All Episodes 2014

After our Taylor Swift Coldplay mash-up, lots of people wanted more song combos. This led us to the creation of a cool hip hop/classical mash-up, but again we could not get permission. Instead of scrapping the great ideas, we used them to create an original tune. You will hear influences and inspiration from other artists. Try and guess them. On the recording, Steven Sharp Nelson laid down over 100 tracks including cello textures never known possible. Every single sound on the video was made using only the instruments shown: piano, cello, mouth percussion and kick drum. We utilized some cool effects on lots of stuff...for example the U2-style delay on Steve's pizzicato at the beginning. The extra string on the electric cellos (the black cello has an extra high string and the white cello has an extra low string) allowed us to cover the full range of the orchestra. The deep bass drum sound is a bump on the body of the cello with a little help from some effects. The shaker sound was created by Steve rubbing rosin on his bow. The record scratch is Steve scratching a quarter on the strings...you get the idea. Special SPECIAL thanks to Paul Anderson and Tel Stewart "The Piano Guys" who put as much of themselves into the video as we did and without whom the video would never have happened. (please "Like" them on facebook, they are awesome!!!) http://www.facebook.com/PianoGuys Produced by Jon Schmidt Arrangement written by Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson & Al van der Beek Co-produced by Chuck E. Meyers & Jake Bowen Piano recorded at Big Idea Studios by Jake Bowen Cello recorded at TPG Studios by Al van der Beek

Jon Schmidt's intro for the music of his son Spencer: "I want to be sure that the credit goes where it is due. Spencer wrote this song totally on his own at age 16, including the bulk of the piano part (which he patiently taught note-for-note to his old dad). He is a very gifted musician and just an all around great guy."

Every sound you hear was created by Steve playing his acoustic cellos (with one exception -- a subtle "hi-hat" noise made by his voice). The Cello Song is based on one of the most recognizable classical pieces ever written, J.S. Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude. (Hint: Say Bach's title with an English accent and it sounds a lot better). It's been featured in a lot of movies (and car commercials)...Steven Sharp Nelson decided that this piece needed some accompaniment (Bach must have been busy and never got around to it? :) Adding some original material and 7 more cello parts stacked on top of each other, Steve has created a cool new sound that embellishes all the features that have made Bach's work so popular. The 7 new parts include drawn-out melodies which soar above fast arpeggios, strumming chords from a guitar-like part, shaker sounds (accomplished by rubbing the sides of the cello), tremolo (1:08-1:24), and a cello-banging percussion part (complete with kick drum). "Bach was an amazing composer -- one of the best that ever lived. He wasn't the greatest with titles though (smile)... As a consequence, no one can ever remember his Cello Suite's name...so when I'm asked to perform his piece people always say, 'hey, can you play that ... um ... that cello song?' And so in Bach's honor I name this adaptation of his amazing composition after what it has been naturally called for hundreds of years. Thanks for listening!" -Steven Sharp Nelson

We, The Piano Guys are very proud of our home, Southern Utah, and its desert beauty. Filmed in Southern Utah's Color Country--in locations such as Zion National Park, Snow Canyon State Park, and Kolob Mountain--this short video captures the unique desert landscape of our area. This film also features the Yamaha Disklavier, which we placed in a scenic meadow on Kolob Mountain at sunset. Both the song and video are by Shaye Scott of The Piano Guys. If you enjoy the music, please show your support by downloading the song, "Desert Symphony," on iTunes

Moonlight was inspired by the great composer Ludwig Van Beethoven and his masterpiece "Moonlight Sonata," written for piano. It was written for piano, of course, because the electric cello had yet to be invented... "I used both of my 5-string electric cellos (one tuned extra high and one extra low) and the acoustic cellos to give this piece a unique feel and a high level of emotion. I used another melody from Beethoven -- try and guess what it is (guess before you scroll down to the credits where it is listed!) It starts at 1:21 and reoccurs throughout the tune. This melody happened spontaneous in the studio and saved the tune from a bad case of writer's block." -Steven Sharp Nelson

Rock meets Rachmaninoff (Inspired by Prelude in C sharp minor-Rachmaninoff) Piano: Jon Schmidt Electric Guitar: Chris Wormer Drums: Joel Stevenett Bass: Jake Bowen

Story behind the dedication: We had an inspiring experience recently when we were asked by a woman whose husband was serving in the military if she could surprise her 5 very young children on stage at one of our concerts. Her husband had come home much earlier than expected and just in time for Christmas. It was an incredibly touching reunion. The audience stood and applauded for several minutes, stopping intermittently only to wipe their eyes. It is a memory we will never forget. This moment had a powerful effect on us -- it helped us to realize how much military families sacrifice to preserve the freedom we take for granted each day. We dedicate this song to these heroic families.

The past few months we've been filming time lapses of the beautiful desert sky in Utah. These ended up working perfectly with Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson's arrangement of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." We hope you enjoy it!

Story behind the song: For this week's video we decided to challenge ourselves. We picked a pop tune at the top of the charts -- one that wouldn't be an obvious candidate for an instrumental cover. "Rolling in the Deep" jumped out at us. The writers, Paul Epworth and Adele, described it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune." What could be more challenging for a classically-trained cellist and pianist? We locked ourselves in the studio (ok, not literally) and began work on the introduction. It wasn't working. The end. Just kidding...:-) The song came alive when we found a destined matchup in the melody from Gustav Holst's classical piece "Jupiter"—a deep melody that rang out when layered on top of everything we were creating for this arrangement. To make a long studio-story short, it all came together after that. ALL sounds were created by acoustic & electric cellos (5 different cellos) and piano. By the time we were finished we had used 60 tracks.

The writers, Paul Epworth and Adele, described "Rolling in the Deep" as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune." As we started arranging this cover, the song came alive when we found a destined matchup in the melody from Gustav Holst's classical piece "Jupiter"—a deep melody that rang out when layered on top of everything we were creating for this arrangement. To make a long studio-story short, it all came together after that. ALL sounds were created by acoustic & electric cellos (5 different cellos) and piano. By the time we were finished we had used 60 tracks. In this arrangement we borrowed a melody from Gustav Holst's "Jupiter" Suite from "The Planets" -- op. 32 -- be sure to listen to his original composition -- it's amazing! The melody we used comes in about half-way through the piece. What song should we cover next? Leave a comment on our Facebook page!

