MUSIC of the VOICE
Chapman House

Everybody sings.

Whether you're in the shower, behind the wheel, or among fellow choristers, you'll sing in your lifetime.

And unless you're playing an instrument or some type of recording in the background, you're singing a cappella.

What Is A Cappella Music?

You may be wondering; what's so important about this type of music? What sets it apart? Allow music major Kyla Finger to explain.

Let's Take it Back

So now that you know a little more about what a cappella music is, let's take a look at how it started.

So How Is It Done?

If you've never sung before (or at least you won't admit it), these three gentlemen can help you get started.

Why Should I Sing?

There are tangible benefits to exercising your voice, but don't take my word for it. Reasearch from the Royal Northern College of Music and the Canterbury Christ Church University College affirm these claims.

Step by Step Charts
Infogram

See It In Action

Cal Poly is home to many songsters, including members of the a cappella group Take It SLO. Watch them run through a rehearsal right here, right now.

October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Take It SLO, Cal Poly’s competitive a capella group, begin their third meeting of the quarter in room 218, building 45. Group president and art and design senior Blake Silva (right) addresses his band members: “We have to start preparing for our winter show, guys. We already have requests for gigs coming in.” The group just recently concluded their auditions for new members on the 24th of September. October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | The a cappella singers initiate their warmups. Business freshman Ben Chant strikes a key on the Yamaha grand piano. When the group launches into a warmup or song, they begin by playing each voice type’s starting notes. There are four main voice types in choral music: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Each voice type is defined by a certain range of notes. Take It SLO is comprised of four to five individuals per voice type. October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Music sophomore Molly Gooch (center) proceeds to conduct the rehearsal, playing four notes in the lower register of the piano. She’s reminding the basses how their opening part sounds so that they may begin singing “Surfer Girl” by The Beach Boys. “Surfer Girl” is one tune in a set of almost ten songs that the group will perform at their winter concert (and subsequent gigs.) October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Art and design senior Kelsey Dunkelman spins slowly around the center of the circled group. She collects a video of her fellow vocalists performing “Oh Holy Night” to add to her social media account. The sincerity and solemnity of this classic Christmas piece is embodied through the expressions of the tenors in the background. The group revisits and performs this piece every year during the holiday season. October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Art and design senior Kelsey Dunkelman spins slowly around the center of the circled group. She collects a video of her fellow vocalists performing “Oh Holy Night” to add to her social media account. The sincerity and solemnity of this classic Christmas piece is embodied through the expressions of the tenors in the background. The group revisits and performs this piece every year during the holiday season. October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Art and design senior Kelsey Dunkelman spins slowly around the center of the circled group. She collects a video of her fellow vocalists performing “Oh Holy Night” to add to her social media account. The sincerity and solemnity of this classic Christmas piece is embodied through the expressions of the tenors in the background. The group revisits and performs this piece every year during the holiday season. October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Architectural engineering senior James Blanchard explains to his fellow vocalists that their vowels must remain tall. Blanchard visualizes the idea of “tall vowels” by lifting one hand from the palm of the other, as if on a string. “Another way to achieve height in your vowels is to place your hands on either side of your mouth, forcing the mouth into a long ‘o’ shape,” Blanchard says. “We don’t want to get a very spread out sound.” October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | An hour and a half into rehearsal, the basses of the group break off for a sectional rehearsal. They tactfully take hold of the main practice room as their vice president and communications sophomore Noah Vaca (right) shouts “DIBS!” Over the course of the following half hour, they rerun and practice their individual vocal bass lines in each piece, focusing on “Expensive” by Tori Kelly. October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Meanwhile, the altos retreat to a smaller practice room for their sectional. Nutrition senior Jennifer Gsell (right) debates with fellow alto singer, architecture senior Paris Allen (second from left.) The ladies can’t decide on whether a particular note they sing should “fit the chord” or be dissonant. Gsell claims, “I don’t think that’s how it’s all supposed to fit together. It doesn’t sound quite right.” They continue to practice the same vocal line substituting either note. October 8, 2017 | San Luis Obispo, CA | All voice parts (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) reconvene around the piano in room 218. They have rehearsed for three hours and are wrapping up by running through their set list. Take It SLO will continue to work on their a cappella music for their winter concert each Wednesday and Sunday night this quarter. As their vocals continue to tune tightly to each others’, so will their musical and personal bonds.