Rakan Munjed of Cincinnati, Ohio, shared the video to his account, @bubbarakan, and viewers were immediately blown away by his skill as he played “Nuvole Bianche,” which was composed by Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi.
A person’s skill on the piano largely depends on how much they practice the instrument, according to Hoffman Academy. Someone with no experience may be able to quickly learn a simple song, but pieces that are much more technical and complex require much more preparation and practice.
“When you have reached a certain level, you can expect to be able to master any piece at that level with just a few weeks of practice,” the organization stated.
Munjed opens his video holding a candelabra in a dimly lit room and explaining that a tornado caused the power to go out.
“So, I lit all the candles,” he says. “But bi**h is giving atmosphere. I’m kind of thriving right now.”
He sets both the candles and the camera down on his piano and begins to play Einaudi’s song until the video ends. Over 780,000 users have liked the 30-second clip since Munjed posted it online.
Munjed told Newsweek he has played the piano since he was a junior in high school, and he also has experience playing the violin, flute and other small instruments.
He took piano lessons for about eight months but ultimately began teaching himself how to play. The song he played in the video, for example, was self-taught.
Now, he plays the instrument nearly every day, and his favorite genre to play is classical music.
Munjed’s performance enchanted viewers, and they wasted no time praising his abilities. Many asked for more videos of him playing the piano.
“You should do more piano playing in candlelight vids,” a viewer requested. “Such a vibe, def vampire princess.”
“You just gonna whip out those piano skills like it’s nothing??” another TikTok user commented.
Wrote one viewer, “This is my dream. You are LIVING.”
One TikToker asked him how long it took for him to learn how to play the piano, to which he responded it took about a month to learn, but he “got good” after three years.
Many compared the candlelit ambience to The Phantom of the Opera, and wrote that they were half-expecting Munjed to play a song from the famous musical.
He appeased the viewers and posted a follow-up video after he learned a piece by ear shortly before recording.
Munjed said he did not expect a video of him playing the piano to go viral, but it “felt good” to see the positive responses from viewers.
“Music is a way to say a lot without saying anything,” he said. “You can tell a lot about a person or their personality by how they play a song.”
Many others have taken their piano performances to the internet, where some have also gone viral. A Disney parks pianist left viewers in awe over his “impressive” speed as he played a classic ragtime song.
One sweet video showed a baby’s reaction to hearing his father play the piano, and another father went viral for his ability to learn a song and play it by ear in less than a minute.
