Take a group with no instruments, and a song with no words, and you get a Grammy performance.

The members of PTX with their producer Ben Bram (considered the silent sixth member) do the arrangements. Ben has been with them since The Sing Off, he’s a genius!

They arrange them together. All are professionally trained.

You mention they look like something out of Bohemian Rhapsody. Can't wait until you get to their cover.

You mention Bohemian Rhapsody...if you haven't seen PTX's cover of it yet...it is the ultimate cover!

I literally screamed when you paused right before Mitch's note! It's consisted of a WTF NOOOOOOOO

Funny Story… Last Saturday I took my 11 year old daughter to the Royal Alberta Ballet performing The Nut Cracker & when Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy started she said “why are they dancing to Pentatonix?” 😆

Usually, their arrangements are done by the group, and quite often along with Ben Bram, their long-time collaborator and the guy who helped Scott assemble the group (Ben knew Avi and brought him to Scott’s attention, and was also the one who first saw Kevin’s “Julie-O” video and got Kevin’s phone number at Yale). Ben was the one who accepted this Grammy, since the group was in rehearsals for their performance at the televised awards show, an Earth Wind and Fire tribute with Stevie Wonder. There are a few excellent interviews of Ben out there, especially a two-part on a podcast called Recording A Capella.

I keep saying this, but it's true. They, themselves, ARE the instruments! And, as others will no doubt tell you, Ben Bram is the sixth, silent, seldom seen, genius, who works with the person or persons, who propose a song. They hash the idea among themselves, play with it, try things out, and come up with the general outline of the song, then Ben comes in and polishes, finishes, and helps them make a masterpiece of each and every song. Others will mention that they won a Grammy for this, a song without words, by a group without instruments, but then again, they themselves are the instruments.

Your quote: “This isn’t just a bunch of people who get together and say Let’s Sing a Song.” That means it’s time for you to watch Superfruit, which is Mitch and Scott’s side channel plus Kirstie doing a Frozen Medley pretty much off the cuff in their apartment one night after having a few adult beverages. You will come to understand what they can do “Off the Cuff”.

Someone commented in another reaction video to this song the perfect description. A song with no words done by a group with no instruments(And they won a Grammy for it! That’s all you need to know about Pentatonix to know how amazing they are). Best a cappella group out there

Grammy best Instrumental, then with Dolly Parton Best Duo or Country group Performance, then the "Daft Punk Medley"...crazy talent..my theory stands till disproved.....aliens.

I loved your reaction. You have the cutest lil giggle. You were like a kid in a musical candy store.

Never mind. This is now my favorite! Thanks, Chris.

Lol, they get together as a group and break the song and the tune down to each bit. Then they rebuild it bit by bit while working it out amongst themselves and their crew, namely Ben Bram. They just basically get together and brainstorm, and even goof off, while creating pure magic.

That was just too short! Pure vocal genius! For ear candy, forget sugarplums, this is like being given a big plate of chocolate fudge! With nuts! I appreciate how intensely you listen and appreciate what you're hearing. Don't know if you've already heard Home Free's Man of Constant Sorrow, but lots of cool little vocalizations for you to enjoy + world-class beatboxing.

The group themselves and their producer do all of their arrangements!

They have said that they sit round a phone set to record and just sing a song, throw in everything they think of, then go back and pick out the best bits with Ben. They call it circle jamming. That was in the early days, I'm sure it's more streamlined now

Loved your reaction! This video is very similar and fun as Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Enjoy! Pentatonix - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Official Video) - KZfaq

I knew your head would explode! Your reactions are so great. I love watching the joy and surprise on your face. Thank you very much for the reaction, and the shout-out. 💚 You got Mitch-slapped and Avi-attacked in the same song!

Great reaction! Funny that you mentioned Queen. Wait until you hear their version of Bohemian Rhapsody!

A Capella with no words or lyrics ???? Pentatonix "Hold MY BEER !!!!

PENTATONIX IS BRILLIANT this was their 2nd Grammy WIN!!🌟

Just so you know, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is not a song, but music for one of the dance performances from the classical ballet The Nutcracker by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

These songs they do without any movement of the body really kills Scott. You notice how he's holding his hands, I don't know the name for it, but he has to contain himself from moving his body. He does it in Say Something. He was digging his fingers into the chair to keep from moving.

I've seen an "authentic" presentation of The Nutcracker. It's not the cartoon we saw as kids. It's scary!

LOL yeah, that note from Avi is one of those that makes me always go, "Oh yeah, he definitely trained in opera." (It was actually his major in college.)

