A big reason I respect VoicePlay over the other two big a cappella groups is because they are 100% independent. No label; they do everything themselves. Geoff and Layne (the vocal percussionist) take turns creating the vocal arrangements, conceptualizing and directing the video shoot (Layne is also co-owner of a video production studio), and editing what they shoot into the videos we get to watch. Eli (rhymes with 'jelly'), the bald tenor, does most of their lighting work- a job which he is remarkably skilled at. The arranger of the song also does the initial sound engineering before sending it off to Ed Boyer to do the final mix (Ed does this for all the major a cappella groups; he's another genius). Oh, and they do have people in all roles: bass, baritone, and tenor. The problem is, every one of these guys are vocal monsters, and they just can't stay in their lane. Geoff can perform rock tenor screams that would make you swear he was a natural tenor. J. None (Mr. Smooth, in the hat) is their baritone, but I've heard him hit (and control) some ungodly high notes, and also fill in basslines while Geoff takes a turn soloing. Eli can do that, too; in fact, Eli may have the most versatile voice of the group. Layne will sneak up on you, but his vocal range is at least as broad as Geoff's (he used to sing baritone, before their original beatboxer left and he took over the role) and even greater than Geoff's if you count some of the crazy ingressive phonetics he can perform. And since you asked, another a cappella group you might be interested in checking out is MayTree. They are a Korean group. and most of their work tends to be short- more similar to VoicePlay's Minis series.
I suggest VP more than the other 2 big ones (PTX and HF) specifically because they are safe to react to. I know reactions to VP which get struck, and sometimes HF has issues, but since these covers are completely controlled by Layne at Pattycake, or simply by Geoff people who don't know how to do reactions can get a good start with fairly loyal fans.
Technically they have their own classifications, their roles in the group. Geoff sings bass, J.None (the black guy in this video) sang baritone, now it's Cesar singing baritone, and Eli sings tenor, while Layne beatboxes. But, they all switch roles depending on where it's needed in the song. Geoff can sing bass, baritone and tenor, and he can beatbox. Layne the beatboxer can sing bass, baritone and tenor. Eli can sing bass, baritone, tenor and high tenor. Cesar can sing baritone, tenor and high tenor. J.None can sing bass, baritone, tenor and high tenor. They usually stay somewhat in their roles, as that's where their voices function and sound the best, and is less straining on their voice. But you will come across songs where they don't stay within their role. Geoff often sings baritone and tenor parts, Eli often sings baritone parts, and even bass on some sections when Geoff is doing a solo part. Layne usually sings baritone when he isn't beatboxing, but he's also sung tenor and even bass in some songs. Cesar often has tenor parts in their songs. They are all so versatile, which is needed when you're in a professional group like this. Because when one person sings lead, the others need to fill the background with the right voice roles to create the proper harmonies.
@@huldradraco his role is not baritone. he can just sing baritone but he is a tenor. in the description of voiceplay videos he is referenced as tenor/baritone tenor coming first
@@zitriphyer8429 no need to argue about it. Just check out the credits of multiple songs he's in, like We Don't Talk About Bruno for instance. He's usually credited with baritone/tenor, but sometimes just tenor and sometimes just baritone. Depends on what role he's filling in each song.
Geoff's singing is the smoothest richest tone of any bass I've heard but his bass guitar work is equally pleasing. I just love how he carries the bass behind the others, and he and Layne as vocal percussion are a rock solid basis for the group. They have been singing together since middle school and have it down to perfection. Geoff does another impressive bass sound in songs from The Dragonborn Comes, to Sh-Boom. or Mr Blue Sky , which just goes to show their versatility. And yes that sliding onto and off notes is often a feature of Geoff's singing. Eli, (little bald guy) is a rock tenor with a wide range. J.None, (black guy) is a baritone with an equally wide range, and Omar Cardona , the guest here, is a tenor I think. VoicePlay's arrangements are second to none, in my opinion. Eli does the lighting and backgrounds usually.
