrifying and you’re probably sure that they won’t understand your unique vision. Now say that you have the drive to make an a cappella album yourself and you’ve learned how to track and edit that album, but mixing is not only foreign to you, but incredibly complicated to learn. It’s like when you look at all the buttons available to you on Protools, you suddenly get nauseous, you blackout, and you’ve awaken to find crudely drawn images of pagan gods on your walls scrawled in what you think is your own blood.

What do you do?

Do you want to learn how to mix all by yourself? Well, anyone reading this blog who already owns a studio/mixing business will probably send both you and me some hate mail for suggesting it and they are definitely correct that without years of hard work and study, you won’t get a better mix than they do. But what if you’re not looking for a high quality mix? What if you’re looking to get your feet wet and you don’t know where to start?

Here are some books, events, workshops, etc. that will help you get your foot in the door so you too can learn to be a quality a cappella mixer:

1)   Next Level

Built as small, interactive, hands-on workshops designed to address your specific problems and needs, Next Level promotes themselves as your best chance to get one-on-one face-time with some of the industry’s top experts, from tracking to mixing, arranging to producing.

Thevocalcompany.com

2)   A cappella Boot Camp and Soup To Nuts

Both these week-long programs train you, from scratch, to produce an a cappella track. Not only do you get face-time with industry pros like Deke Sharon, Bill Hare, Dave Brown, and Freddie Feldman, but you get to take the reigns of their studio as they throw you headfirst into the shallow end of the pool. A cappella Boot Camp is where I first learned about a cappella recording- Protools, Melodyne, etc. It was a game changer and it opened my eyes to the men behind the curtain. The reason I group these two together is that, even though they only host them once a year, these workshops are not guaranteed to run. YOU have to make the commitment to sign up and show your interest.

Acabootcamp.com

http://www.dyz.com/seminar

3)   Mixing and Mastering In The Box by Steve Savage (available on amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com)

Out of all the books I’ve read so far, this one has the most logical progression of steps, mainly because it is intended to be a textbook for a college mixing/mastering class. The most important thing I learned while reading this book was the differences between mixing and mastering. I knew they weren’t the same thing, but I didn’t really understand why until I read this book. Give it a read, and see if things make sense to you.

4)   Home Recording for Musicians FOR DUMMIES (available on amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com)

This may sound dumb (no pun intended), but for a novice like me, I feel no shame in reading these types of books, because they are intended to talk down to you, which is what I need to begin. They make things as simple as they can so you can at leats understand the basic vocabulary of what you are doing. (I also read the Korean FOR DUMMIES and Dungeons and Dragons FOR DUMMIES in earlier years and they helped a lot.) True, none of these books will make you a master, and some of the titles are better left on the shelf (like Sex FOR DUMMIES…look it up. It’s real) but for someone just starting out, it functions the same way Wikipedia does: You should never use Wikipedia as the final word in anything, just like the FOR DUMMIES books, because they are compendiums from secondary sources, but both these outlets are highly functional when you’re just looking for someone to point you in the right direction.

Jump in, get your feet wet, and avoid any Pagan God symbolism on your journey.

Marc Silverberg

P.S. If I’ve missed any great resources, please tweet me and they will be included in part 2!

Follow The Quest For The A cappella Major:

Twitter.com/docacappella

Acappellaquest.blogspot.com

Docacappella.tumblr.com

Why WIX Works Wonderfully

Last week, I had an epiphany. See, I was teaching Sight Singing 2 to a bunch of students who had already failed it the first time and we were all frustrated. I was frustrated that they weren’t able to grasp the material and they were frustrated that I wasn’t yet dead so they could automatically move on to Sight Singing 3.

Both sight singing and ear training have a unique challenge built into the course- No textbook in the world can possibly help you learn sight singing or ear training by yourself. You can never practice either by yourself, because how do you know if you are right?

Practicing with others works well, but unless you have a very dedicated friend who is available 24/7 and willing to listen to you struggle through examples, then you can’t always rely on other people.

There are always apps and programs online that help, but the good ones cost money that you nor the school really has to offer.

