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| Author |
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| 25 new of 256 responses total. |
lumen
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response 75 of 256:
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Aug 3 08:50 UTC 1997 |
Egads! You have maintained that many songs by memory? (Since I'm not a
performer by any means, I'm sure I forget what one is capable of.) I think
the only song I can remember is Elite Syncopations, and only a handful of bars
at that.
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remmers
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response 76 of 256:
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Aug 3 12:28 UTC 1997 |
I took piano lessons throughout elementary and secondary school
and was trained to memorize things. Ragtime music is actually
easier for me to memorize than other forms because of its
regular structure. Actually, I find that I almost *have* to
memorize a ragtime piece in order to play it accurately, because
in order to to those big leaps in the left had without missing,
I have to look at the keyboard. Can't be looking at the music
at the same time.
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lumen
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response 77 of 256:
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Aug 4 01:24 UTC 1997 |
Same here. I see your point, and I definitely agree.
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remmers
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response 78 of 256:
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Sep 7 20:58 UTC 1997 |
Short performance note: At the Summerkeys music camp in Lubec,
Maine last month, I played James Scott's up-tempo "Frog Legs
Rag" at one of the student recitals. (On the same program, in
fact immediately before, I also performed the first movement
of Mozart's Piano Sonata #4 in E flat, a lovely adagio piece.
A rather blunt contrast to the rag.)
(When I get the time and energy, I plan to enter a report on
Mary's and my music camp experience, in a separate item.)
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orinoco
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response 79 of 256:
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Sep 7 21:05 UTC 1997 |
Recently I've been looking at taking up the piano again, and am looking for
interesting pieces - could you reccomend a good introduction to ragtime from
a playing, not listening, point of view?
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remmers
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response 80 of 256:
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Sep 9 18:02 UTC 1997 |
The way I learned to play ragtime was to listen to lots of
recordings and then acquire books of ragtime music for practice.
Listening to the recordings gave me a feel for appropriate style
and interpretation when I started working on playing the pieces
myself.
Look for ragtime recordings by Joshua Rifkin, Richard Zimmerman,
John Arpin, William Bolcom, William Albright. They are excellent
interpreters of the genre and stick pretty close to the music
"as written". Rifkin's recordings of Scott Joplin, from the
early 1970's, are classics that inspired many musicians to get
into ragtime, myself included.
There's a tremendous range of difficulty in ragtime music. I
don't know what level of piano playing you're at, but even
relatively accomplished performers of classical music tend to
find ragtime playing difficult at first exposure. For starters,
I'd recommend getting a volume of Scott Joplin's works -- either
"Collected Piano Works", published by Belwin-Mills, or "Scott
Joplin's Complete Rags", published by Dover -- and an anthology
of other composers, e.g. "World's Greatest Ragtime Solos",
edited by Maurice Hinson and published by Alfred Pub. Co.
Start with fairly easy stuff and work up. Scott Joplin's
"Peacherine Rag" and "Country Club" are good for openers.
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lumen
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response 81 of 256:
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Sep 13 05:42 UTC 1997 |
_Sheet Music_ magazine gave pointers when ragtime was in a revival in the
70's. If I remember correctly, to play ragtime, or to play a ragged rhythm,
in other words, you had to picture a drunken man staggering down the stairs.
See if you can find some of these back issues.
Ragtime, in my opinion, isn't necessarily as difficult as some 'classical'
music-- (I think John could be including Romantic and Impressionist [the work
of Debussy] here). What *is* difficult are the left-hand passages, which roll
along as frequently as the right-hand ones, and the stamina you will need to
play some pieces. I still can't get all the way through "Easy Winners" by
Joplin before I start slowing down. My left wrist gets tired..well, you
get the idea. FOllow John's advice and start with the easy stuff, building
up to harder pieces.
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orinoco
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response 82 of 256:
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Sep 13 14:16 UTC 1997 |
Given my weak left hand, that's probably wise advice
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remmers
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response 83 of 256:
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Sep 13 18:24 UTC 1997 |
There are two aspects to ragtime's difficulty: First, the sheer
physical demands, especially in the left hand (I agree with lumen
here). Secondly, style and interpretation issues, especially if
you come to ragtime already familiar with a different tradition
-- there are a lot of adjustments to be made in one's approach
to the music.
I've found that practice practice practice is the solution to both
these problems. It gets easier. Now that I'm "in" the style, I can
learn a new piece much more easily than I used to.
Lately I've been working on a couple of Eubie Blake pieces, "The
Baltimore Todalo" (pronounced: too-da-loo') and "Poor Jimmy Green".
These are significantly more demanding physically than most of
Joplin, Lamb, or Scott -- lots of octaves and tenths (Blake must
have had BIG hands) that require a lot of stretching and leave my
hands quite tired after I've done it for a while. Plus the usual
amount of jumping around in the left hand. But with practice, it's
slowly getting more comfortable.
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scott
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response 84 of 256:
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Sep 13 23:17 UTC 1997 |
Blake had huge, "ET" looking hands.