Geoff uses a different type of glottal onset with his bass notes than most other bass singers I have heard. He starts a note just out of fry and lower, then slides into it. It gives his voice so much presence and you know things are about to get real, lol.
Geoff's range is A0 (subharmonic), F1 (full chest), A5 (high tenor), Eli was in a rock band before VoicePlay (different high schools competed against each other, range is A1 - B5). J None got recruited by the US Navy for his vocal talents (he has comeback a couple times on leave - did Friends on the Other Side, Nothing Else Matters and a few minis, range is F#1 - B5, you can catch Earl in some of VPs earlier songs (range A1 - A6), Layne (A0 to C#6), Cesar is the newest member (baritenor, range B2 - G#5). Tony Wakim used to be a baritone but wanted to get into productions so Layne and Tony bought Pattycake Studios. ( To hear Tony - Phantom of the Opera, Road Trip (9 mil views version), full Chicken Song. If you want to see the group from high school on, the Halo theme let's you see them really young, Just Sing (use captions so you will know who everyone is) done during covid. I love the range they all have. Cesar says he doesn't know his range but in Dream On he hit those high notes. Layne and Geoff take turns at producing each video from arrangements to costuming. Eli is in charge of lighting and green screens (think Enemy where AleXa's part was done in South Korea, or My Mother Told Me ). If you want a fun Christmas song (when we get there) here's a mash up for you: Mission: Jingle Bells. One that I really like is Voctave who I just saw in person 2 weeks ago at Florida State Univ for one of the Opening Nights acts. Omar Cardona's brother is in Voctave and occasionally does a video with VoicePlay (Bonnie Raitt song I Can't Make You Love Me, Go the Distance). If you haven't seen VP's In the Hall Of the Mountain King, do. I know it's a 1875 Edvard Grieg (Peer Gynt Suite), no lyrics but doesn't need them. Cool!
One of the joys of Geoff's voice is the supple, rich transitions between all of his range, but that is true of all the singers in this group. There isn't a single one who stays in their lane. The guest singers they collaborate with are all too underappreciated as well. Voiceplay brings out the best with their guests; fitting them so completely into the songs that it sounds as if they had also been singing with the group for years. No egos here, just damn good singing.
This ¨band¨ can sing just any style, from opera, musical, pop, rock, metal, fast, slow, with or without theater...... just any way you like it and any way you didn't knew you liked.
Another song with Omar that shows just how low Geoff can go is Dragonborn. For sheer fun, try Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. If you want just Geoff, try Rains of Castamere on his solo channel for the Geoffquakes, but my favorite is still Shenandoah because it shows his versatility. If you want to hear Geoff and Layne sound like a bank of subwoofers and a full drum kit, and make you forget they're a cappella, listen to Friends On the Other side--they go off the rails at the end. To hear them "live" listen to their ACA Top Tens--they're recorded at one of their houses in one take.
You should check out what they do with Aerosmith's "Dream On". I think the further you get into Voiceplay you will realize they don't adhere to "standard" accapella arranging. Love watching your delightful reactions to VP. You're like a kid in a candy store.
Just discovered you through your reaction to Voiceplay’s Nothing Else Matters. I never get tired of watching people discover Voiceplay for the first time, but I gotta tell you, when you pulled out the guitar to illustrate what they were doing musically, I knew I had to watch more of your videos! I loved it! Definitely gonna be checking out more of your stuff!
p.s. I've never seen Nightmare Before Christmas, either, but Oogie Boogie Song was my first experience of Voiceplay, and knowing the movie is absolutely not necessary. It's a Geoff 5-octave masterclass.
I'd recommend In The Hall of The Mountain King for a truly amazing arrangement. All of the guys are multitalented. They film most of their videos at Pattycake Productions while is owned by Layne and Tony (original member of VP who moved on to focus on this aspect). The backgrounds in My Mother Told Me were created by Eli. Other amazing members /former members of the group include Earl (high tenor) - see their Queen in 5 Minutes video for him. Their Phantom of The Opera video features Tony and Rachel (she collabs on many of their songs).
