Why Singing in a Vocal Group Can Be Challenging

Partly thanks to televised talent show competitions, there are more vocalists than ever. Some opt to join a choir, while others sing solo. And then there are pop and jazz lovers who sing a-cappella as part of a vocal group. Want to know what it takes to sing in a vocal group? Simply read on.

We’re sitting down with Merel Martens to talk about what it’s like to sing in a vocal group or, more specifically, to sing a-cappella in a vocal group. Currently active as a choir conductor, arranger and workshop-overseer, Merel has studied at the Rotterdam conservatory and is one of the Netherlands’ leading vocal group singers. She’s also completed a master’s degree in Rhythmical Choir Conducting in Denmark. Merel: “What they refer to as rhythmic music in Denmark, is referred to as light music in the Netherlands. Among other styles, rhythmic music includes pop, jazz and world music. Denmark is a great place for choral singing, which boasts an elevated status over there because it’s a much more important topic within music education compared to the Netherlands.”

Massive Expressive Potential

As a musician, Merel is almost exclusively focussed on a-cappella singing. What attracts her to it? “Singing is the most pure and vulnerable way to make music, even more so when it’s done without instrumental backing and when it’s enriched with the heterophony of a vocal group. The voice is a rich-sounding instrument that gives you a ton of options. It also sounds different every day or even at different moments throughout the day which, granted, can also be frustrating sometimes. At the same time, the versatile nature of vocals can pose a huge challenge. A vocal group represents a near-infinite number of ways to perform a song — not just harmonically and melodically, but in terms of timbre and rhythm. You can do a lot of different things with the voices that make up a vocal group, which I personally find to be the most beautiful way of making music.”

Multiple Voices

While we’ve covered polyphonic singing before, this time, we’re zooming in on vocal groups that sing a-cappella. Vocal groups generally consist of four to twenty vocalists focussed on pop or jazz music, which means they’re not the same as groups that sing in what’s known as close harmony. “Close harmony is actually an arrangement style for multiphonic singing, where the notes aren’t spaced very far apart,” Merel explains. “There’s also a spin-off style of close harmony called ‘barbershop’: four-voice singing with very specific arrangement rules, where the lead voice is sung by the second tenor.”

At Least Four Voices

Singing a-cappella in a vocal group requires at least four vocalists. Many vocal groups include four, five or six singers, each of which takes care of their own part. Merel: “There are also vocal groups that consist of ten to twenty members, with multiple vocalists per part. That said, their repertoire usually doesn’t stray very far from that of smaller groups.” Vocal groups can be all-male, all-female or mixed. From low to high, male voice types can be divided into bass, baritone and tenor. From there, female voice types are divided into alto, mezzo-soprano and soprano. A mixed vocal group of six can technically include all of these voice types. In practice, most vocal groups are configured differently. A four-piece mixed vocal group may include a bass, a tenor, an alto and a soprano. In some cases, a high-range tenor (known as a countertenor) can fill in for the alto. There are various possible combinations. In many groups, one voice is used for vocal percussion, which serves as a kind of beatbox. “What you’re always going to need no matter what is a bass singing voice,” Merel says. “As well as the foundation for everything, it serves as a frame of reference for the other vocalists. The highest voice, so the soprano, determines the timbre of the group.”

Variation

In general, the bass voice serves the same purpose as a bass guitar in a band. “He usually sings ‘dmmm’, ‘tmmm’ or other percussive sounds. Instead of singing the lyrics, the bass voice essentially lays down the root note. In rare cases, they’ll sing along with the melody and lyrics.” For Merel, changing things up within the arrangement is one of the most appealing aspects of singing a-cappella. “You can sing homophonically, where everyone sings the lyrics in their own range, but you also have the freedom to designate a lead voice and have the rest of the group back them. The options are endless.”

The bass singing voice can be divided into standard bass and deep bass. “The latter are a rare breed,” Merel says. “I’ve got my own rule of thumb here: if someone can sing a low C, they qualify as a deep bass.” Those lows can also be reached artificially using an effect called an octaver – a popular bit of kit among guitarists and bassists. “Octavers are typically used for the lowest voice. Occasionally used by small vocal groups, the device doubles the voice with a note from a lower octave, adding extra depth to the vocals. I’m not a fan of using it all the time, but the extra depth can definitely enhance certain songs,” Merel concludes.