I listen to this Everyday and Today I found you , thank you!

Mad world is something different. There is a part where the singing sounds like an organ

I really hope you do 12 Days of Christmas. One of my favorite PTX Christmas song to watch people react to.

Love this one! Your reactions are priceless. Avi's operatic and classical training really shine on this one. He sets you up for that major bass drop. And Mitch....love that sassy Mitch. Words? Who needs words? PTX did not foresee this as a problem, only an opportunity. I'm convinced they could sing the dictionary and it would be impressive. As far as Home Free, PTX members and the Home Free group know each other well. Pentatonix won season 3 of the Sing Off and Home Free won season 4. Pentatonix came back on season 4 to mentor Home Free and sing on the finale. Avi and Tim Foust with Home Free are friends and both now live in Nashville.

Thank you for this reaction! I love the way you do this.

Great next reaction! They also won a Grammy for arrangement on Daft Punk...the academy changed the category just so they could be included and they won! They also won a Grammy for a Country collaboration with the fabulous Dolly Parton. Both are MUST watch! Hope all is well with you & yours!

Your expression says, "Mind Blown!" when he pulled that High note. I LOVE this version.

If you want to look at Homefree start with a "bridge". Avi Kaplan is on their "Ring of Fire" for their first record after Sing-Off to boost the sales by putting Avi on it and it worked for them. The basses were all pretty good friends. Rumor has it that Tim taught Avi the growl technique (or in Europe it is called "fire-breathing") for a couple very low notes for effects - listen or better yet WATCH Pentatonix do "Natural Disaster". Kevin's inspiration initially for the song. Avi, in return, taught overtone singing (also known as Mongolian Throat singing) to Homefree. Avi, Tim and Austin all live in Nashville now which is a very collaborative music scene. Adam Chance, who is Homefree's baritone, was with Streetcorner Symphony prior to Homefree and Avi Kaplan was supported by all of Streetcorner Symphony on his first tour when he began touring again after Pentatonix with his solo music. Kaleb Thomas Jones of Streetcorner Symphony plays bass and sings high tenor in Avi's live appearances and has co-written a couple of songs with Avi that have not yet been released. Another big name in acappella is Peter Hollens. You can find him collaborating with Avi Kaplan on "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" with the layering technique Peter uses. He has also collaborated often with Tim Foust (Homefree's bass) and with all of Homefree on a couple of occasions. Avi brought the idea of adapting Dance of the SugarPlum Fairies for acappella performance to Pentatonix. He and Kevin brought more extensive experience in the classical music forms to the band.

They normally sit in a circle (of sorts) and just jam, throwing out ideas till it sounds the way they like it, then record it into a phone and sends it to Ben “who fine-tunes” or adds a polishing finish for the recording time:-) they did this one live on one of the late night shows and sounds just as good if not better:-) PTX always acknowledges Ben for his talent within the group. They’re a good team!

Please react to my favorite Christmas song by PTX, the first Noel. The look on your face at Mitch's high note and Avi's super low note was priceless.

Hello Larry. Great reaction. At one point you stopped just before Mitch's high note and I thought "oh no - you are going to miss it" but you backed up and you caught it, your expression was priceless. Other comments below have explained the process of how PTX works their arrangements, and songs, with them individually or collectively coming up with the idea, original or cover, working on it together, deciding the parts, building the layers, and with master arranger Ben Bram cleaning and polishing. We need to re-define how PTX is described. Yes, they are an A Capella group which implies singing with no musical instruments. However, their vocal cords are their musical instruments. In addition to singing the words, or in the case of Sugar Plum Fairy singing the "da da dums", I have heard the musical instruments from their vocal chords. Kevin - a full drum set with even cymbals clashing (The Prayer, Hallelujah, O Come All Ye Faithful) and the trumpet /fugle horn (Havana); Matt (and Avi before him) with the bass guitar; Matt and Kirstie with the drone of bagpipes (Amazing Grace); Mitch with the electrical guitar (Bohemian Rhapsody); and Kirstie, Scott and Mitch with bell notes and piano sounds. Not to mention using their hands in the clapping, snapping, swishing, slapping and beating as they did in I Saw Three Ships. Sugar Plum Fairy was indeed a masterpiece and a well-deserved Grammy! Looking forward to following your reactions of PTX Christmas songs and in January you can do some older pieces such as Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John), Imagine (John Lennon), Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley), and originals like Sing, Happy Now, Coffee In Bed. Then do some recorded vs live comparisons of Aha, Havana, Attention, Hallelujah. Absolutely PTX works hard but look at some of the videos where they are in fact just sitting around or standing around singing - like the cover of Gold by Kiara or an impromptu rendition of Daft Punk caught on someone's camera phone.

