Who Created Rush E? The Story Behind the Viral Piano Meme

The Legend of “Rush E”: Who Created the Internet’s Most Impossible Piano Meme?

If you have spent any time online over the last few years, you have almost certainly heard “Rush E.” Whether it was blasting through a TikTok edit, playing as the background track to a chaotic mobile game, or being attempted by brave pianists on YouTube, the track has cemented itself as a legendary internet phenomenon.

But behind the wall of flying notes and the hilarious internet lore, who actually created “Rush E”?

Meet the Creators: Sheet Music Boss

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

Based in Brisbane, Australia, the duo launched their channel with a focus on fun, accessible, and creative piano tutorials and MIDI visualizer videos. They initially gained traction by turning video game soundtracks and meme culture into clever piano arrangements. However, nothing could prepare them for the absolute monster of a meme they would accidentally unleash upon the internet.

The Inspiration: Memes, Gaming, and the Letter “E”

The story of “Rush E” is rooted deeply in internet history and a chain of prior jokes:

1. The “Rush B” Origin: Long before “Rush E” existed, the multiplayer shooter game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) popularized a meme where players would aggressively type or shout instructions to “Rush B” straight down a map corridor. Sheet Music Boss originally played on this by creating musical pieces centered around specific keys.
2. The “E” Meme: Around the time they were brainstorming a new track, the bizarre internet meme known as the “Markiplier E” (featuring YouTuber Markiplier’s face mashed onto Lord Farquaad from Shrek, deep-fried in distortion, and labeled simply with the letter “E”) was everywhere.
3. Bringing It Together: Andrew and Samuel decided to combine the concept of a frantic “rush” style song with the absurdity of the letter “E”. The core melody of the piece literally spells out the musical note E in an overwhelmingly fast, chaotic fashion.

From a YouTube Tutorial to a Global Phenomenon

When Sheet Music Boss uploaded “Rush E” accompanied by a visual MIDI piano tutorial, it was designed to look utterly ridiculous. The notes cascade down the screen in a dense, “black MIDI” style—meaning it features so many notes happening simultaneously that it would take a dozen hands (or a robotic player piano) to actually play it.

The internet instantly took over:

• The Challenge: Pianists around the world began trying to play fragments of it, or making comedic videos pretending to play it with their nose, feet, or a ridiculous number of fake hands.
• Famous Covers: Popular creators and engineers—like Mark Rober, who built a modified player-piano that famously struggled to keep up—amplified the song to millions of new viewers.
• A Pop Culture Staple: It transitioned from a YouTube novelty into a cultural touchstone recognized by millions of teenagers and gamers worldwide.

The Legacy of Sheet Music Boss

While Andrew Wrangell and Samuel Dickenson intended “Rush E” to be a fun, meme-inspired novelty track, it turned them into viral sensations. They followed up its massive success with other alphabet-themed musical romps, but “Rush E” remains their crown jewel.

So, the next time you hear those impossibly fast notes building up to the iconic rhythm, you’ll know it all traces back to two Australian musicians who decided to see what would happen if a meme was turned into sheet music.