Sing (arr. Wayne Grimmer): SSAA Choral Octavo

Wayne Grimmer's adaptation strips away the production gloss of Pentatonix's original and builds something substantially different: a barbershop-influenced SSAA setting that lets acoustic blend and voice leading carry the entire weight. Choirs working with this arrangement discover genuine harmonic interest and the pleasure of locking four parts into vocal perfection, which translates directly to improved blend and intonation across your repertoire.

The arrangement radiates warmth and accessibility even as it makes genuine harmonic demands. Its barbershop DNA gives it a conversational, intimate quality that feels both nostalgic and current, familiar enough to engage audiences while sounding unlike the typical pop-choral transcription.

Choirs seeking contemporary material that isn't pop-influenced or jazz-based will find real substance here. This works well for groups comfortable with a cappella singing and ready to explore a genre beyond the typical choral concert repertoire.

• Establish the barbershop sound world early in rehearsal by listening to recordings from the genre itself. The characteristic ringing sonorities require different vowel shaping and tuning relationships than contemporary or concert music.
• Mark breath spots in the score collectively as a section. The arrangement's phrasing will feel most cohesive when soprano, second soprano, alto, and any four-part divisi breathe as one organism.
• Balance the four-part writing so no single voice pulls the ear away from the chord. In barbershop, the blend matters more than individual voice projection.

Pair this with other contemporary vocal music to demonstrate how a cappella arranging can honor a hit song while creating something entirely separate from its source. It also works as a bridge between traditional and modern styles, showing audiences that barbershop harmonies belong on the concert stage.

• Barbershop tuning principles and ringing sonorities
• Four-part vocal blend and balance
• A cappella precision and rhythmic lock
• Harmonic function through tertian chord construction
• Stylistically informed vowel and resonance choices