CASA - the contemporary a cappella society

Getting Started

Written by Dave Brown

Friday, 13 April 2007

You’re an enthusiastic, driven, singing entrepreneur type. You want to start an a cappella group – you want to sing for thousands of screaming fans. But that’s as far as you’ve thought. You’re willing to put in the work, but how can you get from your couch to the stage? Before you can wail on your wicked air guitar solo or show off your muted trumpet, there are a number of choices you have to make. Let’s talk about some of the very basic things you ought to decide before you do anything else.

Have a Clear Vision

You want a group. What kind of a group would you like to create? How many members? What style of music? Casual weekend warriors or full-time pioneers?

Before you make up your mind, remember that you'll be in this group with a number of other members, and their desires will have to be considered as well. You'll need to be forthright about your goals, and also find out what your cohorts will want as well. Are you having trouble finding tenors, and the only interested one would like your group to include some folk music? Do you want to make the transition to full time soon, and your bass has a family and a job he won't leave? Your group will only be as solid as the foundation you lay, and that foundation is based on honesty and communication.

So: figure out what you want, and then make sure you create a group with at least somewhat like-minded individuals. If you don't, you'll be off to a rocky start.

Voice & Personality

The people you choose for your group are your greatest resource. Obviously their voices (with yours) make the music, but don't forget you'll be spending just as much time with them doing business as singing. Each individual's personality is an important component of the group, and the skills each member brings besides singing will comprise the breadth and depth of your business machine. In other words, you're not just choosing a few sets of vocal chords - you're deciding on your business partners as well. But before you start scrutinizing each individual's voice, business acumen and interpersonal style, you need to decide a few things....

Number of Voices. First of all - how many people do you want in your group? Four is a good minimum number - there have only been a handful of successful a cappella trios (usually folk music). With four, thousands of prearranged songs will be at your disposal. If you're looking to have a classical, barbershop or doo-wop group, four is the perfect number. A quintet will give you added versatility musically. Five has quickly become the standard size for non-collegiate a cappella groups, as it allows for more complexity, and can provide a more complete background when a voice steps forward to sing lead. Six or seven are sometimes a handful; you have too few voices to double parts, but you’re also more equipped to perform more complex arrangements. Larger than seven is into small chorus territory. The one prominent exception to this is the scholastic a cappella scene - college, university and high school groups often have an average of 12-15 members. Such a large group singing pop music won't work on a professional basis (too many mouths to feed, and probably no help from arts and choral organizations since you’re not “cultural,” etc.), but for a college group it's ideal.
Gender. A simple enough question. You've got three choices: all male, all female, or mixed. Male groups have been the most prominent lineup historically, but mixed groups and all-female groups are becoming much more common and likewise more viable. Consider what you want to sound like, and go from there.
Style Of Music. A cappella groups are more stylistically versatile than most instrumental combos. Because the voice can change styles in an instant, your choices are limitless. Many groups in fact pride themselves on their ability to perform all style types. This is good because it shows off the voice, but remember that it doesn’t necessarily lend itself to constant “group sound” nor to an obvious fan following. If you’re able to zero in on one style, it will make group auditions and repertoire selection much easier.

What's in a Name?

You can wait until you have your group members to pick a name, but choosing a name before auditions helps when you advertise. Also, when you get the group together, coming to a consensus can be tough.

Putting a number in the group name is popular: Take 6, Four Shadow, Five O'Clock Shadow, etc. But can also be limiting if you ever decide to change your number. Octapella has seven people. Five O'Clock Shadow has six guys. One group that reportedly used a number for inspiration was Blue Jupiter (5th color in the spectrum and 5th planet from the sun), and amusingly, they now have four singers. So numbers can work, but be aware that things may change.

For some reason, the a cappella world really draws out the punsters. Names with puns are everywhere. Vocal Point. Fermata Nowhere. Chorallaries. Nothin' but Treble. Rockapella. Logarhythms. There's a million of 'em.

Pun or not, pick something that means something to you, something you like. Because whatever it is, you'll be using it for a long time. It's always possible to change your name, but when you do, you'll rewind the clock on all that advertising and name-building you've done. So you're best bet is to choose something now, and stick to it.

Conclusion

In sum, don't just jump right into things. Pause for a couple days, and consider what type of group you want, how many singers, what kind of sound you're going for, etc. Consider how committed you are going to be to the success of the group, and what level of commitment you will expect from your group members. In the next blog, I’ll talk a bit more about creating an organizational and business plan.

Got a question about group formation or direction that you’d like Dave to answer? Email him at dave[at]casa.org.