Sam Selbie is a sophomore at the University of Oregon. He is a fan of classical music and had a brief stint as a member of the popular a cappella group “On the Rocks”. Although a cappella is no longer a prominent aspect of his life, the musical form is still dear to him.
What was it like being on “On the Rocks”?
It was awesome. It was a great group of guys and a lot of fun. I love to sing and I love the performance environment. So when you go and you do shows it’s just a great time. That’s what I really liked about it. It was a great experience. It was great being able to sing to a lot of people because none of my friends like to hear my sing. It was wonderful being able to sing with people who are passionate about their art. It was a way for me to improve upon my skills and gain friendships.
Do you think there would be anything limiting about having an all female group?
Yeah, just like in the same way there’s a limiting factor of having an all male group. If you ask any singer or conductor, there is a sound dynamic. The way that sound works is a higher pitched noise works at a higher frequency sound wave which means that it gets heard and its much more piercing than something that’s lower. So you need more low to have a balanced sound. The obvious benefit for a guys group is guys have lower voices than girls. That means that without doing anything you’re already at an advantage. The disadvantage in an all girls group is you don’t have the low voices that would help balance the sound. That’s not to say that all girls groups sound unbalanced. They don’t. “Divisi” the UO a cappella group that is an all women group does a great job of blending. Its just inherently harder.
Do you thinks it’s easier to have an all male group than an all female one?
I would err away from saying that its easier or harder because at a very base level if you just slap together a group of people that can sing the guy’s group will be a little bit more balanced. But in able to get to a level of excellence and doing it well, that comes down to the people and the ability of the singers. At the end of the day, if you have two super talented groups, the girls group is going to be able to do just as well as the guys group.
Thank you.