Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose...Right?

The Quarter-final rounds of the ICCAs are almost over. Dreams have been fulfilled...and shattered. Tears have been shed. Voices have been lost. Complaints have been tweeted.

I’d like to draw your attention to a television show that illustrates this point very well, one that I’m sure you’ve criminally never watched, Friday Night Lights. The basic premise revolves around a high school football team and the ENORMOUS pressure they are put under to win.

Without spoiling anything (seriously…go watch this show…) I almost feel as if there are a cappella groups out there who put this kind of pressure on themselves, or receive pressure from their peers to take home the ICCA gold. (Why are you still reading this blog…the show is FREE on Netflix)

Let’s do the unthinkable and start a dialogue…Is it better to compete or not to compete? (Kyle Chandler won an Emmy...go watch him be awesome)

1) If I were to invent an equation that would equal success in a competition, it would be the following:

(Drive to win) + (Hunger for success) + (Diligent work ethic) + (Visually stunning) + (Priority given to musicality) + (Group cohesiveness) + (Dumb luck)= WIN!

Unfortunately, this is the equation I tend to see at competitions:

(Hunger for success) + (Dumb Luck)= Praying for the win

This is a complicated equation, and some groups have still never found the ICCA success they’ve been looking for. The point is, if you want to win, your set must reflect this beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The equation for success
Pro- This could really motivate your group to advance to the next level
Con- If your group is happier not competing, then this equation could be your group’s downfall.

2) The Next Step

Nobody tends to think past the immediate competition, but it’s a very important decision and for an obsessive-compulsive like me, the next step is key. There are three possible outcomes:

Outcome 1- You win a quarter-final or semi-final competition.

Congrats! You won! Now what…

You have to know that the next step will be twice as difficult as the last. Winning the quarter-finals means you’ll now be competing against…winners of the quarter-finals, so your “A game” needs to go to an "A+ game." Take the judges comments seriously. They are only trying to motivate you.

Outcome 2- You win the final round.

Congrats! You are the champions! Now what…

Does it make sense to go and defend your title? What did winning the whole competition do for your career? Your credibility? Did it help you reach new heights of musicality? Did you make life-long friends? Did you book bigger and better gigs? Couldn’t you have done all those things without winning the ICCAs?

From my perspective, the title of champion really only comes with one great prize…pride. ICCA champion doesn’t get you a record deal, a significant cash prize, or a legion of fans who will swear you are the greatest. It gives you an internal prize- one that lets you bask in your hard work, team unity, and school pride.

Outcome 3- You lose.

Okay. You’ve lost…Now what?

Let’s say for a moment that the ICCA was your single, motivating goal for the last few months. Now the competition is over and there’s nothing new on the horizon. What do you do? Give up and call the semester a wash?

NO!

You learn from it. You analyze what you did right and what you did wrong. And you keep singing.

Does losing hurt? As someone who has lost a lot, I can say with experience that yes, it hurts. No one is denying you the chance to be hurt, angry, sad, etc.

But you need to let it go and you need to use it as fuel for the fire. Losing a competition shouldn’t create rivalries, bitter feelings, or shame. You are singing a cappella music. You are participating in the single greatest form of musical expression (in my opinion) EVER! You are part of the evolution that will one day be studied and documented. Regardless of how well you did or how well you didn’t do, no one can take away the fact that you are a worthwhile musician.

The moral here is, whether you win or lose, the competition should teach you something about working hard, singing beautifully, and improving your performance. If the only drive to win is to “bathe in blood of your defeated adversaries,” maybe competing is not for you.

The outcome of the competition
Pro- You could learn your most valuable lesson from either winning or losing.
Con- Losing sucks, plain and simple.

3) Develop a Thick Shell

Now we come to the hard question…How harsh should judges be at competitions?

Here’s my opinion. If you are going to put yourself out there to compete in a national competition, whether it be the ICCAs, the ICHSAs, the Harmony Sweeps, American Idol, X-Factor, The Voice, etc., then you have to be able to be criticized harshly.

Judges can sometimes be harsh and mean. But beneath the scathing comments, there are some very useful suggestions. Remember, this is a competition. And like a football game (have you watched the show yet?) there is a winner and a loser. And the spirit of competition sometimes gets the better of us, to the point where we let our emotions overtake the rationality that we were just not ready to win.

There is a stark difference between reality singing shows and a cappella competitions. Television shows don’t care about fair. They care about ratings. They will deliberately put someone on camera who sings off key, because they know you will be talking about it the next day. So if we watch enough of these shows, we begin to make the connection that losing a competition means we’re only as talented as the off-key singer whom everyone is laughing at.

But this is totally untrue. A cappella competitions are not televised. Ratings don’t matter. And speaking from experience, the producers care if you have a good time, because in the end, the evolution of a cappella music is all we really care about. Just because you get some negative critique does not mean you are ever being laughed at, mocked, or degraded.

Criticism
Pro- Competitions give you the necessary feedback to improve your overall group.
Con- Negative criticism hurts, and it takes years of experience and patience to read between the lines of negativity to find the constructive critique.

There are pros and cons to competition. The next time you compete, think about all the factors in advance. And watch Friday Night Lights.