As has already been stated, Ben Bram is their arranger and co-arranger. If you want to see an interview with him, go to Jacob Restituto's channel (he is also a big PTX reactor) and watch Jacob's interview with Ben Bram.

On the official video, someone made the funniest comment about the section from 3:24 to 3:33 - This is the response when you ask your friends whether you should do something possibly sketchy....

Oh Larry I had to quickly go back and rewatch it again...I loved your 'reactions' I had the same one the first time I saw this...lol Brilliant. Loved PTX when Avi was in it. He has a classical background as a Basso Profundo My ear is always tuned into the bass sound. The editing is a visual masterpiece too. Ben Braum and Avi helped form their own A Capella Academy.

❤Another Grammy winning song is their cover medley for DAFT PUNK. Made at home for $400. You must give it a try ! Thanks for your reactions ! DO check out their GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMAN, and also their BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY !!!

Accapella group wins a Grammy for a song with no words

Some artists need their own scale to be measured by (a Pentatonix Scale?) and on their scale this is near the top! Musically, visually both tops and add in the humor, wow.

Oh my sweet cutie. Thank you for this reaction. My body is broken today so Im in bed in pain. But watching you react to this puts a smile on my face. As always. Thank you 💛

I’ve followed PTX since their inception at “Sing Off”. I’ve watched every single video and listened to each song multiple times. It’s great to watch your honest reactions to just this one song with the original group. Your expressions and the amazement you show at their talent reflects what I feel each and every time I’ve seen and heard them. I hope you follow up and listen to all their music. It will give you, as it did to me, incredible joy.

Love this so much. You got what we call Mitch slapped with his high note. Avi shines here with his classical tone. He was headed to L.A. Opera when he got the call for The Sing Off with Pentatonix.

a big respect to the video editor. it was definitely shot on green screen and each person was shot individually and then stitched together. But... timing the keyframes in the act of music and the fading to it is a lot of work. RESPECT

Such a great arrangement. Their talent is astonishing. I love your reactions…your enthusiasm is contagious!!

They got their 2nd Grammy for this song. The 1st was for Daft Punk. Their 3rd was for Jolene with Dolly Parson.

A song without words sung by a band without instruments. Second Grammy.

New this year : Combination of Christmas Time Is Here and Pure Imagination. Superb

Your delighted laughter is so infectious. I love the arrangements and videos. So clever. 🤗

Made my day again! Needed that. Thank you Chris! 😊 Patti. Have a blessed day!!!

Love your reactions and your appreciation for every little detail. You mentioned Bohemian Repsodi?... well if your in for a treat, they covered that one also it's mind blowing 🤯 😉

You just reacted to an all vocal band with no words! Pentatonix does a "mesh" style, where they get together and try things till it comes out. They do have another guy who is there throwing out ideas. Their video editor is good, and says Pentatonix is easy to work with, he pretty much takes their idea and pumps out the full video part, and the group says good. Of course not every video, but they apparently communicate well, and don't spend alot of time in changing stuff. Thanks for reacting to this!

I love your reactions to Pentatonix ❤️

Watch the “Making of Evergreen” to see some of the recording methods and decision making they do as a group and with their arranger Ben?

It's no wonder that they won a Grammy for this performance. So innovative, so well executed. It keeps you rapt throughout the whole piece. Loved your comments.

U got mitch slapped now u can see why this won a grammy

I know Ben Bram is their official arranger, but from interviews with the members it seems to be mostly a collaborative effort, especially what songs they take on, who sings which parts, how to organize the harmonies, etc., and ideas for their signature PTX innovations. The group works through those details as an ensemble. I'm not sure how much of that includes Ben, probably different for different songs, but I understand his wizardry is applied most consistently in polishing the final product. From everything we know about PTX, they are a very democratic group, and there's so much musical training and talent in each member, everyone's ideas are valuable. Sometimes you can tell certain songs are more heavily influenced by one member or another. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" has Avi written all over it!

It depends on the song, but one or two of them will put a song together. The group works it over by voice and gets it close. Then Ben Bram works it over. It may have to cycle around a few times. Daft Punk was written mostly by Kevin and Avi, but I gather Ben Bram did some things to it also. He is referred to as the 6th Pentatonic.

Outstanding 👏🏻

Bohemian Rhapsody you say? Why yes, they've SLAYED that song as well. You. Must. React!