Story behind the song: This week we thought we'd reach back to our roots. We rolled the cameras in a place where they have rolled many times before -- Sundance, Utah. Steve has spent many summers there in a cabin built by his grandfather. It's also where he proposed to his wife (she said yes, by the way =) Such an incredible place of beauty and raw nature merited a piece of music that matched the setting. This arrangement of Nearer My God to Thee was the first song Steve and Al recorded together. It is based upon and inspired by an arrangement of James Stevens for 9 voices (arranged for the BYU singing group "Vocal Point"). For us music often is a spiritual experience -- a way to connect with others, with nature, and with a loving God. This video is not meant to exclude those that do not believe in God. We hope everyone can find beauty in this music and relate it to how they feel when they experience joy—whether it's joy from hiking in nature, spending time with family, serving others, or relaxing on a beach. Enjoy! Filmed at Stewart Falls in Sundance, Utah

Story behind the song: For this week we randomly selected a suggestion from our subscribers and challenged ourselves to write an arrangement in less than 24 hours. Thanks to J Rice (The Vocalist) for the collaboration. We've been wanting to collaborate with J Rice for awhile now and it finally worked out! He has an incredible voice and a great YouTube channel.

Original song written by David Guetta, Taio Cruz, Frederic Riesterer, Rico Love, Raymond Usher, Giorgio & Tuinfort Arrangement produced by Al van der Beek & Steven Sharp Nelson Arrangement written by Al van der Beek, Jon Schmidt, & Steven Sharp Nelson Piano/vocals: Jon Schmidt Cellos/vocals: Steven Sharp Nelson Vocals: Al van der Beek Recorded, mixed & mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studios Video produced by Paul Anderson & Tel Stewart A special thanks to our filming location, Metcom Studios. They have an incredible studio in downtown Salt Lake City! Go check out their website here: http://www.metcomstudios.com

Long ago in a galaxy far, far away... We bring you CELLO WARS! A result of 6 months of production...our most ambitious undertaking by far! Why Star Wars Cello? Because of our unending admiration of George Lucas, John Williams, and the most EPIC movies and film score ever created. The idea originated when Tel Stewart was editing THE CELLO SONG here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4Bzo.... As a joke he decided to add light sabers to Steven Sharp Nelson's bow during the outtakes. Fans cried out for more. Al van der Beek and Steven Sharp Nelson storyboarded the song and the video concept while they were scouting locations for MOONLIGHT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRVvFY.... But it was Steven Sharp Nelson's son Eli (6) that was the true inspiration for the project -- his enthusiasm for Star Wars, light sabers, and watching his daddy wield one while playing cello fueled the project continually. We announced CELLO WARS on September 19, 2011 thinking we'd be able to deliver on our promise within a few weeks. We had NO IDEA. 70 days later, more than 7,000 frames, 72 audio tracks, 24 hours of filming through the night in front of a green screen, the most props and costumes we've ever used, several broken bows and strings, and over 1,000 hours of editing and rendering -- we felt like we had taken on the entire EMPIRE! Tel Stewart is THE MAN. He is the reason this worked. He is the man behind the green screen -- behind the editing bay -- behind all the cool effects. He had to edit every single frame in order to make the light sabers work (a total of over 7,000 frames)! We now have a Piano Guys Hall of Fame and he was recently the first inductee. Original music composed by the AMAZING John Williams Arrangement written and produced by Al van der Beek & Steven Sharp Nelson Recorded, mixed & mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studios Steven Sharp Nelson: Electric Cellos/Vocals/Percussion Al van der Beek: Vocals/percussion Starring Steven Sharp Nelson and his D

"I love these two carols (Carol of the Bells/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen) - they were made for each other -- they both capture the excitement of the Christmas Season. I have three children that just get giddy during December -- excited each morning as they get closer and closer to Christmas Day. That excitement is so contagious. I love it. It's the kind of energy and eagerness that keeps you up at night. I wanted to capture that joy and anticipation in this arrangement. People have told me that this reminds them of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Maybe one year the Pirates franchise will make a Christmas special and THIS could be the theme song! Instead of Carol of the Bells it could be titled 'Jack Sparrow of the Bells.' =)" -Steven Sharp Nelson Carol of the Bells attributed to Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: Traditional English Carol Arrangement written and produced by Steven Sharp Nelson & Al van der Beek Recorded, mixed & mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studios Featured on the album "Christmas Cello" Video Producer Paul Anderson Cinematographer/Editor Tel Stewart For my fellow music geeks =) my favorite part of writing this arrangement is the obligatory hemiola due to the meter difference between the two songs -- one is 3/4 and the other 4/4. I hope you like the way they collide. My second favorite part is the intense canon at the end that creates a cluster-chord feel and dissonant coda finally resolving with the main theme of BOTH tunes.

Story behind the song: As always our subscribers give us the best song suggestions. we think "Just the Way You Are" is one of those melodies that only comes along every once in a while. The word 'love' is tossed around alot today. This arrangement goes out to anyone that feels something so deeply for someone that words can't even begin to describe. Jon says, "I tried to represent the song lyrics which match how I feel about my wife to a tee. The way I feel about her affected the musical arrangement big time. It shows that 'amazing' girl how I feel about her (after 20 plus years of marriage.)" We hope everyone can relate. We hope everyone hears the very deepest side of what they feel for someone when they listen to this song.

Story behind the song: The American Heritage Lyceum Philharmonic (Youth Orchestra) and its director, Kayson Brown, approached us with this idea. We loved it. It combined two of the things we are working to accomplish -- inviting people to classical music and inspiring young musicians. Steven Sharp Nelson had soloed with the orchestra the previous year and loved the spirit and the talent that the orchestra showed at such young ages (ages 13-18!) Together we developed the concept of "Beethoven's 5 Secrets," combining OneRepublic's tune "Secrets" with melodies and moments from all four movements of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. We used 5 different melodies from the 4 movements of Beethoven's 5th Symphony (not including the "bridge" the orchestra plays in the middle). Try to guess where they are and where they come from! What are Beethoven's secrets? He had many. His most prominent secret that he desperately tried to keep from the public and that caused him to be considered extremely eccentric, irritable, and hermit-like was his "weakness." He was deaf during most of his life. Imagine that...one of the greatest composers that ever lived could hardly hear. And yet, he wrote his life's greatest works after becoming deaf. He believed that art itself had "secrets" that had to be "forced into" in order to obtain art's highest level. There is no doubt Beethoven discovered many of the "secrets" of art -- people all over the world enjoy them every day. He was a true master of music, blessed by God. This piece and video are dedicated to him. Perform "Beethoven's 5 Secrets" and the entire Beethoven Symphony No. 5 with Steven Sharp Nelson at Lyceum Music Festival this year! Work up-close and personal with Steven and other amazing professional musicians like the concertmaster of the London Symphony and Rotterdam Orchestra. Advanced players ages 13-21 are invited to audition. Visit http://www.LyceumMusicFestival.com or http://american-heritage.org/music/or... for details Fi