Marc Silverberg

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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-clear-eyes-full-hearts-cant-loseright

Dear Do...where are you?

The more I rehearse, the more I arrange, the more I direct, I notice a pattern in the mistakes. It’s so simple that it’s staring me in the face, and I still ignore it time and time again, because I fail to recognize that this mistake is probably the cause of every wrong note for the next few measures.

Is it because the person who sings that part doesn’t know the notes? No.
Is it because the words are tripping them up? No.
Is it because the breath is not big enough? No.

It’s because they can’t find their first note.

I think sometimes we assume too much of our singers. Let’s examine the rehearsal process.

Most likely, each section learns the notes on their own, and they learn them section by section until they believe they have the entire song down.

Then the group puts the whole thing together, and it’s a complete and total disaster.

Wait a minute…didn’t you just spend a half hour going over these notes? What happened? Did you forget them? What are you…stupid?

No. That’s not it. Your singers are not stupid. The note-learning process is probably flawed. And the reason it’s flawed is because:

1) They have no idea where “Do” is.

Most a cappella groups learn by rote. It’s rare that a member, or several members of an a cappella group can pick up a piece of music and sight-read it on the first try. And if they can, everyone stares at them as if they are radioactive.

The skill required to find “Do” (or whichever note is the “home base” for the piece) is a skill in which music educator Edwin Gordon refers to as “Audiation.”

This is not a real word. Try typing it into a word-processing program and it will yell at you.

Gordon coined this terminology to mean:

“Hearing an comprehending in one’s mind the sound of music that is not or may never have been physically present. It is neither imitation nor memorization.” (Gordon)

For our purposes, it means hearing the “home base” note, even if it does not presently exist. The key to sight reading is always knowing where the “home base” note is and being able to understand the distance between your note and the “home base” note. (assuming you are not singing the “home base” note)

I’ve found myself altering my arrangements to fit the needs of the group, because I know that some singers simply can’t find “LA” if their last note was “MI.” That’s incredibly constricting for an arranger and the arrangement doesn’t sound as exciting, regardless of how much energy the group puts into it.

The next time you encounter a section of the music that forces everyone to find a new and unfamiliar note, take a healthy amount of time to make sure everyone is comfortable with finding that note. Make them hold it. Make them sing the note before and the note after. Reset the key, start from two measures before and hold it again. Chances are, the phrase is out of tune because someone is not starting on the correct pitch.

2) Your singers are unfamiliar with how they fit inside the chord.

Here’s a likely scenario. The baritone part has three F’s in a row. It’s a really simple part and everyone feels like they should be able to sing it without any difficulty. So the first two F’s go by fine and then…all of a sudden…the third chord goes out of tune. Naturally, the music director blames someone other than the baritones, because they are singing the same note over and over, so it can’t be their fault.

Ahh…but here’s the secret…In the first two chords, the baritones were holding an F in an F major chord (so they were holding the root) and then a B-flat major chord. (so they were holding the fifth.) In the third chord, their F was actually the seventh of the G dominant seventh chord. Suddenly, their F has a completely different harmonic function and everyone was caught off guard.

Yes…chord function matters. Assuming you want your singers to sing in tune. Make sure parts that sing repeated notes know how they fit within the harmonic structure.

3) Your singers are unfamiliar with how their note clashes against someone else.

The best chords (in my opinion) are ones that have dissonant notes- extra notes that add color to a simple, boring, major chord. The problem with writing color notes, even sevenths in jazz chords, is that there will always be a dissonant, hard-to-tune, interval between whomever has the color note and whomever has the most dissonant distance away.

Adding a seventh note creates a “tritone” distance between whomever has the third of the chord. Adding a ninth creates a “major second” distance between whomever has the root of the chord and the third of the chord. Adding a sixth note creates a “major second” distance between whomever has the fifth of the chord.

Even if you have no idea what that last paragraph meant, chances are that somewhere in your arrangement, two parts will have a difficult-to-tune interval. It’s imperative that those singers are made aware of that “clash” and focus their energy into listening and tuning it.

Music is more than just an imitation of what’s on the page and what you hear. If you are going to sing in a “group,” then you must understand that every part is just as important as yours.

Marc Silverberg

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Six Seasons and a Movie!

Troy and Abed A cappella!

Okay. Let me preface this by saying that if you are not a fan of the show Community, this is probably not the blog post for you.

Community, one of my all time favorite shows, is finally returning to television on February 7th. Community is, like many shows of recent years, a critical hit and cult fan favorite, but a ratings disaster.

Basically, the show centers around a group of seven individuals (not counting other major characters) who attend Greendale Community College. The plots always start out simple, but then escalate to sheer chaos and insanity. In one particular, and well-appreciated episode, a simple house-warming party creates six different reality timelines, each spiraling the same events to different conclusions. And let’s not forget about the paintball episodes.

I love the show for many reasons. (and yes…every one of these reasons can tie into a cappella music…) Here’s why:

1) Abed, the pop-culture guru with a social disorder

The character Abed, played by Danny Pudi, is a pop-culture spouting super-geek with a very active imagination and an extreme social disorder. He knows every line from every movie, television show, and comic book. He’s a walking encyclopedia straight from the Nerdist Youtube channel, but he’s still unable to “know left from right without reciting the pledge of allegiance.”