I am really enjoying your reactions. I think the guitar vs violin fingering explanation last time was a good example of what you add that other reactors haven’t. I’m glad I subscribed. Geoff and Layne generally arrange for the group and featured artist that they have at the moment. Sometimes, like with J None not getting leave early last fall meant Nothing Else Matters had to be postponed a couple months. When Geoff arranged Hoist The Colours , he didn’t know that Covid would raise its ugly head again and keep their featured artist in California. So they got Jose Rosario to step in at the last minute. Eli, who had already recorded his part, quickly learned and recorded what had been the featured part, and Jose took Eli’s part. What resulted was an instant hit, known among fans as a reactor killer. (There’s no good place to stop, and many totally forget they are on camera.) For some killer Geoff arpeggios and even more immersive costuming and set, try Dragonborn Comes / Skyrim.
My favourite VP is always their last cover, but then I always fall back on Carry On My Wayward Son. It's a classic by them and a good starting point for explorations. The next group for you ought to be The Bass Gang.
This song was arranged by Layne (beatboxer) and Eli (rhymes with jelly, bald with glasses). Eli also did the lighting (he usually does that). Generally Layne and Geoff will do the vast majority of the arranging, often alternating. Since Geoff is also doing the arrangements for his solo channel, I'm guessing Layne may take somewhat more of the arranging duties than he did before lockdown (when Geoff started his solo channel). Layne will often ask Geoff for something special in the way of low notes when he's arranging a piece - that's how the end of Oogie Boogie's Song came about. I believe Geoff has a video on his channel that describes the process he goes through when arranging a song for VoicePlay. It might be something that you would be interested in watching just for yourself.
This!^^^^ Geoff has all sorts of fascinating instructional videos on his channel. Tips and techniques for expanding vocal range, how to use subharmonics, and much more!
So much fun to watch your reactions to Voiceplay! Their arrangements are usually done by either Geoff Castallucci (bass) or Layne Stein (beatboxer). This one was a collaboration between Layne and Eli Jacobson, the bald tenor. You need to see some of their more dramatic, theatrical stuff now. Suggestions: The Dragonborn Comes (Skyrim) We Don't Talk About Bruno (Encanto) Then for something just plain fantastic, I Can't Make You Love Me.
J.None with the hat was their Baritone, and I never see people mention it but he often in their arrangements slides right into Geoff's starting note. They're frequently back to back trading off J.Nones bottom note and it's gorgeous every time. They do it in this piece and ALSO in "Friends on the Other Side"
Omar Cardona, the guest for this one, was a finalist on this year's The Voice. I think you'll have a lot of fun with Hoist the Colors and The Dragonborn Comes. And when Halloween comes around again, there's a whole bunch of amazing covers by them and by Geoff.
I think it's kind of hilarious that the two you've seen were with them sitting on chairs. They are nicknamed the theater kids of acapella for a reason. You just haven't yet seen the performances that earned them that nickname. They are so talented and entertaining. I can't wait until you see some more of their work.
I always enjoy when a person who actually has musical training reacts and analyzes. Unfortunately some of them forget that the rest of us don’t have musical training! You do a really really good job of explaining for everyone not just the music geeks. You also point out a lot of things other people miss and I think that’s probably because of your expertise with string instruments. I’m a little late watching this so they have since released their very interesting video for Golden Hour which also has Geoff‘s wife Kathy in it although she’s not singing. The harmonies are absolutely spectacular. Anthony Garagiula is their guest artist and he’s well-known on TikTok and has been singing professionally for quite some time although he’s only 23. Apparently he got his start on the Ellen show at age 7! He has an outstanding voice and he blends really really well with these guys. Since you specifically mentioned the arrangements, you might want to check out some of their Part Work. There are 6 to 8 of them where they specifically were looking at certain “parts” and provide the sheet music for their arrangement. Some of them only have two people singing four or five parts. One of my favorites is Death of a Bachelor with Geoff and their prior high tenor Earl who is incredibly high. And the two of them cover the song Including beatboxing. I believe the cover of KISS is also in their part works section. If you go to their channel and put in part works for searching you might get a group of them. I would be really interested in hearing what you have to say about that aspect.
