Someone was available to help with the arranging but, as I understand it, PTX didn't use them very much. They were working very long days without a break. Kirstin was getting sick, as she did during the early years on tour. (She has since learned to eat right, work out, and generally be in better physical shape.) Mitch was getting more and more stressed out and wasn't convinced he could handle it. As the episodes go along you can see Kevin's hand more and more on Mitch's shoulder, letting him know that he was being supported.
Yes. The long part of the story is Ed Boyer that does the final mixing for them now was working on the sing off and brought Ben Bram in as an arranger. He and Scott met in college so after Ben got the job he told Scott they should try out for it but they would need a beat boxer and a bass. And the rest as they say is history. You will see them arranging it themselves in future episodes. Shawn from Boyz to Men asked Kevin to join Boyz to Men on stage at a CMA thing where they were honoring Chris Stapleton. So I think you answer there is pretty clear.
They do a lot of their own arranging as a group. Last night I was watching the PTXperience series following the 2014 tour. It shows the tour backstage starting with tech rehearsals. There are several clips of them arranging songs, it's interesting
Once you have watched all performances from sing off its worth looking at the superfruit vid where Scott and mitch look back at some of the performances. Hilarious
About PTX arrangements -- Scott met Ben Bram through the college a capella group he joined his freshman year (Ben had graduated the year before) and Ben helped him put Pentatonix together. Ben had put together an all star a capella group to compete on the SingOff the year before and the show asked him to come back as a coach / arranger for any groups that needed help. Scott, Mitch and Kirstie had started doing pop arrangements in high school, and from some of the background SingOff video clips you can see that PTX are doing at least some of their own arranging, but it's not clear how much they did on their own and how much help they needed from the SingOff coaches, including Ben. Ever since the show, Ben has been the 6th Pentatonix member. There are videos that show PTX working on arrangements. They start by just singing through a song, improvising and arranging on the fly, then decide on a final version, record it on a video and send it to Ben. He makes some changes and creates sheet music and he and the group continue tweaking the arrangement until it's time to record / perform.
I think their parents talked about how there were arrangers and coaches there but not always available and spread very thin. So pentatonix tended to do as much as possible alone but they ofc had help. I know a medley they do later on was thought up by an arrenger for the show for example!
I have heard or seen comments from them that they did most of the arrangements themselves. Of course, the trio was performing together and doing community theatre and stuff for years, but not a cappella, but they were all very young. You have some great performance in store. On the 11th performance when there are just 3 other groups, I like to watch all the performances and compare them and see the judges comments to each. There is a t-shirt I’ve seen that says “Always be yourself, unless you can be Mitch Grassi, then always be Mitch Grassi” Last year, Kevin performed with Boys to Men in Nashville for a tribute during the CMAs (?).
You are so right. Being teachable is so important. Even after 11 years, PTX is still willing to learn. You have heard some of their recent works, and I know you can attest that they have made some great strides since the beginning. Ben Bram is their co-arranger and has been for 11 years. If you want to see a great interview with him, check out another PTX reactor, Jacob Restituto's, channel where he interviews Ben Bram.
Although, as others have said, there was some help and advice when they needed it on the arranging on the Sing Off, they were pretty good at arranging already. This is a video of the Trio at a High School choir show singing a song they arranged (I guess they must have been 17 & 18 here, as Scott & Kirstin are still at High School and were the school year above Mitch) m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-t2XBMWRK4Mw.html This was the video Avi had already seen and liked before Scott approached him, and that Ben Bram had seen when he suggested to Scott to try out for the Sing Off. So it was pretty pivotal! They mentioned and thanked the brother of their friend who had filmed and uploaded it in their documentary (Pentatonix: On My Way Home)
So based on the History of Home Free videos (who were also on The Sing Off on a different season) the producers did encourage song choices but arrangements were up to the groups.
I think of the 60s as innocent in that we thought we could really change things for the better. So pleased to see you are continuing to cover the Sing Off. From 4th to 12th they only get better. You can really see the improvement week to week. There is a fun video from 2015 of them recording and arranging you might like to check out.
i've been thinking the same thing!! i want to see these sing-off judges talk about some of ptx's newer stuff. especially interested in what ben folds would have to say, that dude is a musical genius tbh
As we move thru sing off. After number 5 it gets good ,then better, then insane. Then helmet time. No the groups had to do,their own arrangements. Kevin and Scot are both really gifted at arrangements but honestly they all are by now. Part of their gift is they truly leave egos at the door They have always been each other’s biggest fans.