Isn’t that the crux of a cappella music? A genre devoted to showing off our encyclopedic knowledge of songs long forgotten or showing off our musical theory prowess by tying two, seemingly unrelated, songs into a crazy mash-up?

Every time I listen to a new a cappella album, like a new box of cereal, there is always a surprise inside. Just recently, I heard an a cappella cover of a song from “A Goofy Movie,” one of my favorite animated movies as a child. (Credit goes to the AcaBellas)

But just like a kid sifting through the new cereal box, I always found that one prize was not enough and soon I’d have to live with boring old cereal. I challenge a cappella groups to make albums that constantly shock and amaze us. Let the other groups do top 40. I want to hear you sing another Weird Al tune.

2) The season-long, running gags

Community is one of the rare shows on television that gives the audience hidden gems to find and doesn’t care if you find them or not. (It’s sort of like LOST, but funnier)

For example, over three seasons, the word “Beetlejuice” was uttered by one character. When the name was said in the third Halloween episode, Beetlejuice walked by the window.

It’s a gag that would only appeal to anyone who had watched the show enough to see the connection, but it’s a payoff that makes me respect the show even more.

I don’t think a cappella groups can have running gags from concert to concert, unless they are sure that their audience is usually the same every time. Running gags certainly wouldn’t work at every stage of the ICCA, because you’d have to assume that you will even progress to the next stage, and every stage is in a different state.

But one of the things I love about a cappella arrangements is our ability to slip in musical jokes when no one asked for them. A cappella is such a unique genre, in that the human voice is capable of making more than one sound (unlike a trumpet, which sounds like a trumpet). Plus we have the benefit of using words.

I challenge a cappella arrangers to slip at least one “hidden gem” into their next arrangement. And don’t worry if no one catches the reference. That’s not what matters.

3) The homage

Like many comedies today, almost every episode of Community pays homage to another television show or movie. One episode was almost a pitch-perfect re-creation of Law and Order. GLEE has been spoofed twice. Mockumentary shows like The Office and Modern Family also got their due.

A cappella music is almost nothing but an homage to other genres of music. Singing “Come Together” in the style of Stevie Wonder, singing “Teenage Dream” in the style of Imogen Heap, etc.

Since this is common knowledge, my challenge to you is to combine two, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT styles together and hopefully create something brand new. What about singing “Purple Haze” in the style of Britney Spears? Put a reggae spin on Metallica. Turn a Beyonce song into an “Eric Whitacre” arrangement.

4) The theme of togetherness

One overall theme of the show is “community.” I know that’s kind of obvious, since the show is called “Community,” but it should be addressed anyway.

The members of the study group, or as the show calls them, “The Greendale 7,” creates quirky situations by grouping together seven strangers, who are as different as different can be, and forcing them to get along.

This is about as close to the definition of “a cappella group” as you can get. These differences shouldn’t be ignored, but encouraged. Like a republican and democrat forced to compromise, so should you learn how to use everyone’s strengths to counteract everyone’s weaknesses.

And everyone fights. Oh boy, how they fight on the show. This leads to some of the greatest moments, like when Jeff chops the study table with an axe out of frustration, or they ranked each other by popularity in order to avoid being lab partners with a random stranger. The point is, they may fight, and the fights may be big, but they always get back together in the end, even if it is to fight bullies on top of a nativity scene.

5) The underdog status of the show

The thing I love most about Community is how it keeps fighting back against the powers that be. If the fan base wasn’t so committed, NBC would have cancelled it a long time ago. NBC even put the show on hiatus during season three and the internet literally exploded with “NBC hate.”

Will the show last past season four? Probably not. The show is truly a ratings disaster and NBC has every right to pull it from their schedule, but the fans are so hardcore and so devoted that the show has, miraculously, hung around. It is the ultimate underdog, fighting a war it shouldn’t have been able to win and still hasn’t.

There are probably several groups out there who feel like they are the underdog, battling a sea of phenomenal on-campus groups that seem to hold all the power. Take Community’s struggle as a lesson on how to be the underdog:

1) Develop a small, but incredibly loyal fan base
2) Produce tracks on a regular basis and market them
3) Find concert venues outside the college or school to boost group confidence
4) Make humorous viral videos to show your college that you are, in fact, still around, and still
alive
5) Develop a single identity that will differentiate you from the rest

All in all, the pop-culture world we live in today can and should have an impact on how you approach a cappella music. Don’t just look to other a cappella groups for inspiration. Turn on the television and see what’s on.

Cool, cool, cool.

Marc Silverberg

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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-six-seasons-and-movie

Jonathan Coulton is Still Alive, but not Glee-ful

So I don’t know if you’ve been reading the blog-o-spheres lately, but in case you’ve been living under a rock, the popular show “Glee” is butting heads with famed comedian/indie singer Jonathan Coulton.