I really recommend checking out Geoff's solo work as well, it really shows off not just his range as a singer but also some incredible arrangement skills. he also tends to have great song choices to cover
From what I understand the typical setup of an A Capella group is a bass, baritone, lead, and tenor. For groups like VoicePlay, Home Free, and Pentatonix everyone can be the lead so they usually have vocal percussion and potentially someone with a higher voice that can do alto or soprano.
Agreed. It's not just how low he can go, it's the musicality of his voice in general and his lows in particular--though I'd describe them more like heavy cream.
One of the best ever songs, Kansas/Wayward Son....in my rock Playlist, and I see this.....and I was like "I can't imagine an acapella arrangement that would do the song justice"......and I was pleasantly surprised. I Loooooooved this so much. You nailed it with your commentary. I smiled when you mentioned the purposeful 1970-esque stage setting as well. Spot-on. ♥️
Every member of VoicePlay is exceptional. Layne, the playful human drum kit. Geoff, the velvet bass charmer. Ceasar, the tender voiced emoter. Eli, the rock star Musketeer (the VanDyke beard makes me think Musketeer) J. None the soulful master. I hope J comes back as a permanent member after his stint in the Navy! Not only is each member exceptional, but as a group, a meshed chemistry that can both be serious as well as playful. ❤❤❤
I fell in love with this group in December and had the same "wow" reaction as you. I love your obvious enjoyment of this both aesthetically and musically. And yes, typical barbershop acapella has specific parts and each takes a line on the chord structure. Voiceplay's old stuff like holiday road was classic barbershop. But they have grown so much in their arrangements that they let people flow in and out of different lines. It is so unique. And it helps that they all have huge ranges. Eli can sing tenor 1 or 2 as needed and even some baritone lines when needed. Their guest, Omar, is a definite tenor 1. J is a baritone who can do some bass when Geoff takes lead. Layne is a baritone when he sings. Geoff sings whatever he feels like. Haha. None of them have less than 3 1/2 octaves. Gifted people. You don't need to see nightmare before Christmas to appreciate oogie boogie. I never have. It's brilliant.
Maybe you’ll appreciate this… But my thing with Voiceplay is they seem to just fill out a bar of music so fully, so comprehensively. And not just with extra vocal layers in post production. We’re talking creating chord progressions that are so juicy and generate such a reaction from the listener that they stand apart. I’m not saying other groups don’t do the same thing, but this is just the area that I think VoicePlay thrives in. Their arrangements and musical choices are unique and entertaining. Really excited to see as you continue to explore some of their work. 🤘
Voctave is also superb (one of their baritone/tenor is EJ Cardona - Omar's brother). With Christmas coming on check out Mary Did You Know? They brought in the composer/lyricist as the lead singer for their version. Totally angelic. Can't wait to watch your reaction!
Everybody in this group is kind of a multi-tasker in terms of vocal range. You’ll see them credited as bass, baritone, tenor, etc., but every single person has quite a range, so Eli (ELee-the rock tenor here) has been heard to fill in some of the bass harmonies, J.None (Hat, baritone here) has literally stolen Geoff’s bass line a time or two, Geoff can sing the high harmonies in a pinch (does it far more in his solo videos-not so needed here since as you mention the high harmonies are well covered). I actually think they tend to push the harmonies to the high side as a nice offset for Geoff’s bass. Davide mentioned Geoffs crazy arpeggios in Dragonborn Comes-which is definitely worth a look. If you’re a gamer you might also take a look at the Halo theme. Another that’s in your wheelhouse is Dream On, which also features Omar Cardona. If you like bass, check out The Bass Gang-FOUR basses (they all have great range so you’ll hear the higher harmonies). Young singers, just getting started, but coming on strong, and they each have solo channels with some great music as well. I see you have already found Dimash-probably not your style of music, but what amazing talent.