Hello Saucey Dad, Glad to see you back with the PTX Sing Off. In the interviews at the start, the group from the 1960's said that in those days they had no "effects" they just had to "sing". I think this is where PTX has re-defined the meaning of A Capella because they "sing" AND they do the "effects" with their vocals.
Those older guys are North Shore, a doo wop group, which is a style of a cappella singing that doesn't use vocal percussion. VP or beatboxing has been around for a very long time and has been incorporated into many cappella groups since at least the 1980s. Of the 16 groups in season 3, only North Shore and one other group did not use vocal percussion to some degree. Aside from amazing vocals, Pentatonix re-defined a cappella by virtue of their stellar arrangements, for which they've won two Grammy Awards.
You sound so much better today! Sorry about you having to go to that appointment. It will go great, I just know it! It was fate they found each other! Thank you for your sauceyness! We appreciate you! Ben Bram helped them even back during the Sing Off! He worked for the show at the time!
This performance was so awesome. 🔥 They just keep getting better from there. Of course I have my favorite performances, but I'm just enjoying the ride. Hugs & 💙 from Texas!
Yes...good point about their humility needed to keep learning. Special attribute they each have...even with all their talent. One reason they're loved so much.
You sound much better, hope you feel better too. Sending you hugs ang empathy for the dental appointment. Baby Pentatonix did all the arranging at that time. Scott and Mitch have that talent (see Superfruit videos), and Kevin brought his own arranging skills into the group. Check out their video of The Recording Of Evergreen, a behind the scenes documentary-ish video showing a bit of how they arrange music. I'm excited for you to react to the 4th Performance!!!! Can't say more, no spoilers for you! 😁
Honestly The Sing Off as a whole is a great show to throw on for some casual viewing. You've got Pentatonix and Home Free knocking it out of the park, but all the groups were really very talented.
The 60's were innocent?? Does he not remember that for many young men their senior trip was to somewhere hot, humid and explosive in S.E. Asia? That's the birth of Kevin's Floogle Horn. He uses it again in "Havana". It goes perfectly with the Air Guitar that Avi is always playing.
Ben Folds talked about "stretching things out" in this episode. When I first say PTX's version of "The Prayer" I kinda felt that song is their ultimate expression of that comment.
There were people that were there to help with arrangements. However, I read somewhere that the more the group used them, the quicker they were voted off. Little known is that Avi was very good at arranging, I think he has a minor in vocal arranging. But yes, they are all alien unicorns 🦄.
Yeah, Avi had choral and musical theory knowledge, Kevin has classical music knowledge. Scott had a bit less theory knowledge but insanely good instincts. So the three of them could hold it down back then, for sure.
They say if you remember the 60s you weren’t there. I was more into the coffee house and beat scene, but I spent a little time in the Village. Don’t remember that part much!
Ben Bram was the arranger for the Sing Off. He helped all the teams but the teams had to be able to arrange on their own as well. To this day, Ben is the arranger for Pentatonix but not heir are times the group does it all on their own.
Each week they had a challenge. To be arranged and performed at the end of each one. All by themselves. Each group had to do this and were eliminated as they went.
I am so happy that you are back to Pentatonix Sing Off journey. This is the one where I started thinking that they could win the show. As far as arranging, Scott and Kirstie have talked about staying after school when in high school to work on arranging songs. Plus, they are all (self called) choir nerds so they knew how to get the best out of music.
I am Completely THRILLED that your going through their SING OFF journey. I wish every reactor would do the same. To know what we all know now what they didn’t know then is so fun to watch. Keepum coming!
👉👉They did A LOT of their own arrangements! In high school The Trio (Scott, Kirstie and Mitch) did their own arrangements aside from their choir group! YPU MUST check out The Trio before they were PENTATONIX!! Not a hf fan so yeah have no clue what billybone is 😅
So im on the binge here and ooh I hope after their season, you will watch their guest pwrformances too in following seasons oooh maybe the halloween special too from this season 👀
They sounded a little rough for Pentatonix, but this was their third performance ever. Each week you you can see their improvement. They took the critiques to heart.
The 60's was not an innocent time. Between the Assassinations the Vietnam War the Protests it was not an innocent time. It was a time of enlightenment a coming of age an eye opener. Everything we knew was thrown out the window. The 50's was an innocent time.
I do love all the frills and PTX-isms that the group inserted into this arrangement. However, as a girl that listened to Janis perform this song in the 60's, I find that this is one place where the youth and inexperience of the group does show up. I'm missing the raw voice and bitter life experience that was a part of all Janis' vocals. There's no way Pentatonix could pull that off, so they go more mellow, and for me it just doesn't fly. That being said, they absolutely killed their 7th performance, Born to be Wild. This #4 is just not a favourite of mine.