Jonathan Coulton is a popular artist for a cappella groups to cover, with his geeky hits like "Still Alive" from the video game "Portal," the zombie anthem "Re: Your Brains," and the ode to cubicle workers, "Code Monkey." Deke Sharon even dedicated one of his blog posts on CASA to Coulton's success story in order to motivate a cappella groups to work hard, because, in his opinion, overnight success is not as simple as it looks. Jonathan Coulton “quit his job, wrote a song a week, and started making real money without a record label.” (Sharon)

Here’s the short, short version of what happened that enraged the internet so much:

Jonathan Coulton acquired the rights to cover the popular Sir-Mix-A-Lot song “Baby Got Back.” He used the same lyrics (minus a couple of miniscule changes) and wrote an entirely new, original cover using original music and accompaniment.

And it was awesome. Really awesome. So awesome that somebody from GLEE found it, realized it was awesome, and put it on the show, in the most recent episode “Sadie Hawkins.” Before the episode even aired, an anonymous source tweeted to Jonathan Coulton that GLEE was about to use his arrangement, and not only were they going to not credit him, they weren’t even going to acknowledge his existence. And just to rub salt on the wound, they sold it on iTunes.

So, of course, the Joco fans exploded when Coulton blogged about it on his website. A representative from GLEE issued a vague statement saying that someone like Coulton should be glad for the exposure, but never officially stating what they did.

At first, no one knew what to believe. Was it possible that GLEE ripped off an arrangement in such an obvious fashion that there would be absolutely no doubt in people’s minds where it came from?

Well, turns out, that’s exactly what they did. Here is each recording separately:

http://kotaku.com/5977149/glee-egregiously-rips-off-jonathan-coulton

Here is a soundcloud mix of both songs, alternating BY BEAT:

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/01/jonathan-coulton-reissues-cover-o...

Yikes. Turns out (and here’s the part that should interest you a cappella fans...) that even though Coulton had written original music, he was still producing a cover, and covers were not legally protected. Which means GLEE had no legal issues doing what they did, even if they DID admit to stealing the cover. (which they didn't)

Even though Coulton has basically no right to sue (although there is a small chance GLEE used the same backing tracks as Coulton, which would give him a legal leg to stand on) Coulton got the last laugh. He re-released his “Baby Got Back” arrangement in the “style of GLEE” on iTunes, and it reached the top 100 in only two days, obliterating the sale of the GLEE recording.

So…why am I reporting an already overexposed story? There are several reasons why this issue matters to you, the a cappella fan:

1) Know your legal rights.

You do it every day. Your group covers a song and posts it on Youtube. You don’t even think about the repercussions, because, honestly, is anyone even going to notice?

Well…this story proves that lightning can strike. Let’s say you produce a stellar arrangement of a song, one that no one has ever thought of before, and you post it on Youtube. Now let’s say some other group sees the video and re-creates your arrangement by rote, and then becomes famous for it. Do you have a case? If this story is any indication, then no. You don’t. Your arrangement is gone with the wind.

2) Covering an arrangement

For a minute, let’s look at the other side of this issue. I’ve seen, time and time again, groups singing someone else’s a cappella arrangement. I used to do it too, when I worked in public school. However, I always gave the original group credit. That doesn’t justify borrowing without permission, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

One of my all time favorite arrangements is “Come Together” by Spiralmouth. Turns out I’ve seen other groups cover this arrangement on Youtube and I have to wonder…how did they get the music? I know it’s not available. (I’ve looked…BELIEVE ME) This means they must have done it by rote, which means they didn’t ask for permission, because if they had, Spiralmouth probably would have sent them the music.

Now I could be wrong about this. I honestly don’t know. Maybe they did secure permission. But let’s assume they didn’t. Are they presenting an homage to a group they admire and respect or are they blatantly stealing? In the eyes of the public, it’s probably the former. In the eyes of the law, it’s the latter.

If you are going to do this (and I’m not advocating that you do), then at least give the original arranger credit. Speaking of which…

3) Credit where credit is due

Jonathan Coulton has publicly stated that he would have been 100% fine with GLEE taking the arrangement if they had just called or emailed him first. But they didn’t.

Is it better to ask for permission or forgiveness? Forgiveness is much easier, but permission is legal.

I don’t know the law very well. I’m not a lawyer and I’ve never taken a copyright law class. But after this whole debacle, I’m going to, because I want to make sure I’m protected at every cost.

I’ve mentioned many times how much I admire copyright lawyer and a cappella superstar Jonathan Minkoff. On his website, acappella101.com, he outlines what you can and cannot do with a cappella music, which applies directly to all covers.

But really, what angers me the most is that GLEE didn’t even acknowledge Coulton’s existence. They give all the credit to Sir-Mix-A-Lot, even though the music is all Coulton.

In my view, the public opinion of GLEE shot down a few points. I bet, had they acknowledged Coulton’s arrangement, even publicized the fact that his music would be on the show, they might have scored a few more fans.

The moral is, don’t break the law. And if you do, at least give someone credit for the work they did.

And in the spirit of giving credit, I must acknowledge that it was my friend, Alex, who brought this story to my attention.

Bibliography

Cook, D. (2013). Glee uses jonathan coulton cover without permission, composer considering legal action. Posted on January 28, at http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/28/glee-uses-jonathan-coulton-cover-without...