You make an excellent point. I guess vocal ranges aren't all that important in a group like this where everyone has notes well outside the strict boundaries of each traditional range. It wouldn't matter what note needs to be sung almost anyone in the group could probably nail it anyway.
@@PrymalChaos Well, except when Geoff hits B0’s (and someone said he’s gone lower now). And you’re right-the thing that really sets him apart is how GOOD he sounds when he’s doing it. Mr. Geoff puts in a lot of hard work to sound that good-#Respect.
If you are a rock guy, then the next one you might like is an older video where they do a Queen mash up of a lot of their songs. It also has Jay None (sp?) in that one along with another singer who is no longer with the group. It is really well done with how they connect each song with the next. The transitions are really well done. They also do an Aerosmith cover: Dream On. Also, highlighting the bass is the Pirates of the Caribbean song Hoist the Colors, or the Oogie Boogie song if you are familiar with the Nightmare Before Christmas.
I'll put in my suggestion for 'Queen in 5 Minutes'. I find the way Layne and Eli (another one Eli arranged with Layne) wove the snatches of songs together to tell the story to be amazing. It is most certainly one of my faves of theirs! And maybe you can figure out who sings the guitar when Earl stands on bed? I keep thinking it IS Earl, but I'm not positive. Anyway - great use of 11 Queen songs (well, parts of the songs). And great use of each individual VoicePlay members' voices.
It is amazing to listen to something without instrumentation, to where they have no point of reference and still manage to be dead on the pitch. I have very good internal pitch reference, having sang for over 35 years... yet, I would never attempt a cappella music. These guys are definitely in a different league.
In this performance, they're running three tenors. Geoff is, yes, the bass. Layne is beatbox (love the heartbeat during Geoff's section). Eli is the static tenor of the group. Jnone has since left the group as a permanent member, and Omar was a guest performance.
This video was back when J. None was a full member of the group (before he left to join the Navy.). Their line up would then have been: Eli (rhymes with jelly): tenor J. None: barritone Layne: swallowed the drum kit beatboxing Geoff: sub basement note master bass You should check out their cover of Dream On next if you like their rock stylings.
Yeah, they don't exactly stay in their lanes. Everyone has a wide range. Try Dream On. Maybe Tennessee Whiskey, for non-rock riffs. And Can't Help Falling In Love, for just plain good harmonies.
Geoff's range - A0 growl, B0 subharmonic, F1 full chest, B4 adds mix as necessary, highest note Bb5: Eli's range A1 to B5 can load in rock vibes: Layne A0- C#6, J None F#1 to B5 (J None was a member of VP but was recruited by the US Navy Choir for a 5 yr stint (done 3)), Cesar E2 - C6 and D6 (C6 and D6 done this yr in The Lion Sleeps Tonight). Try Creep (RadioHead), Hellfire (Notre Dame), Classical Chaos, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Total Eclipse of the Heart.
I believe Geoff says he's a baritone who sings bass. I like his baritone-tenor range even more, but of course it's that bass that blows everyone away. Sex appeal.
love your reaction and analysis, 😊 I think with Voiceplay, any vocal descriptive labels were ripped up and thrown to the wind. Originally They had a tenor 1 who left for personal reasons... Since then Eli has taken over the "so called Tenor range". However he can and has sang baritone and the odd bit of bass.... J.None, also left the group to join the Navy but when he can, he comes back to collaborate with them.. His baritone drips with honey and soul. Geoff has been described as the bassiest bass. Very smooth and warm. His baritone range is beautiful and can and has hit tenor in many videos... (when Geoff has a solo, sometimes he is at the bottom and slides up into tenor) songs that come to mind are Hoist the colours ,The little mermaid & Enemy. ..... Layne (or violayne as he's sometimes known) also has a large range but sits comfortably as a baritone, though sometimes dropping to help Geoff with the bass.... His beatboxing is sometimes unusual with the noises he creates, but is phenomenal with his vocal percussion... There are songs where he takes a solo.. including "spitting bars" as I saw someone call it. That can be heard in Moana among other songs.... This video feature... Omar Cardona, has his own band and came 4th in The Voice recently... He appears in a few of VP's videos and is good friends with Cesar who is VP's lovely velvet baritenor.. His soft breathy voice in "I can't make you love me" is heartbreaking. In Dream on, Cesar hits the high note with Omar and Eli's support. ... So many for you to see still, 😊 I would suggest Tennessey whiskey that line up was Earl - tenor 1, Eli - Rock tenor extraordinaire, Geoff - Bassiest bass, Layne - vocal percussionist and J.None -riff & runs r us....