Story behind the song: Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson were booked for a Piano Guys show in Hawaii. How could we resist filming our next video in the land of Aloha -- beautiful beaches, green mountains, and fresh pineapple?? We went to our Founders and Facebook fans to ask what song they wanted us to play there. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was the nearly-unanimous response. But you know how we are ... we couldn't "just" do this tune by itself...so in the studio we found a made-in-heaven matchup in the timeless melody from the Shaker Hymn "Simple Gifts" written in the 1800's (also used by Aaron Copland in his Ballet "Appalachian Spring"). We feel it's an especially appropriate mash-up because of our profound love and respect for the Hawaiian culture -- a people who are so good at finding happiness in simplicity. As you probably could hear we borrowed a lot of ideas from Iz's version which has become the stuff of legend. This arrangement is, in part, a tribute to him. Getting a piano onto a sandy beach and then onto a big hill in a famous ranch within the SAME day (we only had 8 hours to film) was no small feat. The only thing harder would be to be predict Hawaiian weather, which ended up being our biggest challenge. "We had a little extra help on this one. My mother, Lynne Sanders Nelson -- a main source of my inspiration for pursuing music -- passed away early in life from the effects of a brain tumor. She was an incredibly-gifted musician and taught me to play music passionately rather than just playing 'notes' on a page. 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' was one of her favorite songs. We finished this arrangement on what would have been her 70th birthday. Somehow she helped. I miss her so very much, but when I play songs like this I feel like I get to be with her again. This song is dedicated to her." -Steven Sharp Nelson Thank you so much to the Kualoa Ranch who bent over backwards last-minute for us and provided us such a beautiful place to shoot. Vis

Jon fell in love with this song when he heard the reggae cover by UB40, one of his favorite bands. His arranging style often reflects the influence of the classical music and training with which he was raised. These two elements collide in this arrangement. (Think Beethoven meets UB40 with a little tounge-in-cheek thrown in for fun).

This music video was one of our very first ideas as ThePianoGuys. It originated when we were filming "The Cello Song" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4Bzo...) -- the first project that Steven Sharp Nelson, Al van der Beek, Tel Stewart, and Paul Anderson did together (which is also the first time they all MET!) As we were finishing the all-night film session, we starting talking about the many "uses" of the cello and before we knew it we were laughing about how funny it would be to make a movie about "cello bonding" -- spending quality time with the cello. We didn't feel like we could ever get away with making this video, but we just couldn't help ourselves :) For a while Al and Steve tried to write an arrangement of two Bob Marley tunes for the background of the video. It wasn't flowing, so the project was abandoned for several months. Since the making of "Cello Wars" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgAlQu...) we haven't really had the opportunity to throw "funny" at our audience. And to be honest, we've missed it. We all love to laugh -- especially at ourselves. :) It keeps the pressure of producing videos every other week bearable...so we revisited this concept, but this time with a new tune -- the Turtles "So Happy Together." It fit perfectly. We ended up with a lot more scenes than we could use—some of which we were sad we couldn't fit it. Maybe we'll make an "extended version" one day... "This video is dedicated to all of my music teachers that taught me to have FUN with music -- to let it live and breathe rather than insist it be dead and dissected. As for my other music teachers that didn't teach me to have fun...I'll try to make a video for you some other time." :) --Steven Sharp Nelson

Story behind the song: There are few "hooks" in the movie-music world that are as grabby as the Bourne Identity Soundtrack riff (starts at 0:29). Like the movie series, its intensity commands attention. We just had to figure out a way to use it. In our usual style, we thought we'd create an "action movie soundtrack" that combined this and a piece of classical music. In the early 1700's Antonio Vivaldi wrote a concerto for an instrument that was then largely "undiscovered" by the music world -- the cello. Among the first cello solo pieces ever written, Vivaldi was gutsy enough to write it for not only one, but TWO solo cellos and string orchestra. With no "action movies" in the 1700's, this piece was probably the closest you could get to one. It has intense and exciting moments between beautiful lyrical moments. It was this piece, among others, that got Steven (the cello guy) excited about classical music—it was one of the first pieces he played with orchestra. 90% of this tune was written in 3 days. We worked on it day and night because it was so enjoyable to write. This video features Steve's newest cello "Thor." It was handmade for Steven by Dawson Swan out of STEEL. Dawson is an amazing artist. Check his website out here: http://dawesome.net. This cello inspired a lot of this music and video. ALL the percussion sounds you hear were created by THIS cello. Thank you Dawson!

Story behind the song: Our kids give us great inspiration for our music. When Jon's 17 year old daughter said how much she loved this song, Jon decided to try it. He experienced a flood of inspiration. "Never has a piano part come together this fast" Jon says. Steve experienced similar inspiration while composing the cello parts. Since the lyrics suggest a bride walking towards the groom in a ceremony we thought we would include a quote from the Bridal Chorus by Wagner in the climax of the song. (It is carefully disguised). As it seems to always go, Paul and Tel didn't find the spot until they spent 9 hours driving around southern Utah the day before the shoot looking. After getting a little discouraged by not finding anything that great, they just happened to check out a little hidden spot right near Baker Dam and thought it was perfect for the song. The next morning we all loaded up the piano and headed out there to film, but after getting the Truck and Trailer stuck and waiting for the sun to move, we didn't get started filming until that evening having about 3 hours of light. It was so fun to film and play in the middle of the trees!

