It was a revelation to a Scottish teenager.

He was a natural classical pianist, but after becoming partially paralysed he has had to learn all over again using only his left hand.

Still only 21, Paul Murray is reworking some of the world's greatest piano pieces so he can continue to perform, literally single-handedly.

The experience has inspired him to study for a master's degree in composition after he graduates in the summer.

He took up the piano at Bellshill Academy in North Lanarkshire, at the comparatively late of age of 15. Within months he was sailing through exams that usually take years of formal training to conquer.

He learned pieces such as Chopin's Ballade in G minor in a matter of weeks, and secured a place to study music at Aberdeen University in 2007.

However, it was during his first year at Aberdeen that Paul, who also suffers from Crohn's disease, began to experience dreadful headaches. When he returned to Glasgow for a hospital appointment he was quickly referred to a neurologist.

He was suffering from a massive brain tumour and needed immediate surgery.

Paul spent four months in Southern General Hospital in Glasgow learning how to walk and talk again.

"I had four brain surgeries in total, and the first lasted for 14-and-a-half hours. I had to go through a long period of rehabilitation, which meant I spent my 18th birthday in hospital."

He was told it would take him two-and-a-half years to recover, but he was determined to get back to university.

Paul added: "Classical music was not something I grew up with. It was almost as if I woke up one day and decided this was what I wanted to do, and I wasn't prepared to let my illness take that away from me.

"I felt I was very lucky to be here, and wanted to make the most of my life."

Paul made remarkable progress following his surgery and was able to return to Aberdeen the following academic year to begin first year again.

However, the brain tumour caused damage to the right-hand-side of his body, leaving him partially paralysed and unable to play as he had before.

"My hand doesn't work like it used to and when I returned to the university I met with one of my tutors, the composer Paul Mealor, who suggested I try left-hand repertoire.

"This is some of the most difficult music ever written and is not diminished in any way by only one hand, as movement and speed are always constant."

He performed left-handed works at a concert and was given a standing ovation, but there was more bad news to come.

He began running out of energy and getting pins and needles. One day he woke up and could feel nothing from the waist down. Multiple-sclerosis was confirmed.

"I'm now building up my confidence again when it comes to performance and I'm working with other musicians who also use left-hand repertoire. My passion for classical music has helped me overcome so much, and I hope to be able to bring this music to those who, like me, did not grow up with it."

Dr David Smith, head of music at the University of Aberdeen, described Paul as a truly inspirational student. "His resilience is astounding," he said. "What amazes me is how his sheer musicality emerges. When examining second-year performance, we were moved to tears by Paul's playing – not something that happens often in an exam situation.

"He was playing left-handed repertoire that most students – and dare I say staff – would have found difficult enough to play with two hands."