Layne (the beatboxer" is also a nice baritone, Omar is definitely a tenor (I'd say an "high tenor"), J none is their former baritone (currently replaced by Cesar de la Rosa), and Eli, well... He is a "rock tenor", but he also has a number of different voices, and can (when needed) down to an incredible A1 (as far as I read). 🙂 Just to hear what Eli can do (and Geoff's #foghorn tone, as #307reacts called it), you should react to "My Mother Told Me". And if you want to explore their "theatrical" part, and their gamer personality 😁, you may want to check "The Dragonborn Comes - Skyrim", in which (among other ridiculous things) Geoff does an awesome 2-octaves arpeggio... 😇 See you next time, I just subscribed to be sure I won't miss your next reaction to them 🙂.
Layne, the beatboxer is a baritone (he does sing from time-to-time), Eli, the bald guy, is a tenor, the featured artist, Omar, is a tenor, and J.None (guy next to Layne), is a baritone.
Layne and Geoff alternate between arranging, production of the staging, costuming, makeup, pre-mix audio, cameras, etc. Eli has taken it upon himself to do lighting, computer backgrounds, green screens. I think the longest arrangement that Geoff has done was Wicked (took 2 years, but worth it for 6 people). Final mix is Ed Boyer one of the best in the business. Do check out at least one of Geoff's solos, Ghost Riders in the Sky, 16 Tons, and more. He started these when covid kept them from touring. Voctave is another one, I got to see them live last month. There are 11 members.
It is hard to pigeon hole any of their voices. They all have tremendous ranges. Geoff is 5 octaves plus. Eli their main tenor sings base lines when Geoff takes the lead. Caesar's whole range has not even been determined yet but it can go stratospheric high! J None is listed as a baritone but also sings as a tenor. Layne sings baritone as well and Geoff will cover beatboxing when he is singing. They don't stay in their "lanes" to our delight!
While not a true acapella group, many of the current acapella musical approaches seem to trace back to a group called Manhattan Transfer. Their cover of Birdland (with instrumental backing) is a classic.
For more acapella fun, check out the other two prongs of the Trifecta of acapella (all equally talented but very different) Pentatonix and Home Free. The Bass Gang are amazing, as are Rockapella, Voctave, Filharmonic, Citizen Queen and American Sirens.
In the comments section they pretty much identify who was singing what in each song. I say pretty much, because when someone is all over the place, they might just say "wow" or something similar... In general, esp. on the older performances, the person who does the arrangement (typically either Geoff or Layne) is accepted as having the creative vision for that song, and so they do - or direct - everything else. In the last year or two Eli is taking a bigger role, especially with lights and backgrounds. Eli arranged a GORGEOUS version of the old Beatles song, Eleanor Rigby, but that's the only one he's taken a big role arranging.
This is definitely one of my favourites of theirs. Eli (guy with glasses) is a tenor (but has huge range and versatility), J None (guy in the hat) is a baritone, as is Layne, the vocal percussionist. Geoff's a bass, although he claims to be a baritone with a low range.
Pretty sure Geoff either said that tongue-in-cheek or didn't realize what his voice actually was. Peter Barber even said there is no way Geoff is not a bass.
@@camilemckitrick8783, I have seen him playing around in a video and hit a C#6. Definitely sounded like a whistle note and those are notoriously difficult to control... he still did it, though.