Story behind the song: Ask any cellist. They'll tell you about what's it's like to play the cello part of Pachebel's Canon in D. It's the same 8 notes over and over and over again. The good news is, it's easy to memorize. The bad news is you don't know when to stop. There's a rumor floating around that says Pachelbel either died while writing it, never finishing the cello part, or that he dated a cellist and it did NOT go well. This arrangement is dedicated to all the cellists that have fallen asleep while playing this song...or at least wanted to fall asleep. Steven Sharp Nelson actually began writing this arrangment while bored at a wedding. Ahem...all the bitter cello-malice aside, Pachelbel's Canon in D (written in the 1600's) has stood the test of time -- celebrated as the most recognizable piece of classical music. We like to call it the "one-hit wonder of the 1600's." It really is an amazingly-catchy piece of music. It demonstrates the musical form of the "canon," when a melody is played and then repeated in a round by other voices. (watch how the melodies are passed from one cello to the next - right to left)

Written when he was 17, "Waterfall" is like an old friend to Jon. It got him the cutest girl in his high school, made him the life of many parties, and has been a big hit with pianists and piano teachers alike. Jon says that in high school it was proof that chics dig even ugly guys with skills. This tune has significant meaning to Jon and all of us at ThePianoGuys because It played a pivotal role in convincing Jon to commit to a full-time career as a pianist. An earlier video of Waterfall was done as a pre-TPG experiment. This version is ThePianoGuys' official video release.

STORY BEHIND THE SONG The idea: A couple months ago the 5 of us were gathered round a piano prepping for a video shoot scheduled for that day. We were brainstorming ideas when one of us (can't remember who!) got off task and starting flicking a piano string. Since all of us are poster children for ADHD, it wasn't long before ALL of us had joined in -- banging out a beat, plucking a string, or hitting keys. The brainstorming meeting had been sabotaged beyond repair, but another music video idea was born! The song: We went through several song possibilities before landing on "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. We like this song because its catchy and the music, lyrics, and video passed our "sesame street" test (meaning family friendly). We thought about the ramifications of taking on a teenybopper boy band tune as five middle-aged married guys who are desperately holding on to their hairlines. One of us even has a son older than the guys in One Direction (we won't say who) :-) BUT you know us -- we love a good challenge! This one was so fun to write that the "challenge" part of it never was felt. We just acted like kids playing a piano and it totally worked! :-) After we figured out the main "techniques" of playing the piano unconventionally we loved experimenting with swapping out chords and throwing the structure of the song around until it clicked. The location: Where to film? Fitting in video shoots between touring, writing, recording, editing, and spending time with family has always been a challenge. Let's be honest, even getting all 5 of us in the same place at the same time has been a challenge! We had a big sold-out show at the Sandy, Utah Amphitheater. We all determined to be at the show and film the video right on stage sometime between sound check and the performance. Sounds like a good idea right? Well...because of a lot of factors, including weather (we had a huge storm sweep in and knock everything down on stage during sound check) the o

Story behind the song: Have you ever awakened with a melody in your head and you don't know how it got there? That was the beginning of our PianoGuys' version of David Guetta's "Titanium (feat. Sia)." Paul especially loved this tune -- he lobbied us to arrange the song, but after we could not find a way to begin the arrangement. Every time we tried it just didn't flow. We also were concerned that the hook of the tune was nothing but the beat :-) and lacked a lead melody, which would make it more difficult to convey with piano and cello. Steve woke one morning and couldn't get a melody out of his head. It was Gabriel Faure's "Pavane" -- a hauntingly beautiful melody that weaves in and out of richly sequenced harmonies and fluid counter-melodies. It had been a favorite of his as a child, but he hadn't heard it for years. In the studio that same morning we tried the melody over the top of the chorus of David' Guetta's Titanium and it was like witnessing a reunion of two childhood friends. The main melody of the Pavane and its supporting chords, transposed and changed stylistically to mimic Guetta, also fit nicely as the intro we had been searching for. And we thought since Guetta and Faure are both French it must have been meant to be! :-) If you're not familiar with "Pavane" Listen to a version of Bobby McFerrin singing it with La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN-cY-... (As a boy Steve heard this very version live in concert and it evidently had an indelible impression on him!) Classical music is such a big part of who we, ThePianoGuys, are. You can hear it in everything we write. We love pairing it with the music of today. This was the most difficult music video to set the "stage" for thus far. We considered so many locations -- a copper mine, a steel mill, an industry factory, a mountaintop ski resort, a wildflower meadow, a desert bluff, and many others. As you know we love putting pianos and cellos in crazy places (a comm

Story behind the song: Since the beginning of The Piano Guys, "Lord of the Rings" has been our most requested work. As we reach one million subscribers we wanted to dedicate this arrangement to our "subs." This was an intimidating project -- encompassing the power and the beauty of the many musical themes throughout the movies; capturing the emotion and the "epic" nature of the story; and all with a few cellos, a piano, and a couple Canon 5D Mark IIs. We normally write our tunes during intense compositional binges -- the bulk of our songs have been written within the period of a few days. This one was different. It was a drawn-out process during which we studied the music of The Lord of Rings, contemplated what themes to incorporate, how they could tell the story by flowing from one to the other. We also spent a lot of time finding new ways to imitate instruments from various sections of the orchestra using Steve's cellos -- from the brass section through the woodwind section to the percussion section. We love the story of The Lord of the Rings. It is a tale that has spiritual meaning for us. We love its messages -- that "even the smallest person can change the course of the future," that "there's good in this world and it's worth fighting for," "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" ... and that everyone should have a "second breakfast." =) We love the poignant depiction of loyalty between the Fellowship of the Ring (we even included the "Fellowship" theme three times - at 0:18, 3:58 and at the end of the arrangement - to feel like a common thread in the music as it is in the story.) We wanted to paint these messages musically as vividly as possible. Like so many things in the creative realm, and to paraphrase Mr. Bilbo Baggins, the hardest part was the first step. After a brief introduction of the Hobbit Theme and Fellowship Theme (arguably the most relevant musical moments) we felt strongly that we needed to begin with the d

We love the Holiday Season. Why? It's a great excuse to be extra nice to each other. =) ... And we love Christmas music, lights, presents, and the excitement of our sleepless children anticipating the advent of Christmas day. We know there are many out there who do not celebrate Christmas or believe in what it may represent. This song is not meant to exclude anyone. We hope this song is an opportunity to reflect on everything we are blessed with in life -- family, a beautiful earth, a place to rest our head, the warmth of the sun. The lyrics of this piece speak of being "ransomed" from captivity. In general terms, at some point or another in our lives we find ourselves at the receiving end of a "ransom" -- a rescue by someone or something -- even as simple as a note from a friend, a hug from a child, a much-needed vacation, or the unconditional affection of a loyal dog. That is what this song represents to us. People may define the "rescue" moments in life differently, but the meaning of the moments remain the same. To many, including us, the story of The Savior is the sweetest and most priceless "ransom" of all. To Him we dedicate this song. And with this video we wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a bright future filled with "rescue" moments. We love you! A thousand THANK YOUs to John Garbett and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for allowing us access to their beautiful Jerusalem Movie Set where this was filmed. We felt transported to the Holy Land as we played music and filmed there. It was an incredible experience. And many many thanks to Marshall McDonald, an incredible friend and example who co-wrote this arrangement.

