cashews Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 i'm trying to learn some well known ragtime songs such as Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer by Scott Joplin; and Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel. what are some other popular songs? with catchy tunes. thanks BTW it's taking me a long time to learn them and still not proficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Solace: [video:youtube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatMarathoner Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 You can keep pulling from the Joplin well for a long time before that goes dry, particularly if you're looking for ones you recognize by sound but not necessarily name. In that list I would put "The Easy Winners" and "Elite Syncopations." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Practice hands separately...really it works. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dongna Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Agree with Fat. Some of my favorite, not as well known, Joplin rags include Eugenia, Leola, Magnetic Rag, Rose Leaf Rag, and Fig Leaf Rag. Oh, also Bethena. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Yes I am working on a Joplin recording project. My dream has been to do a multi volume format of Joplin's Complete Rags. "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Don't rush Joplin. I think of Ragtime in terms of walking tempos. Very closely related to marches. "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzdoc52 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I grew up playing Ragtime and Dixieland Stride piano. In fact I worked 6 summers in college and medical school playing at a tourist attraction which was a wild West show with can can dancers and all. Best time of my life. Only problem is when I moved to straight ahead jazz, with left hand comping and Whole tone/diminshed/halftones in solos, it was a real culture shock. I havent yet to this day been able to totally get away from some of the traditional voicings of dixieland , and I still have a very heavy left hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Don't rush Joplin. . I was taught to never rush it and never swing it. I did a bunch of rags (arrangements) with Gunther Schuller conducting, he's an American composer/educator and somewhat of an expert on the genre.He says don't swing. What's surprising is that Joplin swung it (kinda): [video:youtube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I havent yet to this day been able to totally get away from some of the traditional voicings of dixieland I love that shit! No need to get away from that in my opinion. I'm always trying to put more of it back into my playing. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I love ragtime and it's the music that really inspired me to 'get into' playing the piano back when I was an awkward 13 year old. Recent thread about ragtime here. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 what are some other popular songs? with catchy tunes. You should find a book of Joplin's collected rags. Many of the big publishers have them. In fact, here's one. Your comment about your level of playing makes me want to point out that you should check and see if you are playing the original works or if you are playing easier edited versions. Easy piano versions of Joplin tunes abound. Good luck with it though. This music can be really fun and rewarding. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 This is timely. Back in the day, when I was taking lessons, I learned so,e scott joplin tunes. Couldn't play them to save my life now. But my 7yr old daughter (2nd grade) is doing a biography of Scott Joplin for a school project. So even though it's not part of her project, I've been thinking of re-learning those toons to grab her interest, Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Don't rush Joplin. . I was taught to never rush it and never swing it. I did a bunch of rags (arrangements) with Gunther Schuller conducting, he's an American composer/educator and somewhat of an expert on the genre.He says don't swing. What's surprising is that Joplin swung it (kinda): [video:youtube] I'm surprised at how fast he played it. Everyone always says "never play ragtime fast... yada yada", but everyone does! Even the king himself. Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 On of the toughest is the Entertainer as I have said before in it's original version. The right hand part in the first movement is a bitch because of that E note. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDP Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Don't just read it, memorize it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Great genre! love playing it. Look at Solace, Magnetic Rag and Ragtime Dance. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Mizzell Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Ragtime has always given me a FIT. Bach or Liszt? No problem! ... but that darned left hand in ragtime, aaaiiieee!! IMHO, Outkaster is correct - you almost HAVE to practice the hands separate until you're comfortable with each. Was the only way I could get any of it anywhere near correct! My favourite Joplin to play is Bethena, for some reason. Les Mizzell ---------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Don't rush Joplin. . I was taught to never rush it and never swing it. I did a bunch of rags (arrangements) with Gunther Schuller conducting, he's an American composer/educator and somewhat of an expert on the genre.He says don't swing. What's surprising is that Joplin swung it (kinda): [video:youtube] I'm surprised at how fast he played it. Everyone always says "never play ragtime fast... yada yada", but everyone does! Even the king himself. That does move along, but at least has a degree of restraint - compared to the warp-speed at which I've heard some players attempt Joplin pieces. The one I often hear played too quickly is "The Entertainer". I played a handful of Joplin's Rags back in the day. 