Off-Beat Openings
For the uninitiated, it can be difficult to understand why people love a cappella. Heck, even for those of us who do actively enjoy it, it can be difficult to put into words why we enjoy this art form so. While we’ll never have a truly comprehensive list of everything cool about a cappella, 200 Reasons to Love A Cappella is our best attempt at assembling a list of what makes it great.
Reason #173: Off-Beat Openings
Though more and more a cappella groups have started performing and recording original music, covers remain a staple of the form. It can be particularly pleasing to the ear when a group doesn’t only settle for covering a popular song, but goes the extra step to make the song their own in the early going before launching into a more straightforward cover.
Off-beat openings—turning the intro or even whole first verse into a slow jam, or otherwise altering the tempo or texture—can provide a creative slant on a popular song, not to mention making it all the more satisfying when the more conventional cover takes hold, after the audience was struggling to try to place it, or just starting to want to hear the familiar tune. These openings surprise the audience, freshen song selections, and allow an a cappella group to show its personality.
I love it!