Story behind the song There is so much mystery surrounding the story of the Three Kings. Who were they? Where did they come from? What relation did they have to each other? We only really know what (or Who) they were after. Their only guides were ancient scripture and a bright star. They would not give up until they found the Savior of the world, no matter the cost. Our arrangement of this traditional Christmas song "We Three Kings" is a tribute to them, their tenacity, and their Noble Purpose. We hope you can tell how much fun we had writing this! We mixed in just about every genre of music we could until the song had a stylistic "identity crisis." =) We wanted to musically symbolize the energy and anticipation of the Three Wise Men and at the same time personify the mysterious origins of the story. We hope there's something for everyone in this arrangement -- jazz, funk, blues, rock, classical...and you'll also hear some ethnic Middle Eastern/Asian flairs here and there. For our fellow music geeks (we use that term affectionately) we also amped the level of ambiguity by using the key of D Dorian (a key somewhere between major and minor) in the verses and 5/4 timing in the chorus (5 beats per measure). This way the harmony and rhythm simulate a quest in one direction, but a journey marked by some semi-certain leaps of faith. This video is among a small minority of ours filmed outside of Utah. We were in New York City for some television appearances and we had a "free" day. One thing is for certain...if The Piano Guys have a free day without our families around it inevitably becomes a work day! We decided to shoot We Three Kings somewhere in New York City. But we couldn't just shoot it "guerilla style," walking around and filming at spots spontaneously (um...we tried that and we got kicked out of several places...at the business end of a New York accent!) So we had to secure a location formally. This site comes courtesy of Winston Simone and David Simone, o

The Story: It was May of 2011... a few days after Lindsey Stirling and ThePianoGuys had each filmed their first official YouTube videos ("Spontaneous Me" and "Michael Meets Mozart"). Lindsey and Steven Sharp Nelson (cello guy) shared the stage at a concert. After the show they talked enthusiastically about a YouTube collaboration down the road. A year and a half and a million fan requests later and it's finally here! We love Lindsey Stirling! It feels like we're family -- we started on YouTube around the same time, we "grew up" in the same place, we all LOVE what we do and we're all REALLY good dancers...except for ThePianoGuys. =) We chose the theme from "Mission: Impossible" because we thought it would be a great music video to "be ourselves" in -- to play off each other, throw in some special effects, a couple "stunts," and some slapstick! The concept for the song and video began with spy gadgets -- we wanted all of them to be string instrument parts! Then how would we pair up graceful, pro-dancer Lindsey and not-so-graceful Steve? =) It was simple. Steve had to carry around his own chair! Then the graceful/not-so-graceful thing contrasted beautifully! When Jon Schmidt (Piano Guy) was cast as the "villain" and donned an eye patch we knew we were on to something... We composed this arrangement with the story of the video in mind -- a tense beginning building up the intrigue, a back-and-forth theme traded between violin and cello implying the partner-agent roles, lasers, the "reveal" moment of Jon, rappelling, and the hectic, scrambled ending. We wanted a little more thematic material to work with, so in addition to some original material, we merged Mission: Impossible with the first movement of Mozart's "Piano Sonata in C" (here's a recording of the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcUh-g...). But, of course, we sped it up, transposed it into A minor and changed the time signature to 5/4! It became Jon's "villain theme." And yes, Jon is really pla

The Story: Ironically this song for us was about beginning again...and we filmed it in a café...on a Wednesday (see Taylor Swift's lyrics). No kidding. But what's crazy is we didn't plan it that way. Just like so many of our songs and videos, miracles made it happen. We were writing another cover tune and it was flowing like molasses uphill in January. :-) After beating our heads against the wall for too long trying to make it work we stepped back and reset...and decided to begin again. ;-) But like so many things in life the struggle had a great payoff. While we were writing the cover-tune-fail we found inspiration from a classical piece, as we often do -- J.S. Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" (Cantata No. 208 -- you can hear a version of the original here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIUCR...). As we were listening to this piece it called to memory a tune from Taylor Swift's album, "Red." Her "Begin Again" melody and Bach's Cantata seemed so well matched it was a mash-up made in Heaven. We switched to Swift's tune immediately and our arrangement finally started flowing like the Fountains of Versailles. :-) There were even moments (especially the Bridge melody of "Begin Again" and the primary melody of the Cantata) when the two seemed to play off and echo each other naturally. We wanted this arrangement to be a mix of the two styles -- a pastoral, classical feel paired with a pop-country vibe ... polished off by a bit of Valentine romance. :-) Then it was on to find a location! We just did what we always do...find a bunch of locations that have potential only to find, at the last minute, that they don't fit, can't work, or won't allow us to film...then, after all we can do, we're gifted a location by a miracle! :-) The day before we were scheduled to film, one of us woke up with an image in his head -- a vision of a green European garden café. Where could we find any living plant, let alone a quaint outdoor Euro-café, in the middle of winter in Utah?

ALL THE SOUNDS YOU HEAR WERE CREATED BY 105 CELLO TRACKS (and a kick drum) Filmed all on location in Berlin, Germany Story behind the music and the video: What do Bach, Beethoven, Strauss, Brahms, Schumann and many more of the world's greatest classical composers have in common? They are all from Germany! While we were on tour there we wanted to drink in Germany's musical genius. It was an amazing experience. We had a chance to tour Europe twice in the same month. Prior to our first trip we had been brewing an original tune. We wanted to write a cello "hook" that could grab people and that could be looped throughout the tune. We then started building more cello loops and moments with unprecedented sounds from the acoustic (wood) cello, carbon fiber, steel, and electric cellos. When the dust settled we had four minutes of layered, edgy, sort-of dubstep-with-a-U2-influenced goody-bag -- on the electric cello loops we used some of the same cool delay effects and chord style of legend guitarists such as The Edge, Ewan Dobson, Buckethead and Yngwie Malmsteen. We were excited but a little unsettled and we couldn't figure out why. It was incomplete. We then left to Germany. We had some incredible adventures while we traveled and performed there. Upon return we had a week between our two Europe trips and we were determined to finish the song. Al and Steve were a little discouraged after having put so much work into a song and feeling good about it, and yet not knowing exactly what it needed. This is a good moment to say again how grateful we are for our supportive families. They are the true "Behind the Scenes" of ThePianoGuys that make everything possible and give us the happiness we draw our inspiration from. If it weren't for Rachel (Al's wife) and Julie (Steve's wife) this song would have failed. They gave us the encouragement and the ideas we needed to sprint the last mile. We had one day to finish it up. That morning inspiration struck Al and Steve at the same

