Analysis Essentials Series: Pentatonix | "The Sound of Silence"

From the guest: "I'm Gav, an independent producer/songwriter & singer from Ireland. My music and songs, under the name 'Miracle Of Sound,' cover a vast range of genres & styles from metal to folk to classical. They have become popular through grassroots word of mouth and gathered over a billion cross-platform digital streams, with my biggest hit 'Valhalla Calling' (which I wrote & performed solo) gathering over 120 million streams.    I love to celebrate great stories in my songs and many of them are inspired by the characters & tales in TV, Videogames, books & movies. I often work on cross promotion with various videogame industry companies including Ubisoft, Bioware, EA, Larian and Bethesda for titles such as Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, Divinity Original Sin 2, Wasteland 2 and Watch Dogs. My music is known for addictive, catchy hooks, empowering themes and a diverse range of genres & song structures.   Peter and Gavin talk about writing music that gets heard by the millions, Gav's writing process and production style, getting fired from non-musical jobs, controversy over cover songs, and much more. Please welcome Gavin Dunne.

Alternative enigma Corvyx concocts an elixir of cinematic dark pop, pairing his ethereal productions with haunting vocals that drip with raw emotion and power. He dons a self-proclaimed “space witch” aesthetic and, with his 5 octave range, has captivated an audience of nearly 1M+ social followers he calls his Corvyx Coven. His name finds origin in the magical Corvus (”Raven” in Latin) for he too has become a messenger for the misunderstood. With nearly 200K YouTube subscribers and 24 million+ YouTube views and growing, Corvyx has proven himself an undeniable visionary and a musical force.  

Casper Fox is a brand manager and musician, who has contributed significantly to the success of groups like The Bass Gang and The Wellermen, as well as the personal brands of creators like Peter Barber and Jennifer Glatzhofer. 

Called, “a voice for this historic moment” (The Washington Post), GRAMMY Award-winning baritone Will Liverman is the 2022 Beverly Sills Artist Award recipient and co-creator of The Factotum (Lyric Opera Chicago, 2023 world premiere). This season’s engagements include the Metropolitan Opera (X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, Roméo et Juliette), Opera Philadelphia (10 Days in a Madhouse, world premiere), Dayton Opera, Tanglewood, Caramoor, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Lexington Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, The Washington Chorus, Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys, Nu Deco Ensemble, and Experiential Orchestra. He’s Artistic Advisor for Renée Fleming’s Song Studio at Carnegie Hall. Liverman’s Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers (Cedille Records, 2021) was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. He’s an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center (Lyric Opera of Chicago), The Juilliard School (M.M.), and Wheaton College (B.M.). www.willliverman.com. Please welcome Will Liverman.

Over the course of an hour, professional singer Peter Barber breaks down Olivia Rodrigo's performance for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, and analyzes just what makes her so brilliant. Stay until the end to learn more than you ever thought possible about Olivia's vocal techniques, songwriting, and all the rest. So, is Olivia Rodrigo worth the hype? I'll let you decide. Peter Barber is a professional singer, music producer, YouTuber, and member of The Bass Gang.

Meet Eric Hollaway, the man with a voice as deep as the ocean and as versatile as the wind. Known globally as "thatbassvoice," Eric boasts a rare 5-octave range, enchanting over 2 million followers on social media with his captivating vocals. A prodigy who began singing at 5, Eric's voice has graced numerous viral hits, including the Viking anthem "Valhalla Calling" by Miracle Of Sound and Hans Zimmer's 'Hoist The Colors' from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. His unique "bassharmony" technique, seamlessly blending deep tones into any melody, has become his signature. You'll recognize his stirring vocals in the soundtracks of "Doom Eternal" and "Runescape3." Beyond music, Eric is a highly sought-after voice actor, lending his distinctive timbre to thousands of projects, notably for Fableticsmen and Manscaped. Experience the depth and range of "thatbassvoice" - where every note tells a story. Peter and Eric chat about being bass singers in the modern music world, the rise of the bass voice in popularity, Eric's work as the voice for "Doom" and other voice actings jobs, going viral on social media, philosophies behind music, how Eric's voice has changed over the years, upcoming collaborations, and much more. Please welcome Eric Hollaway.

Welcome back to the Analysis Essentials Series -- this episode comes from my first time ever hearing So Hyang, a voice that continues to boggle my mind. Her emotional connection, her power belting, her riffing -- all of it. Please enjoy this breakdown.

Tomi P is a bass singer from the Czech Republic, widely known for his musical talent as a vocal arranger and acapella music producer. Many that are familiar with his work consider him to be among the founding fathers of modern acapella, given that he's been making high-quality vocal arrangements for nearly a decade. Tomi is a founding member of The Bass Gang, and currently sings as the bass for renowned Czech acapella group, Shot-C. He has garnered tens of millions of views across platforms for his music, and tens of millions more for his work with The Bass Gang.  Peter and Tomi discuss the future of The Bass Gang and Shot-C, dealing with creative burnout, music as a career vs. hobby, upcoming projects, and Tomi answers many questions from the Patreon community. Please welcome Tomi P!

One of the first analysis videos Peter ever made was for this iconic cover from Pentatonix. Peter goes into detail about the musical arrangement, vocal technique, blending of voices, belting, vocal registration, and more. Please enjoy this breakdown of "The Sound of "Silence" as part of the Analysis Essentials Series.

Elliott Michael Robinson is a seasoned veteran of the contemporary a cappella community currently residing in Dallas, Texas. Though most known for his insane low notes and nearly five-octave vocal range, the Illinois native is also an award-winning songwriter, arranger, and vocal educator. (And attorney, but who's counting?)   Throughout the years, he's performed with countless vocal groups--InPulse, Home Free, Re: Voiced, Chapter 6, Street Corner Symphony, The House Jacks, AXIOM, and more--as well as recording background vocals for projects spanning just about every genre you can think of. Oh yeah, and he also sang all the low bass vocals for Das Sound Machine in Pitch Perfect 2. (Remember them? The group that definitely would've won in real life...)    These days, you can find Elliott doing regular corporate things, being a proud and relatively new Girl Dad, deadlifting with your entire family on the bar, grabbing barbecue somewhere, and/or contributing his multifaceted bass skills to collaborative online projects with artists from all over the globe.    Peter and Elliott discuss life as professional musicians, vocal range, how voices change and develop overtime, advice for young bass singers, fitness, work/life balance, collaborative projects, career goals, and much more. Please welcome Elliott Michael Robinson.