Hamilton, K. (2013). Glee egregiously rips off jonathan coulton [Web log post]. Posted on January 18, athttp://kotaku.com/5977149/glee-egregiously-rips-off-jonathan-coulton

Sharon, D. (2012). All you need to do [Web log post]. Posted on February 2, athttp://www.casa.org/content/all-you-need-do

Smith, C. (2013). Jonathan coulton reissues cover of baby got back ripped off by glee [Web log post]. Posted on January 29, at http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/01/jonathan-coulton-reissues-cover-o...

Marc Silverberg

Follow the Quest for the A cappella Major
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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-jonathan-coulton-still-alive-not-glee-ful

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves...

Let’s talk for a moment about the word “standard.” In most cases, a standard is “something considered by an authority or by general consent as a basis of comparison; an approved model.” A standard is something we live by, something that we strive to achieve.

I’m not referring to that definition, however. I’m referring to the musical application of the word “standard,” as in a “jazz standard” or a “Barbershop standard.”

A music standard is, in the loosest definition, a song that everybody knows. And everybody knows these songs because they fit into one or more of the following categories:

1) The song has, in some way, helped introduce, reinforce, and/or improve upon a musical concept so that the majority of repertoire composed following the song’s release shows proof of that song’s influence.

For example, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” ushered in the era of grunge. The scat singing of popular jazz musician Louis Armstrong influenced hundreds of new jazz singers to adopt an improvisatory style.

2) The popularity of the song is so great that anyone can start singing/playing it without sheet music, tablatures, or diagrams of chord changes.

3) A higher musical authority, such as a trusted publication or famous musician, declares the song to be a standard.

This is how the term “jazz standard” came to be. Jazz musicians (without the aid of computers or the internet) rallied behind songs that they could “jam” to; songs that were recognized across the country, despite the limited means of communication and recording technology.

Is there a master list of jazz standards? No. Is there some all-powerful, highest-authority-in-the-land who has the final say on which song is deemed a standard and which one isn’t? No. Could it be that half the population thinks one song is a standard, while the other half disagrees? Yes.

In other words, the term “jazz standard” is simply a matter of opinion. But through my studies, I’ve discovered that, despite having 100% proof that a song is definitely a standard, the consensus tends to agree on many of the older jazz tunes as being standards, especially ones from “Tin Pan Alley,” “The Golden Age of Broadway,” and “The Great American Songbook.”

I bring up the term “jazz standard,” because I think it’s about time a Pandora’s box be opened…Is there such thing as an a cappella standard?

Let me rephrase. Is there at least one, or multiple, popular songs that have been sung by so many a cappella groups and arranged in so many different ways, that we, as the a cappella community, can agree to label it a standard?

The short answer is: I don’t know. I am one guy, and I’m hardly the authority on these matters.

The long answer: Mmmmmmaybe? Let’s take a look at some ways a song might become a standard.

1) Over-exposure

With the emergence of GLEE, The Voice, American Idol, The X-Factor, etc. the popular repertoire list almost doubles in size every year. For example, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” was a popular song even before shows like Family Guy and GLEE gave it recent national exposure. But after the song became the anthem for the New Directions, it seemed like every show choir, high school choir, and a cappella group wanted to perform it. Today, the song is still the number one best selling GLEE arrangement on websites like J. W. Pepper.

The audition form for a show such as American Idol warns anyone who auditions to avoid the following songs, as they are the most over-performed:

At Last, Crazy, Summertime, You Raise Me Up, The Climb, Halo, Listen, Firework, Someone Like You, Ain’t Got You, Fallen, I Will Always Love You, I’m Yours, Who’s Loving You

So are these songs considered audition standards? If you agree with that, then doesn’t the same principle apply to "Don’t Stop Believin’" as a show choir standard? Who makes these decisions, and does the exposure on a show like GLEE automatically qualify a song as a standard?

2) The precedent set by BOCA, SING, and Voices Only

Once a song makes it onto BOCA, it’s locked into a cappella history. BOCA’s popularity has grown to the level such that whichever group gets their arrangement onto an a cappella compilation, that arrangement becomes accepted by the a cappella community as the pinnacle of how this song should be done. That doesn’t stop other groups from performing the song, even arranging it in a completely different way, but no song has ever appeared on more than one BOCA. In the beginning, this was done on purpose to help market each volume of BOCA as an independent album. But the more festivals and concerts I attend, the more I begin to start to see groups avoiding BOCA selected songs altogether, unless the song is so popular (e.g. Viva La Vida) that the inclusion on BOCA doesn’t matter.

This begs the question, is one an effect of the other? Does inclusion on an a cappella compilation deter other groups from arranging the same song? Does inclusion on an a cappella compilation automatically qualify the song as an a cappella standard? Sure, you could argue that “Animal,” the first track on BOCA 2012 might now an a cappella standard (and a popular, well-known song) but then you’d have to include every BOCA song from the last 18 years to make your argument fair, and as good as "Backseat" by Noteworthy (BOCA 2011) was, I wouldn’t qualify it as an a cappella standard.

3) Improvisation

Maybe it’s the ease of performing a song that qualifies it as a standard. For example, even if your group has never improvised a note in their life, I’m willing to bet that at any time, your group could start, and finish, an entire arrangement of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” without sheet music or even a starting pitch. The same goes true for “Lean on Me,” “In The Still of the Night,” and probably “Stand By Me.”

