![]() Its not that you have to do exactly what the composer wanted. And thats what many ragtime pianists do, they improvise on the rags by adding ornaments, by playing an octave higher, sometimes by altering the notes slightly or the tempo. Jazz, an improvisatory genre evolved from ragtime to a certain extend. Quote from: clouseau on April 07, 2018, 02:47:10 AM The philosophy behind Ragtime is not as strict as in classical music. Shaping the phrases (it sounds so much better than just hitting the right keys), having a good sense of rhythm and balance between the hands. Three things I have found critical in playing Ragtime. If you want to show off a bit (for whatever reason), it sounds great to play Mapple Leaf Rag crazy fast, or if you want a nostalgic touch to Entertainer, you could try playing it a bit slower with pedal. I am learning some Joplin right now, and I think its great that you have that liberties which you can apply according to the situation. Other pianists use the pedal sparringly, others more, some play at breakneck speed, others slow, with pedal and some rubato even. This is why there is no academic school of ragtime playing. The philosophy behind Ragtime is not as strict as in classical music. Personally, I vary how I play them from one day to the next, but the perception of the syncopated phrasing at the heart of all ragtime must always be present. ![]() ![]() I have no experience of academic settings and I have not heard Joplin's piano rolls, so I cannot comment on those aspects. ![]() The faster you go, the more everything tends to sound like an unaccented stream of notes, but this is also true of many classical pieces. In general, it depends on whether increased speed destroys the perception and charm of the syncopation and melodic phrasing. The livelier rags, such as Pineapple, Sugar Cane and Elite Syncopations, allow considerable range of acceptable tempo, whereas ones like Magnetic Rag and Euphonic Sounds not so much. The slow approach of Rifkin's interpretations is very highly regarded by many, for example David Thomas Roberts, Brian Keenan and Scott Kirby. There still appears to be a lot of disagreement about this, but most of the really good ragtime players do not play them too fast, and never for display purposes. ![]()
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