Some people love nothing more than decorating for the holidays. As soon as December is on the horizon, out comes the Christmas tree, and tinsel, and Santa figurines galore.
Now, it’s normal to want to take part in the holiday spirit, but some people take it above and beyond— and The Piano Guys are those kinds of people.
Last Christmas, The Piano Guys went above and beyond anything they’ve done yet by rigging a piano’s 88 keys to 500,000 Christmas lights.
The Piano Guys came together in 2010 to promote videographer John Anderson’s piano store. Filming piano and cello pieces to post to the store’s social media pages, they started to amass a following. Six years later, the four members, Paul Anderson, Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, and Al van der Veek, surpassed a billion views on The Piano Guys YouTube channel.
The group is often described as using classical, contemporary and rock and roll influences in their music, but when it comes to what they perform, potential is what truly matters. “We look for songs that can transcend mediocrity,” cellist Steven Sharp Nelson told Time Out. “We don’t want to just put noise out there. We choose anything that has a good feeling. Any idea is game.”
The Piano Guys are also renowned for mixing contemporary and classical genres, such as Bruno Mars and Bach, bringing new styles to different generations. “There’s a younger generation that doesn’t know what classical music is, but there’s also an older generation that doesn’t know what pop music is,” they said. “Being able to mash these two genres together is about breaching the gap between classical and pop music.”
On that particular Christmas, however, they wouldn’t be enlightening the masses— instead, they’d be completely blowing them away.
In the video, you see a pianist approaching a piano that has been set up outside.
He tries to play a few keys and looks disappointed before noticing nothing is plugged in. When he connects the plug, the piano lights up with lights. Now, it’s time for the show.
As the pianist plays “I Saw Three Ships”, sections of the decorated properties in front of him begin to flash in a mesmerizing sequence.
As the song gets more complex and the man plays more keys, you see different patterns emerging— candy canes in the yard, stars on the house, and trees all appear momentarily during the show.
The entire thing is incredible to watch, having been viewed millions of times.
It must have taken the men so much work to put together, but it was definitely worth the end result! Since being uploaded to YouTube, comments on the video read:
“No words can ever describe this beauty.”
“I can’t even imagine how much time and work it cost. Beautiful.”
“It’s like a musical Christmas fireworks display. Gorgeous visually and acoustically!”
Watch the enchanting display below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