@@johndeeregreen4592 he didn't say it jokingly. He is referring more to classical categories for opera, where to be bass you need a particular timbre and projection. He won't sing the lowest notes off mic and his sweet spot is actually a bit higher... Like his solos... so per opera standards he is bass (low) baritone. But we aren't listening to opera so he should give himself a break. According to contemporary music standards he is definitely a bass... And is his own worse critic. :)
Hi - they aren't always sitting/standing - check out their 'Boy Bands in 5 Minutes'..!! LOL😁 They also do a lot of Disney stuff, as many of them used to work at either Universal or Disney World in Florida, where they are based. The 'guests' they bring in, like Ashley Diane for If I were a Rich Man/Girl and We Don't Talk About Bruno, Rachel Potter for their Moana/Little Mermaid medleys and many others all add to the final result!
I recommend their cover of "Hoist the Colors" from Pirates of the Caribbean movie. One of my favorites of theirs. Great reaction and analysis! For another great a capella group, check out Voctave. They are a larger group with a soprano just as impressive on her end as Geoff is on his.
Awesome reaction! One of the things I love about this video is that, in addition to the callback to old-school rock concerts, the lighting, effects and the guys' clothing choices also come across as very familiar if you happen to associate this song with another media property in which it's considered iconic (and the comment they've got pinned below the video suggests this was probably quite intentional.)
Oh, for other acapella groups after the big 3, Citizen Queen is a great all girl group, Rockapella and Straight No Chaser are some classic acts and then there are 2 groups that do something more like a small choir than modern acapella that would give you a really interesting look into the different kinds of arrangements: Vocative and Voces8.
Wonderful reaction! I enjoy all the insights you have to share. Many have shared ideas for future reaction videos and any by Voiceplay are amazing, really. They have such a wide variety that you can find a song for whatever mood you’re in! 😀 Keep up the great work 👍🏻
Oh you NEED to hear Oogie boogie song to appreciate Geoff flexing at 4 octave drop…in fact all of the NBC songs are excellent- don’t need context to appreciate! Edit: my bad,my bad..it’s a 5 octave drop. Also get to hear a bit of Earl- their so talented high tenor who left for personal reasons a few years ago
"They sit down on chairs... I mean how else are you really gonna do it, right?" There are other ways. Queen in Five Minutes, for example, is not like that at all. IMO, the best thing they have ever done is In the Hall of the Mountain King. Although Hoist the Colours is also amazing.
you should check out the bass gang, they are an acapella group made up of 4 basses who all have at least 4 octave ranges. One of them has basically a 6 octave range, its crazy. They have really good arrangements and are super talented. If you check them out I recommend listening to either Emperor's New Clothes, or Centuries featuring Jonathon Young. They also all have their own solo work, its a big rabbit hole to dive into.
as for building acapella groups.. it is anything goes ... depending on range of the singers and how they adapt to what they sing.... 2 things i think you might enjoy Geoff has his own channel with many songs he has done. and as far as what bass can do... I would say look at "the Bass Gang" that is a 4 bass singer group who dose alot of multi tracking and all 4 of them are in different parts of the world.. so it is an interesting group
Yeah I suppose there is so much overlap among their voices strict vocal parts aren't as much of an issue. Any notes that that exist that not everyone in the group can hit would be pretty much at the extreme ends, such as Geoff's crazy bass notes, and maybe some extremely high parts. Versatility is probably more important than a specific vocal range.
I love Voiceplay!!! I really don't think that there is a performance of there's that I don't absolutely love. You should check out Dream on Omar is the guest in that one as well but J None isn't there, he had already left for the Navy. Love the reaction!!! You should also check out Geoff's solo work!