Maintaining Pitch

What’s the hardest part about singing a-cappella? “That would be maintaining pitch,” Merel says. “When you sing, your voice gradually goes down in pitch, which is a natural part of singing. This happens to the best vocal groups out there. The problem is, when the voice of one of the vocalists goes down in pitch, the others automatically adjust their pitch accordingly. This is normal because we intonate based on each other. You also don’t have any choice but to go along with it because if you don’t, you’ll risk sounding out of tune. Staying on pitch for prolonged periods of time takes countless hours of practice.”

Groups that sing a-cappella lack the frame of reference that instrumental accompaniment offers, which makes things harder. Fortunately, you work on steadying your pitch on your own. Merel: “It’s important that every vocalist knows their place within the chord. In other words, you need to be aware of the note you need to sing based on the root note sung by the bass. This can be trained, but you will need to actively and carefully listen to each other.” One of the exercises that Merel uses goes as follows: one vocalist sings ‘ayyyy’ (as in ‘face’) at a certain pitch while the other vocalists sing the same sound in the same way.

Labour Intensive

Another challenge that comes with singing a-cappella in a vocal group is having to create the groove yourself, since there are no instruments that do it for you. There’s also blending, so making sure that the various voices literally blend together nicely. The latter part hinges on vowel pronunciation and breaking off sung notes simultaneously. Merel: “When I drill a song, I usually rehearse every part separately, so the intonation, the groove and the blending. After I get those right, I move on to the next part, which is interpretation. Interpretation refers to what the piece is about and how the vocals express the narrative through the proper dynamics, tension-building, and so on. It’s a very labour-intensive process that generally consumes more time than learning a number with a band. That’s because, again, the options are virtually endless when it comes to multiphonic singing.”

What It Takes

Time to ask Merel the big question: what does it take to sing in a vocal group? “What’s important is that you’re able to carry a tune while someone next to you does their own thing with their voice, without throwing the whole thing out of balance. To be able to do that, you need to be ambitious and knowledgeable as well as willing to put a lot of time and effort into studying songs.”

Vocal groups sing a lot of covers of well-known and less well-known pop songs. “I’m actually a huge advocate for deviating from the original arrangement of a song,” Merel says. “Creating something that might surprise the audience in a good way without making the song completely unrecognisable is a fun challenge, so don’t be afraid to go with different harmonies and melodies. Or a different rhythmic feel. I personally feel like too many vocal groups stick too close to the original. Going with your own interpretation is much more interesting, especially since a-cappella singing really lends itself to doing just that. It’s one of the reasons I spent so much time on improvisation, which is a great way to explore other options.”

Some World Class Vocal Groups

In Merel’s opinion, the vocal groups highlighted below are some of the best out there.

The Real Group from Sweden have been at it for over thirty years and are known for their subtlety and blending skills.

The New York Voices are four vocalists who focus exclusively on vocal jazz and often sing with accompaniment.

Take6 is a group of six vocalists who sing almost exclusively in a-cappella. Known for their smoothness and sublime timing, they mainly stick to soul but also sing jazz and gospel.

Vocal Line is a 30-piece choir from Denmark. They’re the best in the world within their style, as evidenced by the way they manage to blend their voices while amplified. They have a clear, light sound that’s absolutely spot-on.

Perpetuum Jazzile is a Slovenian choir known for their super-tight pop tunes.

Amplifying a Vocal Group

While natural, unamplified voices are arguably the most beautiful, sometimes you simply can’t escape amplification. When it comes to amplifying vocals, you have a few options. The first is to set up one or more overhead microphones, where you suspend the microphones above the vocal group so all of the voices are captured as a whole. Here, it’s important to ensure that the vocalists who are closest to the microphone aren’t too loud compared to the vocalists that are farthest away from the microphones. If the room acoustics create a dry sound, which is typical of theatres, you can always add a little reverb. Overhead microphones sound good, keep things within budget and can even be combined with a separate microphone for the bass or soloist. Another option is to mike up every single vocalist. This is a great option in noisy places and also gives you more options to add effects and beef up the low voices. On the other hand, giving each vocalist their own microphone makes things more expensive, and the costs will only go up if it’s a dynamic act where wireless microphones are required. Also, when you amplify each vocalist separately, this also means that the blend (the merging of the voices) comes out of the monitor, making it less direct. Dealing with indirect blending requires quite a bit of practice.