Who Created Rush E? The Creators and History Explained

Who Created “Rush E”? The Masterminds Behind the Internet’s Most Impossible Piano Meme

If you have spent any time on YouTube, TikTok, or gaming spaces over the last few years, you have almost certainly heard “Rush E”. Characterized by its breakneck speed, chaotic notes, and an infamous section where a pianist seemingly has to smash their entire fist or nose against the keyboard, it became one of the biggest viral musical memes of the digital age.

But who is actually responsible for creating this monstrously difficult piece of internet culture?

The Creators: Sheet Music Boss

“Rush E” was created by Sheet Music Boss, a YouTube channel and musical duo consisting of Australian composers and pianists Andrew Wrangell and Samuel Dickenson.

Based in Brisbane, Australia, Sheet Music Boss launched their channel in February 2017, initially focusing on accessible, high-speed, and engaging piano tutorials for video game soundtracks, classical pieces, and pop songs. Over time, they expanded into composing original, tongue-in-cheek novelty piano pieces designed to push the boundaries of what automated MIDI software—and human hands—could theoretically play.

The Origins: From “Rush B” to “Rush E”

To understand how “Rush E” came to be, it helps to look at its predecessor, “Rush B.”

Sheet Music Boss had previously built a reputation for arranging popular themes into a frantic, Russian-folk-inspired style. The title “Rush B” was a direct nod to the famous tactical meme from the multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, where players aggressively shout “Rush B, cyka blyat” to coordinate a charge. That song heavily emphasized the musical note “B”.

When looking for a follow-up, the duo tapped into another major internet phenomenon of the time: the absurd, deep-fried “E” meme (featuring a mashup of Markiplier’s face and Lord Farquaad). Combining the viral letter with their signature high-speed composition style, Andrew Wrangell sat down to write a piece explicitly built around the musical note E, culminating in an impossibly dense wall of MIDI notes.

How It Went Viral

When Sheet Music Boss uploaded “Rush E” to YouTube accompanied by a bouncing-ball MIDI tutorial, it caught fire organically.

1. The Humanly Impossible Challenge: Viewers quickly realized that the sheet music featured chords and speed clusters that were physically impossible for a single pair of human hands to execute cleanly.
2. The Meme Evolution: Creators across TikTok and YouTube began posting comedic videos pretending to play the song using absurd methods—hitting the keys with pans, noses, cats, or multiple people sharing a single piano bench.
3. Cultural Stardom: Pianists and content creators started making “real-life” arrangements, trying to map out ways to perform the unplayable, cementing its status as the modern equivalent of “The Flight of the Bumblebee” for internet culture.

Legacy

While Andrew Wrangell and Samuel Dickenson are serious musicians who write a diverse array of pieces, “Rush E” turned Sheet Music Boss into a household name for millions of internet users. It stands as a prime example of how modern internet culture, gaming humor, and classical music theory can collide to create a global phenomenon.

Watch the original Rush E piano tutorial on YouTube

This video is the definitive source of the phenomenon, showing the original animated MIDI tutorial created by Sheet Music Boss that started the global trend.