'Forgot' all of them but "The Entertainer" - though I'd need to see the arrangement to play anything beyond the A section right now (been awhile since that last solo, background piano gig). The "Maple Leaf Rag" is actually easier, IMO - with all of the nice, black keys to wrap-around, and repetitive patterns; should relearn that one, as it's pretty much gone from the mental hard drive ;-) I find stride piano patterns much easier to use in improv than Boogie Woogie. I'm OK with that for rhythm work, but with involved RH soloing the train gets rather wobbly - usually jumps the track 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I like part 4 of MLR. I like the left hand flourish in the you-tube version allegedly played by SJ. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I said hands separately because the music is so metric and you have to get used to a constantly moving left hand. If you can get that concept the right hand is easier to focus in on. Remember Joplin was really trying to put his own spin on classical music, at least that was what I was told when I was younger. The entertainer is the most popular because of the movie the Sting, which was an anachronism as it was, but got people interested in Ragtime as a result. The thing is it is one the hardest being C basically kind of uncomfortable to play as each movement is really different. The hand positions are a little weird and the left hand pattern. I still think it is one of the hardest. I learned it after the Maple Leaf Rag so I found it a lot harder but that was in the 1980s. Maybe if I tackled it now it would be different. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Played lots of ragtime for years - MLR, Entertainer, Pine Apple Rag, Solace, a few others... ...then I didn't play any of them the past few years. They were all memorized from muscle memory. Last year tried to play MLR, boy was I rusty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Yeah I hear you there. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingstonCrim Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Yeah, we got into ragtime when I was in highschool. A friend and I used to work on these together, and even geeked out on it to the point where we would both play the first strain of Maple Leaf, at tempo, together, but with the right hand part staggered behind the left hand by exactly one quarter note all the way through 'til the unison octave part brought it all back together. Out of sync, but it worked! Still love playing "Elite Syncopations" too, one of my favorites. I think maybe the admonishment to not play it fast is saying it's good to slow it down and admire the beauty of the music. Another way to enjoy it besides having fun playing it fast. At my church gig, I'm in the Contemporary group and we've done a few Joplin duets over the past year with our organist from the Traditional service. It's always fun to do, and very popular with the congregation of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Generally this is included in a Joplin collection of rags. But just in case the OP doesn't have it you can download these 6 Joplin exercises. Read the notes on performance and practice with a metronome. Ps. Below is what my phone shows as Url but i can't make a workable link. http://imslp.org/wiki/School_of_Ragtime_(Joplin,_Scott) School of Ragtime "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I've been working on Entertainer for about 5 months now and still have a ways to go, to play it without any misfires. Learning it by ear (it's harmonically pretty simple so that's not an issue), and ignoring the latter, less recognizeable parts (at least for now; maybe I'll add them if I ever get bored with the A & B parts. IIRC, the format is AABBACCDDAA.) My speed changes a lot, intentionally. I suspect I'm being influenced by the Sting version. It's fun to swing it sometimes, too. It's interesting to hear the SJ rendition above, which has a mild swing -- I wonder if I can cop that. I remember reading that by the time he did these piano rolls, he had lost a lot of his ability thanks to locomotor ataxia from syphillis. Unfortunately, my wife and son say they never want to hear it again. Next time I'll remember to practice on DP using headphones! (But it's really more fun to play it on a real piano.) MLR is on deck. It'll be a while before I can get to it, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 what are some other popular songs? with catchy tunes. You should find a book of Joplin's collected rags. Many of the big publishers have them. In fact, here's one. Got this for Christmas, I also got a 4 CD set of his complete works played by John Arpin, and they're all in the book. Great package. I'm learning Solace, one of my favourites. What we record in life, echoes in eternity. Yamaha Montage M7, Nord Electro 6D, Hammond XK1c, Dave Smith PolyEvolver & Rack, Moog Voyager, Modal Cobalt 8X, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moj Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Claude Bolling's "Original Ragtime" recording is worth listening to. Bolling plays Joplin, Zez Comfrey, and his own arrangements. Claude Bolling - Waiting for the Robert E Lee [video:youtube] George Winston's "Rag" from "Ballads and Blues 1972" is easy enough to learn by "ear". [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrhJ3P31YLk Of course Zez Confrey composed/performed "novelty piano" for piano-roll companies. He also published sheet music of his sophisticated ragtime tunes. [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDrPwvVQmck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 George Winston caused me more erectile disfunction in the early 90's (when I was 18-21) than you could possibly imagine. I can't count the number of times I went over to some chick's place thinking I was about to have a good time, only to get the "Since you play piano, I put on some George Winston. I LOVE George Winston, don't you?" Instant. Boner. Fail. A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 FYI - if anyone wants to download the school of ragtime I think I fixed the link "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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