A relatively new group is The Bass Gang they have some great stuff out. Their version of Centuries feat. Jonathan young is one of my favorites from them
The third group that is generally included in the trifecta is home free. Voiceplay is my personal favorite of all of them (but I have Geoff's vocal range myself, so I'm a little biased). Home free tends to sing more country, Pentatonix tends to sing pop, and voiceplay are considered the theater kids of a capella. Great reaction
I'm sure someone in the comments will tell you since you've entered the a capella rabbit hole the big 3: Pentatonix, Voiceplay, Home Free (the order I've written is in no way the order of preference). Others you might want to listen to especially if you love arrangement is Sam Robson and The Bass Gang. Whichever you choose, enjoy for the shear wonder of it all.!!!!!
Voiceplay is great. If you like acapella you should Check out Pentatonix if you haven’t already. I suggest starting with their most viewed song Hallelujah. Enjoy 😊
I suspect vocal range varies from group to group depending on who is recruited for their "sound." PTX has a soprano/mezzo in Kirstie, countertenor Mitch, tenor/baritone Scott, bass Matt and their beatboxer, Kevin, also sings tenor. Other groups differ.
Oh wow! I didn't know Kirsty had mezzo notes. That's interesting. I'm still at the stage where I have to concentrate to separate her voice from Mitch in most cases. 😆
So pleased to see you reacting to more VoicePlay, loved the reaction, thank you! Hope you're not too dazed by the bombardment of suggestions, VP fans have a habit of doing that, we just get so excited for anyone new to react to well...everything really, because you can't go wrong with anything they've done! Looking forward to the next one! 😁👍
While Geoff is the low base, Eli, Layne and J can sing base. And all of them can do tenor. Though, usually Eli is tenor, J and Layne are baritone. Please Check out Warriors, Dream On, Just Sing (captions on is a must!), Enemy, Halo, Dragonborn Comes, and anything Disney. 😁
Yeah as other people have said here, for basically all the VP guys the answer to "is he a tenor, baritone or bass?" is yes. Although Geoff did get a fair amount of flak online when he called himself "not a real bass" lol
Can they carry it off? They handily pick it up and walk it 10,000 miles out. Two other banger covers by VoicePlay: Aerosmith's "Dream On" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SEz9VFmvG_I.html and Imagine Dragons' "Warriors" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DNh6_XubM2A.html
To your comment on pitch, which I don't see much reaction to, acappella doesn't have the instruments to help keep you in pitch, so one of the main exercises is learning how to make those keys, and HOLD them. It's like on AGT where Simeon will stop a singer, and have them turn off the playback track... a lot of singers have gotten a little spoiled that if they are close enough, the music will cover for them. As you get more into VP, and eventually Geoff's own works, you will see where they really focus on being RIGHT. One of the best examples is when they did Hall of the Mountain King (yes, acappella version of a song with no words, and no they didn't make up any).
I'm a couple of generations older than most of the Voiceplay guys, so I'm unfamiliar with most of the songs/movies/artists they cover. Hasn't stopped me from becoming a huge VP devotee. Sometimes I go listen to the originals, but generally like VP's versions better, maybe because I've always loved acapella music. AND because these guys are extraordinary in every (positive) way!
I'm a fan of all music types and saw that you play guitar. There is an older bluegrass/folk player I would like to see your opinion of his name is Norman Blake and his 'Old Brown Case' has been a favorite of mine. He should have some of his work on RU-vid.
Thank you so much for a great reaction to Voice Play. They just released a new cover...In My Room...by the Beach Boys. Please do a reaction to Voice Plays cover. ❤️
I agree with the other commenters, you should check out their cover of dream on next 😊 geoff also does a cover of house of the rising sun which is amazing.
@@PrymalChaos also they just released a cover of in my room from beach Boys but it's a bit of a slower pace, still beautiful though 💜have fun down the never ending rabbit hole of voiceplay and Geoff castalucci 😉
Actually *pushes up glasses* The way geoff reaches some of his lowest note (generally G and lower) is through a technique called subharmoniques that basically anyone can learn and gives that texture you noticed. Although the lower your voice, the lower your lowest sub will be. Side note, if these techniques interests you, i’d suggest checking the cover of centuries by the bass gang for a demonstration :)