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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Andrea Lambrou

WATCH: Lanarkshire schoolboy's stunning classical piano video goes viral

A 16-year-old musical maestro from Lanarkshire has gone viral for his "world-class" classical piano compositions.

Self-taught musician Ryan Reed has became a classical pianist in under four years and has had his music played by some of the best in the business.

With more than 200,000 followers on Instagram, his beautifully emotive arrangements have garnered millions of views from across the globe.

The East Kilbride teen told Lanarkshire Live he has spent thousands of hours honing his craft and one day hopes to swap social media performances for live shows in front of thousands of people.

Ryan, a pupil of Duncanrig Secondary, said: "I started to practise piano in my first year of secondary school when I was 12, but it was mainly just a hobby.

"I started an Instagram page two years ago and started to post my music. It started slow but gradually began to increase and I won the East Kilbride Music Club award a year ago - one of my greatest achievements.

Self-taught classical pianist Ryan Reed (East Kilbride News)

"I practise anywhere from five to 12 hours daily with hundreds of songs practised. I'm glad I stuck in and have people around me to support me throughout my music study.

"In the future I hope to achieve more, I want to see myself on a stage in front of thousands of people. I hope that one day I will get there."

Ryan's most famous piece is Dark Clouds which racked up nearly two-and-a-half million views in under two months.

The beautiful composition has been played by top classical pianists, Kelley Wong from Canada, and fellow Scot, Ryan Johnston.

Ryan also makes arrangements of songs from artists he's inspired by including Alan Walker, James Arthur and Passenger.

Paying tribute to his school music department for his achievements so far, he added: "I thank the teachers at Duncanrig. They taught me everything there is to know about music theory and guided me on my musical journey.

Ryan winning the East Kilbride Music Club award in 2021 (East Kilbride News)

"For any young people wanting to get into music I'd advise them to just stick in at it - anyone can do it.

"I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the people around me - and a lot of hours at the piano!"

Commenting on their star pupil, Duncanrig's principal teacher of music and drama Jane Ramsay said: "It's been a pleasure to watch Ryan develop into a confident, accomplished young pupil.

"He's a star in the making and although we nurture that, we can't take a lot of credit as he is entirely self-taught. He has a real natural musicianship and becoming really well known.

"We're super proud of him, it's lovely to hear him play and he has done all of this himself."

Ryan will perform in the classical, contemporary and composer sections in the school's 'Madfest' music and drama festival event on June 22.

Check out more of Ryan's music on his Instagram page.

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