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orinoco
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response 85 of 256:
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Sep 14 00:50 UTC 1997 |
Tenths? My, my, my...I don't know that I'll ever be quite up to that.
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arabella
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response 86 of 256:
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Sep 29 06:53 UTC 1997 |
I had to stop playing ragtime when I developed tendonitis in my
wrists some years ago, because the left-hand repeated octaves were
just too painful to play. (My condition has improved considerably
with the help of my chiropractor, so I occasionally play a few
Scott Joplin pieces for fun, though I rarely practice the piano
these days -- too busy practicing singing.)
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remmers
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response 87 of 256:
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Oct 18 12:38 UTC 1997 |
I can handle the octaves, but the tenths that abound in Eubie
Blake's music are, literally, a "stretch" for me. But it's
coming.
The cover of "Sincerely Eubie Blake", a collection of his rags
edited by Terry Waldo, has a photo of Blake's hands, and they
are indeed ET-like. In the introduction, Waldo has this to say
about left hand technique:
It cannot be overemphasized how important it is to
"lay down" a solid beat with the left hand. Eubie
always taps his foot or "stomps" in order to
maintain this strong rhythmic foundation. Without
it there is nothing to build on. Ragtime players
must have a strong left hand and keep good time.
While often the straight 2/4, boom-chick pattern
is abandoned in Eubie's rags, there is always a
strong rhythmic pulse. It should be played in a
way that it could be danced to.
Unfortunately, it helps to have large hands to
play these rags. Eubie has an enormous span which
has made it easy for him to stretch over a twelfth
on the piano (i.e. from C to G, 12 notes away).
Playing tenths is nothing for him. For some of us
with smaller hands, the task is a little more
difficult, but it can be mastered. All these rags
contain tenths in the left hand--most are rolled,
however, and those not so marked could be played
with a fast roll to give the illusion of all
notes being played simultaneously. In any case,
it will be necessary to practice the left hand
until these full spacings are comfortable. The
style of employing tenths in the left hand is
central to Eubie's music and to the whole
Eastern school of stride piano.
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orinoco
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response 88 of 256:
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Oct 19 20:03 UTC 1997 |
"Eastern school" of stride piano? How do the different schools work?
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remmers
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response 89 of 256:
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Oct 22 10:03 UTC 1997 |
Well, "school" in the sense of "a class of people whose work and
style demonstrates some common influence" rather than an actual
educational institution. Different styles of ragtime performance
and composition evolved in different parts of the country. Thus
there was Missouri ragtime, New York ragtime, etc.
Today I'm off to Savannah Georgia to attend the annual Tom
Turpin Ragtime Festival -- 4 days of immersion in ragtime
concerts, lectures, and the unique Savannah ambience. There's
a stellar lineup of artists this year: John Arpin, Dick
Zimmerman, Mimi Blais, Terry Waldo, Trebor Tichenor, Bob Darch,
Bob Milne, David Jasen, and others. Should be quite fun. When
it's over, I'll file a report here of course.
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orinoco
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response 90 of 256:
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Oct 22 22:32 UTC 1997 |
Right, but what would the difference be between, say, MIssouri and New York
ragtime?
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mary
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response 91 of 256:
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Oct 23 13:46 UTC 1997 |
Accent. ;-)
(Not to worry, John will be back in a few days and you'll
get a much better answer.)
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orinoco
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response 92 of 256:
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Oct 25 20:44 UTC 1997 |
That, and the occasional y'all?
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remmers
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response 93 of 256:
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Oct 27 19:45 UTC 1997 |
I'm not enough of a ragtime scholar to comment knowledgeably on
regional differences. There's a book by David Jasen and Trebor
Tichenor called _Rags and Ragtime_, recently reprinted by Dover,
that might give you some insights. I found it in Barnes & Noble
a few weeks ago.
By the way, the Savannah festival was WONDERFUL. Superb lineup
of performers, lots of great music, and some opportunities for
me to play. I was less bashful about doing that than I was last
year when I was brand new to the festival circuit. Full report
will have to wait until I've more time.
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remmers
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response 94 of 256:
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Nov 5 11:02 UTC 1997 |
Still trying to organize my thoughts on the Savannah festival.
But in the meantime, one thing I did there was to renew my
acquaintance with Patricia Lamb Conn, Joseph Lamb's daughter and
a very nice lady. She likes the way I play her dad's music and
offered to send me a bunch of his unpublished works. Yesterday
a package arrived from her in the mail and I'm now the proud
possesser of several of his rags and waltzes that I didn't have
before. A particular delight are "Brown Derby Rag" and "Ragtime
Reverie", recently reconstructed from tape recordings and Lamb's
notes, and published privately by Patricia 3 or 4 years ago.
They are both excellent pieces.
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remmers
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response 95 of 256:
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Dec 12 01:33 UTC 1997 |
An announcement of interest to folks in the Ann Arbor area: This
Sunday, Dec. 14th, is the 24 annual Ragtime-Jazz Holiday Bash
ath the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 1917 Washtenaw Avenue,
Ann Arbor, 8 p.m. Tickets $12 at the door (students & seniors
$7).
