The one thing I find most lacking in vocal arrangements and compositions in 2016 is timbral variation.
Because we live in an choral age that glorifies harmony, it’s easy to slog through page after page of four- or six-part chords.
But there are many more options than homophonic harmony.
The most consistent genre offenders to me are:
3. Vocal Jazz. They at least love a good unison soli to break things up.
2. Concert Choral. The New Harmonists have filled the world with add-9 chords and suspensions for days.
1. Contemporary A Cappella. A singer without a solo might go an entire concert only imitating guitar sounds.
Not only are singers bored by this lack of timbral variation – so are the audience members they sing for. IT doesn’t matter how trained or untrained the listener is…the textural sameness of the music will tune them out completely.
The next time you sit down to compose or arrange a piece, make a list of timbral options available to you. How can you make better use of the many sounds that voices can make?