Does this make them a cappella standards? In my opinion, yes, because any group, anywhere, with anyone can perform these tunes at anytime. But the problem is, as I’ve stated before, my opinion does not a standard make.

4) The CASA books

Starting in 2000, Deke Sharon began a series of a cappella songbooks, designed to provide a cappella groups, who were incapable of arranging their own repertoire or finding repertoire without help, a substantial amount of performable repertoire that was both easy to learn and demonstrated an understand of contemporary a cappella.

If the argument was made that this series was the a cappella standards collection, then I agree that it would be the strongest case. But, as with any case, there is a problem. The songbooks are chock full of familiar a cappella tunes like "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Good Old A cappella," "Zombie Jamboree," "Up On The Roof," "My Girl," etc. But the books are also chock full of a cappella tunes that I have NEVER heard performed by an a cappella group, such as "Only You," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Wonderful Tonight," etc. All great songs, but in ten years, I’ve never heard them covered by an a cappella group. Perhaps I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe these songs are too old to be appreciated nowadays. Does audience exposure disqualify a song from become a standard?

5) Genre

Doo-wop songs are much easier to sing a cappella, because they already have element of scat syllables, parallels harmonies, and a "group versus soloist" vibe already written in. Because of that, many doo-wop songs are sung more often because they are much easier to arrange.

Popular songs with repeatable chord progressions and composed harmonies also fit into this category. I feel like that’s why “Some Nights” is one of the go-to songs these days, because the song practically writes itself for a cappella.

Does the genre of where the song comes from qualify it as an a cappella standard? No, but it does explain why some songs are arranged more than others, especially by beginner a cappella groups.

6) Time

When Adele became a mega-huge-ultra-superstar, every single she released became a cappella gold. There was a point when I declared that if I heard “Rolling In The Deep” one more time, I was going to dive into a tank of piranhas wearing a filet mignon suit.

Right now, my guess is that “Locked Out Of Heaven” by Bruno Mars will probably be the new go-to song, replacing the popular “Gungham Style” but only time will tell.

Does the a cappella flavor-of-the-month qualify a song to become an a cappella standard? Believe it or not, the flavor-of-the-month helped many “golden-era” Broadway songs reach the title of standard. (Some of these Broadway tunes were ironically composed hours before opening night)

The conclusion is…it’s inconclusive. I open this topic up for discussion, because, as a budding a cappella historian, I’d like there to be some consensus as to which songs evolve into greatness and which songs should be avoided at all costs.

But in the interest of not wasting your time by avoiding my own opinion, here’s a short list of songs I believe should be considered A cappella standards. Feel free to disagree, or send hate mail:

The Lion Sleeps Tonight, For The Longest Time, Stand By Me, My Girl, Don’t Worry Be Happy, It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye, Like A Prayer, Lean On Me, Don’t Stop Believin’, Gravity, Zombie Jamboree, Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego, Come Together, Good Old A cappella, In The Still of the Night, Goodnight Sweetheart, Under The Boardwalk, She Will Be Loved, Bohemian Rhapsody, Change In My Life, Unchained Melody, Take On Me, Turn the Beat Around, I Saw The Sign, True Colors, Pinball Wizard, Runaround Sue, Hide and Seek, Earth, Viva La Vida, Blackbird, Yesterday,

What do you think is an a cappella standard? Anything on this list? Nothing on this list? Let’s start this discussion, and maybe, one day, we’ll have an a cappella standards book.

Marc Silverberg

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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-i-know-song-gets-everybodys-nerves

Riffing about riff-offs

A few months ago, I posted a four-part blog about how to compete in a true riff-off, much like the movie Pitch Perfect, but without the movie magic.

This topic has gotten a fair bit of attention lately, especially when Universal announced a riff-off contest, which turned out to be nothing more than a karaoke sing-off on Youtube.

The riff-off I was talking about was an honest-to-god true, spontaneous creation of a song by your entire group, live on stage. You can view the series by following these links:

http://www.casa.org/content/how-compete-riff-part-1 http://www.casa.org/content/how-compete-riff-part-2http://www.casa.org/content/how-compete-riff-part-3 http://www.casa.org/content/how-compete-riff-part-4

I re-read them about a week ago, and it occurs to me that I failed to clarify a few things. So it’s time once again to riff about riff-offs.

1) Preparation

As I’ve stated before, a riff-off is something your group can aspire to be a part of, but it won’t happen overnight. Just like the ICCAs or the ICHSAs, you need to train. But unlike the ICCAs or ICHSAs, it takes a completely different skill set to master the art of spontaneous improvisation. Let’s compare the two:

Skill set required to compete in the ICCAs:

Memorization of music
Perfecting your group blend
Perfecting your choreography (if applicable)
Mastering microphone skills
Perfecting your group’s musicality
Fine-tuning your competition set (usually 2-4 songs)
Improving your overall stage presence
Selecting the perfect solos
A ton of other things I’ve neglected to mention

Skill set required to compete in a riff-off:

Memorization of a large repertoire of songs you can draw from that will apply to multiple categories
Group cohesiveness
An ability to follow each other and recognize audible and visual cues
Comprehension of chord structures and how to improvise over them
An ability to internalize and sing harmonies
Knowledge of how to build a song from the bottom up as quickly as possible

As you can see, the skill sets are almost entirely different. Riff-off’s don’t require group blend, microphone skills, fine-tuning repertoire, or even choreography. Audiences should be more impressed with your improvisation skills.

