One of the catchiest pop tunes by far is Justin Bieber’s “Despacito”. It features rapper and reggaeton singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. The track has a very Latin flavor to it with several of the lyrics sung in Spanish and a beat that reminds us of a mix of reggae and flamenco guitar.
It’s one of those songs that has been played over and over again on the radio in recent years.
So much so, that we were actually growing tired of it. That is until we heard the amazing piano cover of “Despacito” by Peter Bence. It’s one of the coolest covers that we’ve ever listened to and it completely restored our enthusiasm for the track.
Peter Bence is a one-man show.
The song has so many different moving parts, yet, Bence covered it without the help of any other musicians.
He had a drum rhythm machine playing in the background to keep the beat.
Then he took care of the melody himself on the piano, including playing parts of the piano that most pianists never touch.
The only thing missing was the singing.
There were no vocals in his cover. However, even though Bence’s version was completely instrumental, it didn’t take away from the performance one bit.
Instead of using an electric keyboard, he opened up a classic piano and plucked many of the piano strings by hand during the chorus to create a completely different sound.
Meanwhile, he was tapping away at lightning speed on the keys with his other hand.
It must have taken so much practice to get all of the parts perfected without the use of synthesizers or other instruments.
Although, he did have a loop station to assist him. The device allowed him to record multiple different parts of his performance live, then loop them back in the background creating several different layers of sounds. It was his solution to covering all of the various parts of the song solo without any assistance.
In the video description, Bence writes that he was “messing around with Despacito with my piano and a loop station.”
Yet, if that’s what he calls messing around, we have no idea what he considers serious playing. We imagine that a serious Bence performance would cause people’s minds to explode from the sheer level of talent that he has.
According to his website, he holds the Guinness World Record for “fastest piano player”.
It’s a pretty incredible distinction. Collectively, his various piano arrangements have received over 800 million views, and we have to say, watching his fingers move when he plays is absolutely mesmerizing.
There is just so much going on, yet Bence makes it look effortless.
He flows so smoothly across the keys and never misses a beat.
People on the Internet can’t get enough of his awesome performances as well.
“He doesn’t play the piano. He is the piano,” writes one YouTuber user.
It’s pretty hilarious, yet totally true. Bence is one with his instrument, a true master piano player, and also, a really likable guy. The energy he puts into his performances is contagious and inspires us to make our own music. We’ll never be as good as Bence is though, that much is certain.
To date, his “Despacito” piano cover has been viewed over 46 million times and received more than half a million likes and for good reason. Once you check it out for yourself, you’ll see what we mean.
Watch the full Peter Bence piano performance of “Despacito” below.
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