I knew the solution was making some kind of available resource, online, that students could practice with any time and get real-time feedback. But I also knew that my skills as a webpage designer could easily be compared to Bill Gates, if he lost both arms and legs, went blind, deaf, and dumb, and was then placed in a dark cave in the middle of nowhere.

The answer came from my a cappella group. We had already started building a new website and our alto Melanie had shown me something called Wix. Wix is a free website builder that lets you add all sorts of things, like movies, and music, and photos, provided you use their template.

With WIX, I built a sight-singing practice website for my students, with audio clips, a metronome, and sheet music examples.

Before you start thinking that I now currently work for WIX and this is just some ploy to gain more customers, it isn’t and I don’t work for them. But I did think that WIX could have multiple a cappella applications that you probably haven’t thought of yet…

1)   A place to hold your MIDIs

You could possibly make a website where your members could log on, practice their music with midi files they would never have to keep track of, and follow along with sheet music that you posted online.

2)   Blog

When Docacappella.com finally comes (I’m working on it), I will house it on WIX, because even a computer-nobody like me can make a decent website.

3)   Links

Chances are, your members have lost the links to your Google calendar/doodle page, documents, and other really important things you use all the time. Why not put up the links on WIX?

And in case you think I’m being biased towards WIX, I also recommend Squarespace. So there.

Marc Silverberg

Follow The Quest For The A cappella Major:

Twitter.com/docacappella

Acappellaquest.blogspot.com

Docacappella.tumblr.com

What I Learned From SOJAM 2014 Edition

This past weekend, I attended the latest SOJAM a cappella festival. A good time was had by all, but I also learned a lot. Here’s what I learned that you can take back to your groups:

1) A cappella is the new Show Choir

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching countless competition sets, and especially at this year’s SOJAM, it’s that contemporary A cappella has basically become the new “show choir.” With high energy dancing, acrobatic feats, theatrical staging, costume changes, and thematic mash-ups, a cappella has basically taken the show choir format and removed the house band. There’s really no other difference. The National A cappella Convention, hosted by The A cappella Educator’s Association (AEA) is trying to do just that: Convince the competitive show choir teachers to give “all singing and no instruments” a try. I’d wager the link between show choir and a cappella is so strong that one could probably write a dissertation on it. (Any takers?)

2) VP Patterns

A very interesting take on vocal percussion was led by Matt Murphy, where he laid out technical patterns to build upon, instead of working on sounds. I found this approach very refreshing, being an analytic/technical thinker myself, as it reinforced the opinion I’ve always had about vocal percussion: The percussionist’s job is to make the group look good, not the other way around. I personally couldn’t care less how many sounds you can make with your mouth. I want to know if you can keep the beat.

3) How to build a long distance group

Robert Dietz’s group The Funx, talked about how they manage to stay together, despite living in cities across the country from each other. They hold bi-weekly Google hangouts, they learn the music on their own, and they rehearse only if a gig is coming up. It’s not the most perfect scenario, but it allows them to occupy several a cappella groups simultaneously. Also, if you build a long distance group, be sure that the reason isn’t to make money. You would only build a long distance group if you really liked these people. Flying across the country on your own dime just to rehearse for a gig is nowhere near as motivating as flying across the country to see your best friends.

4) The preparation wheel

And speaking of Robert Dietz, he showed me the “Preparation Wheel,” a four step process to crafting an a cappella arrangement. It starts with the Genesis, a reason for doing the song. The technical takes care of intonation, pitches and rhythms. Then you move to crafting the arc of the song, which applies dynamics, articulations, and phrase shaping. Finally, you demonstrate the emotional core of the song by bringing out the emotion in the music. And because the wheel is circular, after you are done with the emotional core, you should then reflect on the Genesis, and see if the reason you originally picked the song is still your main motivation for singing it.

5) Elie Landau is the funniest human being ever.

Seriously. Follow him on twitter. You won’t be sorry. @elielandau

Marc Silverberg
Follow The Quest For the A cappella Major:
twitter.com/docacappella
acappellaquest.blogspot.com
docacappella.tumblr.com