Many thanks to http://www.Atozion.com who helped make this video possible. Go check them out and help us give them thanks by visiting their pages below! Subscribe to YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/user/AtoZionTV Like them on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/St.GeorgeZion Twitter- https://twitter.com/AtoZion G+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/1028242... Website- http://www.atozion.com/ Story behind the music and the video: We get asked all the time, 'How do you like touring?' We love it. We especially love meeting the people who have been listening, sharing, and supporting our music. We are so grateful for the opportunities we have, thanks to you. But as we travel along with our equipment, checked luggage, cellos, and carry-on bags we carry a feeling that never gets checked away. We miss our family. We miss home. When we first heard Phillip Phillips' "Home" we couldn't help but be emotionally drawn to it. We started arranging this tune by slowing it way down...then speeding it way up...then splitting the difference until it laid into just the right tempo. Once we had the right feel it flowed. Jon's piano licks especially shined in this arrangement -- lending the energy we needed to portray the feeling of heading home after a long journey. The lyrical, placid cello melodies represent a fatigued serenity. The last chorus is the sound of what we feel when we see our families after a long tour -- the familiar smells, the familiar smiles, and the incomparable feeling of belonging...click here to read the rest of story http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/hom... We want to thank Breck Dockstader, his family, and the Cliff Rose Lodge for helping us with the locations of this video. Breck hung out with us the entire time ensuring we had everything we needed - he helped move the piano, offered location options, and even let us stay in his family's lodge. We'd like to dedicate this video to his father Dale Dockstader, whom we consider a very special "fan" and wh

Help us thank our the Utah Office of Tourism who helped us make this video possible! We hope you'll Like their Facebook page here http://goo.gl/U7n8oj to learn more about what Utah has to offer. A Special thanks to Override Films for the RC Aerial Video http://www.OverrideFilms.com http://www.Facebook.com/OverrideFilms Follow Shweta Subram's sites: https://www.facebook.com/shwetasubram https://www.twitter.com/shwetasubram http://www.youtube.com/user/shwetasubram Story behind the music and the video: While shooting our video "Lord of the Rings" Steve's steel cello was damaged. When we reattached the fingerboard the strings were too close to the surface and this caused a buzzing sound when plucked. The Sitello was born -- a cross between an Indian sitar and a cello. This sparked an idea. We love incorporating ethnicity into our arrangements...... Read the rest of the story here: http://smarturl.it/DontWorryChild We'd like to thank the Sri Sri Radha Krsna Temple for letting us film there -- learn more about their temple here: http://www.utahkrishnas.org/ We'd also like to thank Troy Tasker and Shaun Jeffery for helping us scout out the Little Sahara Dunes and Bryce Payne for loaning us his trailer to make it possible! Credits "Don't You Worry Child" originally performed by Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin -- written by STEVE ANGELLO, JOHN MARTIN, ; MARTIN LINDSTROM, MICHEL ; ZITRON, SEBASTIAN INGROSSO, ; AXEL HEDFORS Published by SONY/ATV, UNIVERSAL -- POLYGRAM INT, KOBALT MUSIC ThePianoGuys arrangement produced by Al van der Beek & Steven Sharp Nelson Arrangement written by Al van der Beek, Steven Sharp Nelson, Jon Schmidt & Shweta Subram Hindi Lyrics by Shweta Subram & Abhay Jodhpurkar; English translation and adaptation by Shweta Subram & Steven Sharp Nelson Performed by Steven Sharp Nelson: electric, acoustic, carbon fiber, and steel cellos, cello-percussion, percussion, vocal textures Al van der Beek: percussion, back-up vocals

Story behind the song: The American Heritage Lyceum Philharmonic (Youth Orchestra) and its director, Kayson Brown, approached us with this idea. We loved it. It combined two of the things we are working to accomplish -- inviting people to classical music and inspiring young musicians. Steven Sharp Nelson had soloed with the orchestra the previous year and loved the spirit and the talent that the orchestra showed at such young ages (ages 13-18!) Together we developed the concept of "Beethoven's 5 Secrets," combining OneRepublic's tune "Secrets" with melodies and moments from all four movements of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. We used 5 different melodies from the 4 movements of Beethoven's 5th Symphony (not including the "bridge" the orchestra plays in the middle). Try to guess where they are and where they come from! What are Beethoven's secrets? He had many. His most prominent secret that he desperately tried to keep from the public and that caused him to be considered extremely eccentric, irritable, and hermit-like was his "weakness." He was deaf during most of his life. Imagine that...one of the greatest composers that ever lived could hardly hear. And yet, he wrote his life's greatest works after becoming deaf. He believed that art itself had "secrets" that had to be "forced into" in order to obtain art's highest level. There is no doubt Beethoven discovered many of the "secrets" of art -- people all over the world enjoy them every day. He was a true master of music, blessed by God. This piece and video are dedicated to him.

ALL THE SOUNDS YOU HEAR WERE CREATED BY THE CELLO, PIANO, AND ASIAN PERCUSSION THE STORY: Yes. That is the Great Wall of China. No. It's not green screen. Since ThePianoGuys began, it has been our impossible dream to put a grand piano on the Great Wall. People laughed at us when we said we were determined to do it. It is done. All of us at ThePianoGuys would like to dedicate this music video to the visionary behind it all and the man whose dream this has always been: Paul Anderson. It is difficult to detail each of the many miracles that were stitched together in time turning this dream into actuality. Master Oogway, himself, said, "A destiny is not realized until we let go of the illusion of control." To say we made this happen.... Read the rest of the story here: http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/kun... CREDITS "Oogway Ascends" from the Kung Fu Panda Soundtrack written by Henry Jackman, John Powell & Hans Zimmer Published by DWA Songs (ASCAP) ThePianoGuys arrangement produced & written by Al van der Beek, Jon Schmidt & Steven Sharp Nelson Also based upon & inspired by Frederick Chopin's Prelude Op. 28 No. 20 in C minor Performed by Steven Sharp Nelson: electric, carbon fiber, acoustic & steel cellos; cello-percussion; Asian percussion Jon Schmidt: Piano Al van der Beek: Percussion Additional Tanggu (Taiko) percussion by Gigi Romney Recorded, mixed and mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studios in Utah, U.S.A. Produced & Filmed by Paul Anderson & Shaye Scott Edited by Shaye Scott & Paul Anderson China Crew: Ivy Song: Event Leader/Coordinator Alex Xue: Event Consultant Liu Sheng (Sean Liu): Fashion consultant and on-site coordinator Zhang Xuewen: General Manager of Huang Yaguan Great Wall Zhang Mingyu: Deputy General Manager of Huang Yaguan Great Wall Liu Yanyun: Marketing Director of Huang Yaguan Great Wall Zhu Mai: Photographer Hu Guang: Camera Assistant Peng Shuai: Camera Assistant Sun Zhenning: Jib Operator Cai Na: Manager

