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GLORIA CHAN

These names - Steven Sharp Nelson, Jon Schmidt, Al van der Beek, and Paul Anderson - may not ring any bells, but The Piano Guys, as they are known collectively, have been taking the internet by storm. Capturing a vast online audience with their unusual takes on classical and pop tunes, these four ordinary blokes from the American state of Utah are now one of the biggest YouTube sensations, having more than 3.7 million subscribers and 500 million views (and still counting) to date. And on April 18, they'll bring their act to Hong Kong.
When the outfit - pianist Schmidt, cellist Nelson, songwriter/producer Van Der Beek and videographer Anderson - formed in 2011, they never imagined it would lead to a world tour (there will be more Asian, US and European dates after Hong Kong). They were, at the time, just part-time musicians juggling day jobs and family - they have a combined total of 16 children.
"At first we were just doing it for fun," Nelson, 37, tells 48 Hours as he recalls the group's humble beginnings. "It was tough to make ends meet as a musician, so I had a day job and played music on the side, I never anticipated that The Piano Guys would become full time."

"I never thought we would tour this much and I never dreamed of going to Hong Kong as a performing cellist. None of us have been to Hong Kong before, so we'll probably be travelling around the city," he says.
For the upcoming concert, Schmidt and Nelson will be performing tunes from their previous albums, including  YouTube Hits Volume 1 (2011),  The Piano Guys (2012) and last year's  Wonders. Van Der Beek and Anderson will be joining them on stage to play the group's breakout hit, an instrumental version of One Direction's  What Makes You Beautiful, which has garnered more than 38 million views on YouTube.
Decisions on which songs or compositions to cover are simple, but not random, explains the cellist. "The number one rule is whether we're comfortable with our kids hearing the original lyrics and watching the music video," he says. Besides doing covers, The Piano Guys also play their own tunes and perform tracks from their favourite films such as Batman and  The Bourne Identity; and parodies of scores from well known movies like Star Wars.
After deciding on a track, the four musicians work on the arrangement, record the song, then make a music video to go with it. Part of their success, of course, comes from the videos, of which more than 50 are getting exposure on YouTube.
"Where we film depends on the song - it is what we visualise when we hear the music," says Nelson. "We practise a lot for the video, as we want to show every note being played. We also keep the filming time as short as possible - none of us want to be away from our family for too long."

As the group has got bigger, so too have their videos - from the Utah salt flats, to the edge of The Grand Canyon, to Brazil's Iguazu Falls. Their videos are awe-inspiring not just because of the natural beauty of the locations, but because of the fact that they managed to get a grand piano to these places.
For last year's Wonders, the group wanted to film at the Seven Wonders of the World. They shot the video for the track Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends (which currently has more than 10 million views on YouTube) at the Great Wall of China.
"We shot on the Great Wall for two days, there was just nothing like it - the amazing scenery and the history," says Nelson.
They visited the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, and are planning to shoot a video at Chichen Itza in Mexico.
Despite their success, Nelson says the group remains down-to-earth. He describes them as "dorks and goofs". "We are just normal guys, husbands and dads. We don't take ourselves too seriously, we just genuinely love what we do. When playing music, I feel like a fish in water or a bird flying inthe sky. I visualise people I love, my faith, or beautiful places I've been to - it's pure joy."

Nelson sees his 21 cellos at home as his best friends. He spends a lot of time with them, giving them different names depending on their personalities.
And to celebrate this special relationship, The Piano Guys even produced a video called  Me and My Cello - Happy Together, which featured the cellist cycling, arguing, watching movies, and even skydiving with his cello. "Being good friends with your instrument is an important part of being a musician," Nelson explains. "My wife is still a little better than my cellos."
Besides enjoying the music making process, The Piano Guys have a bigger goal - to inspire people and bring positivity to the world. "I want people to take away a smile, or an uplifting feeling, from our music. There's so much confusion and darkness in the world right now, we want to be a good influence."
Since their partnership with Sony Masterworks in 2012, The Piano Guys has further expanded their musical reach, while sticking to their original style. "We have complete creative control and we stay authentic to who we are - that's part of the deal," says Nelson. "But they get our albums to a lot more places."
The Piano Guys, April 18, 7pm, AsiaWorld Expo, Lantau, HK$480 to HK$1,080, HK Ticketing


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The group have come a long way since their days as struggling part-time musicians, but they haven't forgotten what brought them together in the first place: making joyous music


When the group formed in 2011, they never imagined they'd be undertaking a world tour four years later.
