The Piano Guys - Utah - Then And Now

In the classic Tom Hanks movie "That Thing You Do", Jimmy – the drummer had the following conversation with a fictional legendary jazz pianist named Del Paxton, who offers some sage advice.

Del: “Ain't no way to keep a band together, bands come and go...sooner or later something makes you crazy, money...the road, just time.”
Jimmy: “We've only been together two months.”
Del: “Some bands I've been with, that's two months too long. You keep on playing, and watch your money, and you'll land on your feet.”

Del's admonition is something that Utah's world-famous band, The Piano Guys, have been attempting to adhere to. For over a decade the four band members, Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, Paul Anderson, and Al Van Der Beek, have been creating inspiring renditions of famous, and original, music compositions.

THEN

What began as some early experiments on YouTube to promote a piano store quickly evolved into a collaboration of four men, each with unique and necessary talents, that have combined to culminate in entertainment success. The following description depicts a firsthand account of the recording of one of The Piano Guys early and most successful music videos. This took place just as they were negotiating their first recording contract.

A Grand Piano On The Rim of Bryce Canyon

As the sun descended below the western rim of Bryce Canyon National Park pianist, Jon Schmidt, and his cellist associate Steven Sharp Nelson sat visually taking in the afterglow illumination of the vast red rock coliseum. Satisfied in their entire day's efforts to record their latest music video, they simply basked in the radiance of the day's final moments.

In the blackness of that day's pre-dawn The Piano Guys crew had rolled a grand piano on a large soft-wheeled dolly, out across a narrow ledge overlooking the park's main amphitheater. This effort was not undertaken without some concern for the possibility of losing control of the large piano, and sending it crashing into the abyss, and a sizable crew was employed to ensure that no such event transpired. Tipped on its side, the piano was escorted to the point where its legs were installed, and the piano was rotated 90 degrees and positioned on an elevated gravelly limestone surface.

In the crew's rush to set-up, the transporting truck and trailer were left blocking the Bryce Point walking trail entrance. Naturally it wasn't long before park rangers, not notified of the event, arrived questioning why someone thought they could put a piano on the canyon rim and suggesting that the vehicle should be towed away. A couple of calls to park headquarters cleared up the confusion, and the truck and trailer were meekly stowed in a proper parking space.

At eight thousand feet in elevation, and in the cool hours of this September morning, Schmidt and Nelson found themselves having to constantly rub their hands together to keep their fingers nimble. A portable camping heater aided in this process. Producer and videographer Paul Anderson directed his production crew's efforts to move a large video crane in circular motions around the performers, attempting to capture the essence of the entertainers' movements, while also including the soft-lit backdrop of the towering Bryce Canyon hoodoo formations.

Utilizing a portable sound-system music producer and songwriter, Al Van Der Beek continuously stopped and started prerecorded music segments to which the performers could synchronize their movements. A small crowd of early park visitors gathered to observe the combined composition of “Titanium” by David Guetta and “Pavane” by Gabriel Fauré. As the prime photographic light dissipated the crew moved on to other mid-day locations, leaving the grand piano wrapped in protective pads but otherwise alone. Mid-day passers-by continually inquired at the park visitor center why they had seen a grand piano sitting on the rim of the canyon?

A larger crowd gathered as the crew returned to the Bryce Point location in the late-afternoon. Observers mentioned to crew members they had heard the music playing earlier in the day, and they were glad to now know the source of the sound. One man recounted having heard the music while riding horseback on the far side of the amphitheater, and described it as a beautiful addition to their ride. Once again Van Der Beek broadcast the mash-up sounds of Pavane and Titanium, which floated out across the vast canyon. Sharp and Schmidt complimented the sound with their live synchronized performance on cello and piano. Anderson and his crew continued to video capture the performance and setting, working until the last rays of usable daylight were extinguished. Onlookers quietly retreated from the location as the band and crew began to organize their gear for departure.

Encore Performance

A highlight of the early evening, at least for one young man, was when Jon Schmidt turned to him and asked if he had heard of any of Jon's personal compositions. The 14 year-old boy, Eli, turned to Jon and confirmed that he had Jon's popular song All Of Me downloaded to his music device. Jon then asked, "Would you like to hear it now?" It's impossible to describe the size of the grin that crossed Eli's face as he stood in awe of the performance, just for him, in a setting that far surpassed any concert hall.

National / International Attention

With their increasingly busy schedule it took a couple of weeks to complete post-production editing of the video and to post it to Youtube for public viewing, but within 90 days the video had over five million views. The Interior Department in Washington D.C. caught wind of the video production that had taken place in a national park, and they called local officials to learn more about how this tastefully created presentation portrayed the national park in such an inspirational way. The Titanium/Pavane music video has now been viewed over 136 million times on Youtube. In 2023 the Piano Guys were invited back to Bryce Canyon to perform a concert, on the canyon rim, to commemorate the park's centennial celebration.

