Josh Hendrickson
If you’re ever in the mood to listen to some of the most beautiful and compelling mashups of classical and pop music in piano and cello form, you should check out ThePianoGuys YouTube channel. Or better yet, invite the piano player, Jon Schmidt, to play in your home with an augmented reality app.
As Steve Nelson, the cellist in ThePianoGuys, explains it, concerts are a no-go right now. And they’re not always the most appropriate venue to showcase a piece of music. Take Für Elise Jam, Jon’s take on the classical song.
And piano player knows that Für Elise is that song you have to play sooner or later whether or not you want to, and you’ll have to play it often. But rather than playing it as is, Jon improvs around the melodies and with lines of music. He makes an old song new again, but it works best in a more intimate setting than on a stage.
That’s where AR Pianist comes in, an app for iOS and Android. AR Pianist uses augmented reality to put award-winning musicians and their pianos in your home. You can make them small enough to fit on a table or larger than your living room.
ThePianoGuys worked with the developers behind the app to get Jon into it, and now you can see and hear his take on Für Elise without leaving your home. Even better, as seen in the top image, the app can even put a virtual pianist at your piano and can help you learn to play songs. That’s my piano, and if you look closely there’s a digital set of keys over the real keys.
AR Pianist is free to download for iOS and Android, and many songs (like Jon’s performance) are free, though the more advanced features do require in-app purchases.
