This song is a lot of fun. Similar to Walk Off the Earth with them all playing on one guitar for ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’, these guys all make use of one piano, re-envisioning how to use it’s component parts.
They make use of the frame of the piano and it’s keyboard cover for percussion, and use a violin bow to create some pretty unique sounds. Otherwise, they pluck at the inner strings to great effect.
The Piano Guys, sometimes written as ThePianoGuys, picked ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ by One Direction because of it’s upbeat sound, but also because it passed what they call ‘the Sesame Street test’, meaning that it’s acceptable for all ages.
The group of guys got together rather accidentally as a result of one of them owning a piano shop in southern Utah. One by one they started to come together, eventually deciding to produce their own music.
Their collaboration has made them a rather big YouTube sensation, with millions of views for nearly every one of their songs. They were even nominated for a YouTube Music Award. Ultimately, their popularity earned them a record deal with Sony and their albums have been hitting the New Age and Classical Album Billboard charts. They even collaborated with a new favorite of mine, Alex Boye.
Filming of this video was done at a concert venue in Utah, where they filmed starting at 2:00 in the morning until sunrise before their concert there.
The Piano Guys have inadvertently attained great heights in the classical music category. (Photo credit: thepianoguys.com)