We want to thank Lights for All Occasions for donating the lanterns used in the night vigil scenes. Go check them out, they have some really sweet lights!! http://www.lightsforalloccasions.com/... https://www.facebook.com/LightsForAll... We are also very grateful for Thanksgiving Point -- they were so kind and accommodating in letting have access to their beautiful center. If you haven't been there, the Italian Gardens are only the beginning of what they offer there. http://www.thanksgivingpoint.org/ Subscribe to our main channel: http://smarturl.it/TPGsubscribe1 Subscribe to our BTS channel: http://smarturl.it/TPGsubscribe2 Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PianoGuys Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PianoGuys Story behind music and video: "When Aragorn was abroad, from afar Arwen watched over him in thought" --Lord of the Rings After signing with Sony we were putting together our first official release. Just before the deadline we looked at the song list and all agreed the album needed to include a new original piece. But we had 48 hours. As we prayed for help Jon recalled a tune he had almost included in a solo album, but for reasons he couldn't remember he had not finished it. It was just the compositional catalyst we needed.... read the rest of the song on our website here: http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/arw... Credits: "Arwen's Vigil" written by Jon Schmidt, Al van der Beek & Steven Sharp Nelson Performed by Jon Schmidt: Piano Steven Sharp Nelson: cello; cello-percussion Recorded, mixed and mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studios in Utah, U.S.A. Produced & Filmed by Paul Anderson & Shaye Scott Edited by Shaye Scott & Paul Anderson

MERRY CHRISTMAS Everyone! Here's our version of "Angels We Have Heard on High," with a few other Christmas favorites mixed in. Can you name them all? We wrote and performed this in the same style of our music video "What Makes You Beautiful" http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/one.... ALL the sounds you hear were created by different parts of the piano (except the vocals of course). We wanted this to be a fun music video full of "Christmas Spirit." While the video primarily presents the "fun" side of Christmas (complete with cameo appearances by Christmas icons which "helped" us film), we wanted the music to portray what, to us, is the true meaning of the Holiday season. As we wrote it we imagined the "shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." And how the Angel appeared to them, announcing the humble birth of the Savior of the World. How incredible it would have been when, "suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!" (Holy Bible, Luke Chapter 2) We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We love you! Check out our other Christmas videos: O Come Emmanuel: http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/o-c... -Special Christmas version: http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/o-c... Carol of the Bells: http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/car... We Three Kings: http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/we-... Where Are You Christmas: http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/whe... A special shout out to TEL STEWART -- he joined us in our "What Makes You Beautiful" video. Tel helped us get The Piano Guys started. He is so talented that he now has his own production company: http://telstewart.com/. Once and a while we can still coax him to help us on projects. In fact, he helped us film this! If you watch closely you can see his hands flying the helicopter in the beginning. Also special thanks to the England family, who so kin

Story behind the song: It was impossible to turn down an invitation from one of our fans (Brad and Andrea Harker) to visit a private race track in the middle of the Nevada desert just outside of Las Vegas. We took our cameras with us and a new tune that we created just for the occasion. Thanks to a number of subscribers for the suggestion to remake this epic classical piece by Carl Orff! It was one of three possibilities we were considering when writing with the race track in mind. In the end, it was no contest; especially when we read the English transition of the Latin lyrics in the piece -- which speak of fate like a "wheel" and a "driving force!" Our version of O Fortuna was so much fun to create that it was done in a matter of three days (we couldn't let ourselves do anything else until it was finished). It consists of 6 piano tracks, 43 acoustic cello tracks, 3 percussion tracks, and 48 vocal tracks. Special thanks to Orin Harker (He owns the white car) , along with his wife Val, who hosted us, gave us all the ride of our lives, and taught us about the coolness of Radical Racing! They definitely went the "extra mile" with us in so many ways -- we are indebted to them. They even treated us to a steak dinner...good thing too, because we would have just had some cheap pizza! =) Also thanks to our other driver, Simon Shepherd, Owner Jon Morris, and manager Dave Petrie of http://www.SpringMountainMotorSports.com

One of our filming locations was a big wide-open pasture brimming with roaming cattle. While we were filming, every single cow went to the nethermost part of the pasture. Apparently cows aren't big fans of Phillip Phillips...or maybe it was the piano that made them mooooove (sorry, couldn't resist). Steve tried calling them back using a highly sophisticated cow call -- the cello. They came running. We got part of it on behind the scenes -- stay tuned for the cello cow call video!

The Piano Guys, Peter Hollens, David Archuleta, and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir get together to sing "Angels We Have Heard On High" Watch the #sharethegift video: http://goo.gl/9ZAFnY Largest Live Nativity World Record: 1039 people -CAST- MUSICIANS: Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, Peter Hollens, David Archuleta, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir CHRISTMAS YOUTUBER/FAMILY GATHERING: Peter Hollens, Evynne Hollens, Ashland Hollens, David Archuleta, Shay Carl, Shaytards, Mommytard, Alex Boyé, Jeremy Warner (Studio C), Stuart Edge, Devin Graham, The McKnights (Mindy, Shaun, Kamri, Rylan, Daxton, Paisley, Brooklyn & Bailey McKnight) Kid History The Piano Guys (Steven Sharp Nelson & family, Paul Anderson & family, Al van der Beek & family) LIVE NATIVITY: Mary: Flo Donelli Joseph: Andrew Jueidi Baby Jesus: Hudson Scott Shepherds: Stuart Edge, Peter Hollens, Jeremy Warner, Natalie Madsen Wisemen: Shay Carl, Alex Boyé, Richard Sharrah All angels in the final nativity formation are real, NOT computer generated. No angels were added or subtracted.

