Definition
A cappella is music for voices alone. In its contemporary version (pop a cappella, born in American college groups and in vocal jazz) the voices imitate the whole band: bass, drums, guitars, synths, horns. Reference groups: Take 6, The Real Group, The Swingle Singers, Rockapella, Naturally 7 (vocal play of instruments), Pentatonix (winners of The Sing-Off in 2011), plus films and series such as Pitch Perfect.
The typical lineup (5–6 voices)
- Lead: melody.
- Two or three harmony voices (BGs): chords, rhythms, pads.
- Bass: the bass line, often an octave lower, with sounds like “dm”, “doom”, “bm”.
- VP (vocal percussion / beatbox): the drums.
Pentatonix: Scott Hoying (baritone, often lead), Mitch Grassi (high tenor), Kirstin Maldonado (female voice), Kevin Olusola (beatbox, also “cello-boxing”, playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time), bass Avi Kaplan until 2017, then Matt Sallee.
Beatbox: the basic sounds
- Kick: explosive “B” with the lips (bilabial), voiced and low.
- Closed hi-hat: short “t” or “ts”.
- Open hi-hat: prolonged “tss”.
- Snare: “Pf” (lips), inhaled “K” (inward K snare), “psh”.
- Rimshot and clap: variations with tongue and cheeks.
- Combinations: “B t K t B B K t” = rock pattern in eighth notes.
Beatboxing must be as precise as a drum machine: work with the metronome.
Instrumental voices
- Bass: syllables with a soft consonant and a dark vowel (“dm”, “doom”, “bm”), short rhythmic notes or long closed-mouth ones.
- Rhythm guitar: “jng”, “jin”, “dzhin” on chords in close position.
- Synth pad: sustained “oo”, “mm”, “nn”, “ah”.
- Horns: “bah”, “dat”, “doo” with sharp attacks; vocal trumpeters also imitate the falls.
- Strings: “nee”, “ooh” with vibrato.
Syllables should be written in the score and chosen for attack (consonant) and color (vowel).
Arranging a pop song a cappella
- 1. Transcribe the structure of the original song: instrumental hooks, bass, chords, drums.
- 2. Assign the roles: who sings the riff, who the chords, who the bass.
- 3. Choose the key for the lead and the bass (the bass must reach the lowest note comfortably; for many vocal bassists F2–E2).
- 4. Write 3-voice chords in close position, with the third and the seventh always present (there is no harmonic instrument to supply them).
- 5. Vary the syllables between sections: verse “dm dm”, chorus words or “ah”.
- 6. Plan moments without beatbox (dynamics) and moments of group unison.
Recording and production
- Each voice on a separate microphone; the VP with a dynamic microphone (e.g. Shure SM58) very close, sometimes a second microphone for the lows.
- The VP is mixed like a drum kit: EQ, compression, transient shaper, saturation, even layered samples (triggers) in studio production.
- The vocal bass can be reinforced with an octaver or a sub synth triggered from its signal, to reach the sub (40–60 Hz) that a voice doesn't really produce.
- The harmonies are doubled to widen them.
Common mistakes
- Too many voices doing rhythms: the mix becomes a mass of consonants.
- Bass too high: without a low register the song has no foundation.
- The same syllables for the whole song.
- Tuning without a reference: try a drone or a piano at the start.
Examples
- Pentatonix — Daft Punk (2013): a cappella medley of Daft Punk songs.
- Take 6 — Spread Love (1988): six-voice vocal jazz and gospel.
- The Real Group: jazz and pop harmonies with voices in close harmony.
- Bobby McFerrin — Don't Worry, Be Happy (1988): all the parts, including body percussion, performed by a single overdubbed voice.
Practice exercise
Arrange 16 bars of a pop song for 5 voices: lead, two harmonies, bass, VP. Write out the syllables for each part. Record the VP first with the metronome, then the bass, then the harmonies and the lead. Mix the VP like a drum kit and compare with the original.
Links
Barbershop and Close Harmony, Pop Choral Arranging, Vocal Stacks, Writing Drum Parts, Pop Bass Lines.