NOW

Creative Geniuses - 2025

With approximately 14 years under their belt The Piano Guys seem to have perfected the process of creating quality music compositions, identifying unique music video recording locations, and publishing their works on channels where their works may be viewed and purchased. With over seven million followers on Youtube, The Piano Guys are known worldwide for their unique fusion of classical music and contemporary pop/rock music, and they have released twelve albums with most of these having reached number one positions on Billboard in either the Classical or New Age categories. The Piano Guys music videos on Youtube have now had over two billion views.

The Past Five Years, And What's Next

In 2019 the band's co-producer and videographer, Paul Anderson, began experiencing some debilitating back problems which necessitated his ceasing to travel with the band. "For eight years we had been very actively producing our music, creating videos, and touring, and we were all a little worn-out from this effort", said Anderson in a recent online interview. "It was about that time that we got the idea to capitalize on our name by selling Clavinova electronic pianos online, and it was also just before the time when Covid shut the world down. We had already eased up on touring, so when Covid hit, we didn't need to cancel a lot of performances, unlike many others in the entertainment world."

During the pandemic, the band kept busy by creating new compositions. "Once Covid ended it seems things got even busier for us as a band, but we slowed down on creating as many music videos, in fact since 2020 we've only created about 10 videos", says Anderson, whereas previous to this time they were producing YouTube videos at a much higher rate. Since Covid the band has released three more albums, now ten albums total.

Purveyors of Pianos

It's interesting to note that The Piano Guys band got it's start originally in a need to sell pianos, and years later the band has found a stream of revenue in selling pianos again. Partnering with a store, an actual brick and mortar operation, it wasn't more than six months before The Piano Guys were the number one dealer for Yamaha's digital and hybrid Clavinova pianos.

Learn more - The Piano Guys - Piano Store.

Piano Fame

Another brain-storm came when the band realized an opportunity to again utilize the recognition of the name, The Piano Guys, and provide piano lesson courses. Jon Schmidt already had a book he had created titled 67 Fun Songs. In 2020 band members spent four to five months recording training videos, but the project got shelved for several years, until there was more time to complete the project. "Once the videos were edited, we realized that the next most important thing was the commercial we would need to create to properly promote the course, and Steven (Sharp Nelson) was a big part of making that happen", said Anderson.

Sustaining The Brand

Revenue has come to The Piano Guys through their YouTube exposure, sales of their songs, merchandising, and now also through sales of pianos and their Note Reading Boot Camp. Learn The Piano - The Piano Guys Note Reading Bootcamp!

The Band Members

Jon Schmidt is a self-taught pianist and composer who has been performing professionally for most of his adult life. He is recognized for his energy and enthusiasm and has also recorded several albums of his own original music. Schmidt has become one of the world's more recognizable and popular pianists and his music has been featured in commercials, films, and television shows.

Steven Sharp Nelson is a cellist who, since he was a child, has been playing the cello. A classically trained musician, Nelson has performed with several orchestras and chamber groups and he is known for his innovative and creative style which incorporates his experience with percussion, guitar, and piano. Nelson has become a cello icon and easily recognized by his fans world-wide.

Producers and Recording Artist Members

Sometimes contributing to on-stage and in-video performances, but more specifically fulfilling behind the scenes roles are Paul Anderson and Al Van Der Beek.

Paul Anderson is the owner of the original piano store and the brain-child behind the band's meteoric exposure on YouTube. Suffering from severe back problems in 2011, Paul looked for a way to work from his bed and the emerging trends on YouTube seemed to open that opportunity. Paul is the bands co-producer, and videographer, and is the primary visual creator of The Piano Guys music videos.

Al Van Der Beek is a singer, composer, and the band's studio recording engineer. Born in New Zealand to a Dutch father and a Samoan mother, Al has been harmonizing, composing, and recording for much of his life. Als vocals have been featured on several of The Piano Guys' compositions. In his young life Al was a member of a hip-hop group that opened for performers such as Boyz ll Men, L.L. Cool J, and Vanilla Ice.

Touring

In an effort to spend more time at home the four band members have chosen to make touring less of a priority, but Anderson indicates that the band will still perform concerts on a here-and-there basis, rather than stringing together months of back-to-back performances.

Not One Hit Wonders - What's Next?

Unlike the make-believe band of the movie "That Thing You Do" which had just one hit song, The Piano Guys have compiled a long list of hits, and their intention is to keep that music momentum going, through new compositions and sales of music related materials. If you follow The Piano Guys, you won't be surprised with whatever they decide to create next.