Ben Bram, Scott, and the others as far as I have seen Scott interviewed with arranging and writing down the music. Something like "are you that somebody" Kevin did a tiktoc version then the group, aka scott, ben bram arranged it although kevin had the largest role. according to Scott.

Love your reactions. These folks are so talented. Love home free also, especially Love their collaboration with avi kaplan in ring of fire

Your Christmas reactions are fantastic. I hope you continue reacting to the many Pentatonix masterpieces after the Christmas holiday. Please do check out their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. You're going to LOVE IT. Thanks

Before the pandemic they toured almost non stop around the world for 8 or 9 years so they took recording equipment with them and arranged and recorded while on the road. Each of them brings ideas and they decide as a group what and how. Ben Bram helps polish it up. He also has contributed ideas Mitch ,Scott and Kirsty all have music theater training, Kevin is a classically trained cellist. Avi has a musical degree in Opera and Matt graduated from Berkley School of music. But their talent is so off the charts that it’s like this alchemy of magic when they come together

This isn’t very well known but they cover one of my favorite Disney songs, it’s from Anastasia called “Once Upon a December”. You should check it out, it was a beautiful haunting song to begin and they took and just went “yeah, let the professionals handle this”

Love watching you react to them. I think you just got slapped by all🤣💜

For your own enjoyment, you should watch the video where the Empire State Building was lit up to this song. The singers lighting up and off reminds me of a string of lights flashing.

Arrangements usually done by the group and Ben Bram.

Loved your reaction. Thank you.

Another reactor, Jacob Restituto, has an interview with Ben Bram on his KZfaq channel. I think you would enjoy hearing Ben talk about the arranging.

Hi there. I'm really enjoying your reactions to Pentatonix, and your journey through their music! My Suggestion for another wintery season one would be their version of "Once Upon A December"

This is one of PTX vids that I am always amazed at, even though I've seen it way too many times. It is freaking great! Their ability to arrange, produce; just amazes.

You made to 10k! 🎉 Thank you for sharing your time with us. ☮️

Hello Larry. Love you reactions and comments on Pentatonix. Been following then since the came on The Sing Off. Please do a reaction commentary for O Come, All Ye Faithful. Love their twist to this song. Thanks

Great reaction! This is one of my fav PTX arrangements. I think you would love God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, also an amazing arrangement! ❤️🎵

wow!

Definitely one of my faves!

They write and they all contribute to their songs and music. They are amazing

In my opinion PTX along with Ben Bram are the best arrangers of the last decade. Why they don't win the arrangement Grammy every year is a mystery to me.

Glad you got to see it, it's one of my favorites. Home Free has some pretty good Christmas songs also, and that's a heck of a compliment from someone who avoids country...lol

One of their documentaries goes into how they arrange, and it’s much ‘simpler’ than you would think. One of them usually comes up with an idea, the 5 have a session where they relatively quickly throw ideas around and come up with a rough arrangement, and then Ben Bram, who has been with them since almost the beginning, works with the group to polish and finalize. I’m sure it’s slightly different when they do collaborations, but that’s generally how they describe it.

Great reaction! Would highly recommend God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman 🙂

Man those bananas on his table are huge

Congrats on 10k subs

They all contribute to arrangements. Including Ben Bran. Who has been their silent member all along. Thank you for your reaction. PTX. Expect the unexpected.

I loved your reaction. They are so inventive!

I love watching you enjoy these amazing people sing. Your laugh is great and makes me smile. Wonderful Christmas season!

I enjoyed your reaction to this awesome Penttonix video. Thank you. I loved seeing your smile spread across your face during certain parts. This one won them their second Grammy for arranging. All 5 of them and co-founder/co-arranger, Ben Bram, do the arranging.

Larry, you are fast becoming one of my favorite reactors. They are so multitalented and so humble. Thanks for doing PTX Christmas 💕

I just knew that this would be your reaction to this. I did too. Perfection!!

Avi ❤ They are all fantastic but Avi ❤❤❤

Yes, Ben Brahm is considered the silent 6th member of PTX and is responsible for arrangements. For something fun and different, check out the video below. It's almost 20 minutes long but is so fun to watch. It's all backstage footage, tour bus, and hotels showing them being silly and working on arrangements. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fdCYl7hi19HYoJs.html

You truly have this AMAZING ability of pausing your reactions at every AWESOME part of EVERY PTX reaction you do🤣

They have done Bohemian Rhapsody too.

I have heard this many times, since I am hooked on Pentatonix...but your face and your reactions make me laugh. I love it.

Fun!