Story behind “Ants Marching/Ode to Joy” Shout out to all the Dave Matthews Band fans out there! [rowdy clapping, screams and whistling] Shout out to all the Ludwig van Beethoven fans out there! [polite, respectful applause and coughs between movements] Now a shout out to all the DMB/Beethoven mash-up fans out there! [cricket … cricket …] Introducing … Ants Marching / Ode to Joy! OK, so this tune started in sound check at one of our shows. We were playing around with that super catchy lick at the front end of DMB’s “Ants Marching.” Using a loop pedal we’d set up the chords then improv on top of them. It then evolved. We did things like mimic the snare hit on beats 2 and 4 using a padded piano bench. We created a unique fiddle-like sound by combining a 5 string electric cello and a bowed piano string (using a disassembled cello bow.) We used a myriad of muted piano and piano percussion sounds. Then we developed the loop effect further so that 4 guys could play a lot more parts together. Like most of our music, ALL OF THE SOUNDS YOU HEAR WERE CREATED BY PIANO & CELLO (with the help of a tambourine). Ode to Joy crept its way in because, well, throwing classical licks into pop tune arrangements is one of the things we love to do, but we also loved that, though the two melodies melded well, the lyrics or “messages” of the two tunes starkly contrasted each other. Poetic irony, right? DMB’s tune talks of everyone doing the same thing (um…like ants marching) and implies a meaningless, despondent and monotonous isolation of human beings from one another, while Beethoven’s “tune” talks of friendship, brotherhood, interconnectedness, meaning, and, of course, joy. We filmed this in ONE TAKE (meaning no cuts or alternative angles) using an octocopter with an attached gimbal (pivoted support). This allowed us to alternate between fly shots and glide cam-style shots. Jeremy Crawford and Frank Nelson (our “Piano Stunt Coordinators,” in ad

We were so stoked to hold the first copy of our new album, Uncharted, that we immediately went to Lin's Supermarket and Wal-mart to go see how people would react to it. We hope you enjoy the video! We've titled our sixth album with Sony “Uncharted” for several reasons. First, we’ve now ventured deeper into “uncharted” territory than we could have ever dreamed of traversing. We’ve been more places, met more people, and had more opportunities than we could have imagined possible. We feel blessed to have been supported, even guided in this journey by so many people that have given us the purpose behind pushing through the underbrush. Second, we feel like our music isn’t limited to a specific genre or “chart” — we hope it transcends conventional classification and instead reaches beyond boundaries, finding audiences from all walks of life that want positive content and fresh takes on old and new music. Third, it is actually very difficult to accurately “chart” our music into sheet music since it features so many unprecedented and untranscribable sounds. In this sense we are playing off the chart, so to speak. :-) And lastly, two of the tunes on the album feature two more locations that further fulfill our Wonders of the World quest, Chichen Itza and Petra — both of which are considered two of the greatest “uncharted” archeological finds in history! Combine all of these elements with more of our signature fusion of film score, classical music, pop and original music, our first vocal single, and even more groundbreaking textures and sounds, we believe this to be our best record yet. We can’t wait for people to hear it! Fun facts about the album: :-) “Uncharted” is the SIXTH album The Piano Guys have released since signing with Sony in 2012 7 of the tracks on “UNCHARTED” are brand new, never-heard-before tunes. “Uncharted” includes a dream-come-true collaboration with the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Hans Zimme

Story behind the song: We’ve all had that phone call. That email or that message. That conversation. Bad news. We’re all struggling with something – a debilitating weakness or illness. Or someone we love is barely holding on. We watch the news. We see the tweets, the Facebook posts...the YouTube comments! We hear about hate, terror, and despair. But just because what sells, what goes “viral,” or what gets attention may try to drown out the good in the world, it doesn’t mean that goodness is gone. Just because choruses of controversy and scandal shout louder than quiet symphonies of service, it doesn’t change the fact that, inside, most of us still genuinely want happiness -- not only for ourselves, but also for our family, our friends, and our fellow human beings. Media can make the world look bleak. They’ve given themselves this job description, in part because there’s a darker side on the surface of human nature that feeds on fear and cynicism. But deep down, we are beings of light. And in the end, since darkness is merely the absence of light, light will inevitably overcome dark. This is the essence of hope. And the essence of this song. “No matter what you’ve been through, no matter if you think you’re falling apart, it’s gonna be okay.” Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But we believe that someday, somehow, all things will be made right. And as the Psalm says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” In the meantime, there are so many more things to hope for and to work at while we yearn for the outcome we want so badly – more gratitude for what we have, more love for those we’ve taken for granted, more faith in ourselves and those we hold dear, and more confidence in a Divine purpose. We felt like the best way to spread the message of this song was to supplement our standard classically-influenced instrumental niche with a more pop-driven tune featuring Al’s superb vocal skills. As Os

Story behind the Song: Three years ago we embarked on an insane archeological quest: To conquer all Seven Wonders of the World. With music. Why? As Henry Jones (Sr) once said, “Illumination.” What began at The Great Wall of China continued on at the Christ Redeemer Statue and the pyramids of Chichen Itza. And now we present the ancient, stoic “Rose City” carved into rock: Petra, Jordan! Yes, this is a real place. Not just a figment of a set designer employed by Lucasfilm, LTD. We say real, but we should actually say “unreal.” Hard to believe a city half as old as time, carved out of sheer rock in the middle of the desert over 2,000 years ago still stands, whispering stories of its history through weather-worn stone artistry and intricate waterways. Just to give you an idea of its scope, Petra is home to over 800 monuments, buildings, halls, tombs, temples, and gateways sculpted from kaleidoscope sandstone. Its access is guarded by a narrow, protracted 1,000 ft high (300 meter) canyon. This remote desert city thrived in its prime because of an intricate, ingenious aqueduct system that carried water over great distances to store in cisterns. Arab tradition believes that Petra was the site where Moses of the Old Testament struck the rock to draw forth water. Petra has also been the site of many Hollywood movies. The first that comes to mind? Maybe something to do with seeking the Holy Grail in a fedora hat and a whip sidearm? Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade launched Petra’s “Treasury” Tomb into stone celebrity status — casting it as the lost home of the Holy Grail. What a movie! And what a soundtrack! Thank you, Mr. John Williams! How could we choose any other theme to laud the epicness of Petra’s Wonder? But the lively, adventuresome “Indy” theme needed a more Arabic flair in honor of this relic-city. As we often do, we turned to classical music for inspiration, motivation, and more compositional content. In 1888, a Ru