2) Exercises to help your group train for a riff-off:

The first four blog posts listed some great (and mandatory) exercises to determine whether your group is capable and ready to riff-off. Included in these are mastering the art of the circle song, expanding your group’s repertoire knowledge, and improvising chord progressions. Here are some more exercises that will encourage improvisation and repertoire knowledge:

Speed Chords:

This exercise will determine how fast your group can grasp the concept of major and minor tonality. This will, in turn, illustrate how quickly your group can build a song from scratch. One person plays, sings, or blows on the pitch pipe one note. This will be the root of the chord. Everyone else in the group, as quickly as possible, must sing the third or the fifth above that note in order to complete the chord. A major chord is probably the easiest one to sing, followed by a minor chord. Since pop songs rarely have augmented or diminished chords (rarely does NOT mean never), you can probably avoid those for now. The group should be timed on how long it takes them to sing a major or minor chord. Anything more than three seconds is too long.

Solo riff-off:

I’ve mentioned this game before in other posts, so this idea comes from the department of redundancy department.

This game should be played with two or more competitors. Someone (anyone) says a familiar word, like “love” or “man.” Competitors take turns singing a different song that contains the given word in one of the lyrics. For example if the word was “love,” competitors could choose from “All you need is love,” “Can you feel the love tonight,” “I will always love you,” etc. Play continues until someone cannot think of a different song, or a song is repeated and that person is out. Last person left standing wins. This helps your group expand their repertoire knowledge.

Advanced Hot Spot:

If you’ve never heard of the game Hot Spot, you should read part 1 of the riff-off blog first. Here’s the advanced version:

Same rules apply with Hot Spot. One person jumps into the center and sings a song.When someone in the circle recognizes the song, they start singing along. The exception is that they CANNOT sing the melody. They must either sing the lyrics in harmony, or sing a pattern that reinforces the song’s harmony.

3) The rules of a Riff-off.

Since a true riff-off has never occurred, I wrote these rules as I think a riff-off should be played. If you disagree, that’s totally fine. I don’t hold any copyright to the rules of a riff-off. These were merely suggestions to ensure a fair competition. For those who are unfamiliar with my suggestions, here they are again:

http://www.casa.org/content/how-compete-riff-part-4

4) The actual building of a song

Unless your group consists of musical gods/goddesses, you will most likely not be able to sing a perfect, eight-part song from scratch as soon as you open your mouths, like they did in the movie. Is it possible? I’m honestly not sure. I’d like to believe it can be done, but until I see it for myself, live, then I’ll be in doubt.

More than likely, your group will need to build the song, on stage, part by part. This should not only be allowed in competition, but it should be encouraged. Granted, if it takes your group thirty seconds to come up with an accompaniment, that’s probably a bit too long. But to expect that a solo will open his/her mouth with lyrics and the group automatically responds with a full a cappella arrangement of the instrumentals, all within two seconds, is unrealistic.

Here’s how I imagine a song will be built, on stage:

All competing groups receive the category and huddle together to choose a song. Whichever group is ready either blows a pitch, or selects one person to start singing, and more than likely, that person will sing either a bass line, or the recognizable riff of a song.

Members join in as soon as possible, filling out the chord structure. The soloist enters, when appropriate, and cues the group on how and when to end the song. The entire process takes about 30-45 seconds. With only a short amount of time, only a full chorus or verse of one particular song will be sung, but that’s exactly how it went down in Pitch Perfect, so nothing new there.

Another competing group should jump in before the first group is done. After all, it is a “riff-off,” not a “politeness-off.” But remember, this isn’t a rap battle. You’re not trying to insult the other group.

5) The open challenge.

In the fourth, and final, post about riff-off’s, I issued an open challenge to any group, live looper, or merry band of singers to go up against me and my humble loop station.

And so far…no one has answered the call.

I suspect it’s either because no one is ready to riff-off yet, or more likely, no one read it. That’s okay. The open challenge still stands.

You versus me. Your entire group versus me and my machine. You can set the place, the time, and the home ground rules.

I’ll sweeten the pot. If you win, I will declare your group to be the “undisputed masters of the riff-off” and describe, in gory detail, how you slaughtered me and tore me limb from limb onstage. I will recount your victory in every upcoming riff-off class that I teach (two upcoming ones in the next four months) and hang my head in shame if I ever walk past you.

If I win, you buy me a cookie.

Now let’s get ready to riff-off!

Marc Silverberg

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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-riffing-about-riff-offs

This post will change your life

And…we’re back.

In honor of the new year, I thought I would take some time to reflect on self-improvement.

I wandered into my local bookstore, shunning the sunlight that I had been accustomed to avoiding for two weeks and immediately headed for the humor section, as this was the most intellectually stimulating topic I could muster that day.

