"We have combined our passion for music and cinema by creating our videos and sharing them with the world through YouTube!"
The Piano Guys is a popular American band that, thanks to the piano and cello, surprises the audience by playing music in alternative genres. The hometown of the musicians is Utah.
Group members:
- John Schmidt (pianist);
- Stephen Sharp Nelson (cellist);
- Paul Anderson (cameraman);
- Al van der Beek (producer and composer);
What happens when you combine a marketing professional (shoots videos), a studio engineer (composes music), a pianist (had a bright solo career) and a cellist (has ideas)? The Piano Guys is a great meeting of "guys" with one ideology - to positively influence the lives of people on all continents and make them a little happier.
How was The Piano Guys born?
Paul Anderson owned a record store in southern Utah. One day, he really wanted to get into YouTube as a publicity stunt for his business. Paul could not understand how the clips are gaining millions of views, also with the possibility of a good income.
Then he created a channel, called it, like the store, The Piano Guys. And the idea has already arisen of how different musicians will demonstrate pianos in an original way thanks to music videos.
Paul's enthusiasm was on the edge, the owner of the shop was going to conquer the Internet, he studied everything, especially marketing.
After some time, a fateful meeting took place ... It is not in vain that they say that thoughts are material. Pianist John Schmidt dropped by the store asking for a rehearsal before the performance. This was not an amateur, but a man with a dozen already released albums and a solo career. Then future friends came up with very favorable conditions for each other. Paul recorded John's work for his channel.
First steps to success
In an ensemble with a future partner, the musicians performed an arrangement of Taylor Swift's song.
Stephen Sharp Nelson (cellist) was earning money in real estate at the time, although he had received a musical education. The two performers first met when they were 15 at a joint concert.
The duet was remembered by the public as charismatic virtuosos. Nelson, in addition to playing various instruments, knows how to compose music. Steve had a creative way of thinking. He was happy to join the project and was already suggesting video ideas.
Al van der Beek, who became the composer of the future band, and Steve came up with music at night, being neighbors. The cellist invited the composer to join the band, and he immediately agreed. Al owned his own studio at home, which friends began to use for their first recordings. Al was distinguished by his special talent as an arranger.
And the final "link" of the group is Tel Stewart. He was just beginning to study the work of the operator. Then he began to help the store director in recording clips. It was he who created such effects as "double of Steve" or "lightsaber-bow" that the audience liked.
The pianist and violinist became popular
The first popular music video was Michael Meets Mozart - 1 Piano, 2 Guys, 100 Cello Tracks (2011).
Thanks to fans of John's work, these videos were shared in America. After recording, the band began posting new material every week or two, and soon recorded their first collection of hits.
In September 2012, The Piano Guys had over 100 million views and over 700 subscribers. It was then that the musicians were noticed by the Sony Music label, and they signed a contract. As a result, 8 albums have already been released.
What interests the Piano Guys?
The peculiarity of musicians is that they take favorable music, classics as a basis and combine it with the most popular compositions. This is pop music, and cinema, and rock.
For example, Adele - Hello / Lacrimosa (Mozart). Here you can hear a unique alternative style, electric cello and well-known notes of your favorite song.
To create the power of the orchestra, the operator mixed several recorded parts. For example, Coldplay - Paradise (Peponi) African Style (ft. guest artist, Alex Boye).
How can you combine the sound of a racing car, a stringed instrument and a piano? And these musicians can Classical Music at 180 MPH (O Fortuna Carmina Burana).
One of the main "chips" of a talented group is the choice of a place to record content. Where only pianos and artists have not been. And on the tops of the mountains, in the Utah desert, in a cave, on the roof of a train, on the beach. The guys focus on an unusual setting, adding atmosphere to the music.
This Titanium / Pavane (Piano / Cello Cover) artwork was filmed at Bryce Canyon National Park. The piano was delivered by helicopter.
Composition Let It Go
The composition Let It Go conquered everyone. The music from the cartoon "Frozen" and the concert "Winter" by Vivaldi was performed fabulously. To create the image of a winter fairy tale, three months were devoted to building an ice castle and buying a white piano.
Now musicians are popular heroes of YouTube in this unusual field. Their channel has gained 6,5 million subscribers and up to 170 million views per video.
Emotions after the band's concerts: “The one word I use to describe their music is AMAZING!!!! The way they blend with pop music and create their own music is phenomenal!!! Saw them in Worcester and it was one of the best shows I've ever been to!! You can tell right away how much they enjoy performing with each other! Their music lets you know that no matter how bad things are, if you believe and think positive things can get better!”
“In a world where our words are meaningless, their music is emotionally remembered using language without speech. The pianists challenge some of the world's most famous philosophies about the mind and body. You can perceive music by how you feel. Their energy is felt in the sounds they play, giving physical properties to an abstract entity. They share how they see the world and all its beauty. Thanks for this!".
Everyone should visit The Piano Guys concert at least once in their life.