Featured artists are Bob Seeley, James Dapogny, Bob Milne,
William Bolcom, Joan Morris, Bill Albright, and "special,
surprise guests."
If you go, get there early! Seating is first come first served,
and the place tends to be packed by the half an hour or more
before the concert. I plan on getting there at least an hour
ahead of time.
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remmers
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response 96 of 256:
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Dec 15 15:41 UTC 1997 |
Ragtime Bash was excellent. I got smart this year and arrived
more than an hour ahead of time. A few people were already
there, but by 7:20 -- 40 minutes before showtime -- the place
was nearly full. Thanks to the early arrival, I got a seat in
the 3rd row with a good view of the keyboard.
Bill Albright emcee'd but only played a couple of pieces --
Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" and his own song "Old Tom Turpin". He
remarked that he's playing less because of a chronic hand
problem, due he thinks to some excessive stretching he did a few
years ago when working on some James P. Johnson material. I'm
sure he finds being incapacitated frustrating.
All the performers were Ragtime Bash veterans with the exception
of Bob Milne, who's been mentioned earlier in this item and who
has rapidly become one of my favorite ragtime artists based on
a few performances I've attended over the last year. This was
his first appearance at a Bash, and although he lives in Lapeer,
I imagine that he's largely unfamiliar to Ann Arbor audiences.
Milne practically stole the show with his rich, highly personal,
technically dazzling renditions of such things as James P.
Johnson's "Eccentricity Waltz", Eudie Bowman's "Twelfth Street
Rag", his own composition "Ragged Music Box" (in the style of
Mozart), and his ragged-up version of the the Christmas carol
"Oh Holy Night". The audience responded with great enthusiasm,
and Albright promised that Milne would be back in future Bashes.
In addition to Milne's two sets, other highlights for me were
a rousing rendition of Kipling's "Road to Mandalay", sung by
Joan Morris and played by William Bolcom; Walid Hurani's (sp?)
rendition of Bolcom & Albright's "Brass Knuckles"; and Bob
Seeley's expert stride/boogie arrangement of Handy's "St. Louis
Blues".
After the show I purchased a Milne CD and cassette out in the
lobby. Milne's wife, who was selling them, recognized me from his
Ann Arbor concert last winter, the Frankenmuth festival, and the
Savannah festival. She must think I'm a stalker... :)
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remmers
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response 97 of 256:
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Mar 19 13:21 UTC 1998 |
Mary's cello teacher held an informal family recital/party at the
Unitarian Church in Ann Arbor, as part of which I got to play a
ragtime piano solo: Harry Guy's "Pearl of the Harem" (1901). Like
Guy's other rags, it exhibits a strong classical influence.
There are interesting switches throughout between major and minor
modes, and between the traditional oompah-oompah bass line of
ragtime and other bass patterns -- rather unusual for ragtime.
The piano at the church is a Baldwin grand with a light, responsive
touch, and with its booming bass is voiced very well for ragtime.
It was a pleasure to play on it. (The same piano is used at the
annual "Ragtime Christmas Bash" held at the church, so it's
understandable that it has been ragtime-optimized.)
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remmers
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response 98 of 256:
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Mar 19 15:27 UTC 1998 |
(For the record, the recital was on March 18, 1998.)
Repertoire update: I've been working on a few new pieces
over the last several months. Highlights:
Some rags by Bob Milne, contemporary "ragtimist" who lives
in Lapeer, Michigan and is a mainstay of ragtime festivals
(deservedly so, as he's a wonderful performer/lecturer/
entertainer). I've got his cheery "Summertime Rag" pretty
well down and would be comfortable performing it in public.
I've also been working on his "Seashore Rag" (a Japanese-
style rag with a beautiful non-ragged middle section based
on a Japanese folk song), the wistful "Mimi", and the Mozart-
inspired "Ragtime Music Box".
Harry Guy's "Pearl of the Harem", mentioned earlier.
George Botsford's catchy two-step "Hyacinth" (1902). Botsford
was an excellent early ragtime composer whose works are little-
known today. Several of his compositions can be found in Dick
Zimmerman's "100 Rare Piano Rags" collection. I could do
"Hyacinth" publicly too at this point.
Scott Joplin's "A Real Slow Drag", the finale of his opera
"Treemonisha". This one seems hard to come by -- the only
modern reprint I'm aware of is in volume 2 of the New York
Public Library's edition of Joplin's collected work. Volume
2 has been out of print for years. I was able to find a copy
in the EMU library recently, much to my delight. Although
"Treemonisha" as a whole is sub-standard Joplin, "A Real Slow
Drag" is one of his most beautiful works. I've been practicing
it intensively over the last few days.
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scott
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response 99 of 256:
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Mar 19 17:26 UTC 1998 |
Is there a specific "Japanese style" of ragtime, or is the above listed as
such because it has something based on a Japanese song?
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