It was here that I found a book titled “This Book Will Change Your Life.”

Change my life? Really? Well color me intrigued with a light shade of purple.

There are roughly 365 pages, and each page recommends that you perform a different task on each subsequent day, much like a “one-idea-a-day calendar.” These tasks range from ordinary (Improve your signature today, Google your name) to slightly bizarre (Pretend to be a spy, Try to eat a piece of furniture) to “obviously this book doesn’t expect you to do this otherwise you would die/be arrested.” (Make a citizen’s arrest, Discreetly give the finger to people all day)

But despite the attempts at humor, I thought that the majority of suggestions might actually force you to live through different, unique, and unfamiliar experiences, and I think that’s just swell.

I began to wonder…Could someone change/improve their a cappella knowledge in the same way this book suggests? I THINK SO!!! (Woohoo!)

No, I’m not going to write an entire, 365-day book. But if you wish to improve your a cappella knowledge base, following this day-to-day schedule for a full month should help you immensely. Or just take a few of these suggestions. Or don’t take any suggestions. Or write some hate mail...doesn’t matter to me.

Here is a full month of a cappella related activities designed to broaden your horizons.

Day 1- Since this is the first day, you should start with something easy. Do one or more of the following:

1) Combine a consonant and vowel together and create a new scat syllable.
2) Write/Sing a new bass line.
3) Read whatever post is under this one on CASA.org.

Day 2- Listen to one track from an a cappella group you’ve never heard before, but found through chance.

Day 3- Post something on RARB.

Day 4- Go to itunes/amazon.com and search for the word a cappella. Buy the first and last tracks you see.

Day 5- Today, discover what a 9th chord is. Here’s a website to get you started:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9th_Chord

Day 6- Pressure someone into singing a circle song with you.

Day 7- See which groups are invited to ICCA’s this year. Pick one from each region and visit their website.

Day 8- Listen to one episode of the a cappella podcast “Mouth Off.” You can download all of them on itunes.

Day 9- Go here: www.singers.com and buy something.

Day 10- Find a friend and ask them what their favorite song of all time is. When they tell you, show them an a cappella version on Youtube.

Day 11- Discover who your state/country a cappella ambassador is and contact them.

Day 12- Vocal health day. Spend the entire day taking care of your voice. Don’t overuse it. Drink singer-appropriate beverages only, like hot tea and water. Monitor how tired your voice gets over the entire day. Don’t shout or yell. If you sing, use breath support and resonance to avoid straining your vocal cords. Get plenty of rest.

Day 13- Name your favorite song in the whole wide world. Listen to as many a cappella covers of that song as possible, either through itunes/amazon.com and/or Youtube.

Day 14- Play the following game alone or with others: Say a word. Now try to think of as many song lyrics that contain that word as you can.

Day 15- Draw/Create an all-around logo that represents “a cappella.” Print this logo out and wear it.

Day 16- Email your a cappella hero and tell him/her how awesome he/she is.

Day 17- Read the very first post on CASA.org.

Day 18- Explore the following websites:
Avid.com (maker of Protools and Sibelius)
Celemony.com (maker of Melodyne)
Ableton.com (Maker of Ableton Live)
Reaper.fm (Maker of Reaper)
Apple.com (Maker of Logic Pro)

Day 19- No music day. Today, go the entire day without music. Don’t sing, hum, or whistle. Don’t listen to any music. Don’t watch any videos with music in the background. Avoid music at all costs. At the end of the day, reflect on how awful this day was and how you will vow to keep music in your life forever.

Day 20- Download a free looping app on a Smartphone or computer and loop yourself.

Day 21- Read this: http://www.singers.com/a-cappella.html

Day 22- Listen to the chorus of one song and try to replicate everything you hear with your voice.

Day 23- Go here: http://www.acablog.net. Pick one blog and read the latest post.

Day 24- Watch something else besides Pitch Perfect, Glee, and The Sing-Off that features a cappella. Here are some suggestions:
The Wedding Weekend (Movie)
Do It A cappella (Documentary)
Sex, Drugs, and A cappella (Web Series)

Day 25- Visit one of these websites:
http://acabootcamp.com,
http://sleddogstudios.com/content/next-level-1-5-rochester-ny
http://www.dyz.com/seminar/

Day 26- In three minutes, try to name every a cappella group that you can. Ready? Go!

Day 27- Go on youtube and watch a video of a former ICCA competition. Copy one dance move that you see.

Day 28- Familiarize yourself with every entry in one of the popular annual compilation albums- BOCA, BOHSA, SING, or Voices Only.

Day 29- Try to name as many a cappella conventions, festivals, and workshops as you can.

Day 30- Purchase one book about a cappella music. Here are some suggestions:
A cappella Arranging by Deke Sharon and Dylan Bell
A cappella Pop by Brody McDonald
The A cappella book by Mike Chin and Mike Scalise
Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin
Powerful Voices by Joshua Duchan
Anna Callahan's Amazing A cappella Arranging Advice by Anna Callahan
Acapolitics by Stephen Harrison

Marc Silverberg

Follow the Quest for the a cappella major:
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http://www.casa.org/content/quest-cappella-major-post-will-change-your-life