Sonatina in G

[Chris]

I think Maple Leaf is even more fun to play than the Entertainer, because it's in Ab, and so you have all these left hand chords with two or three black keys. That's good, because you're less likely to make a mistake that way (or so it seems to me). So you can just play the song and not kick yourself for every little mistake you make

[Joy]

If I kicked myself for every mistake I made I would have a pretty sore foot! (and something else probably). Sometimes I go to fast with the left hand in The Entertainer I think and then that's where the mistakes happen. Also the right hand especially before the 'repeat 8va'. Now you've given me a taste to play it, I'll have to bring it out tonight.

Joy

[Andrea]

I am so glad to see that there are some of you out there in Forumland who appreciate Scott Joplin. I love his ragtime music, my favorite being the Maple Leaf Rag. I also love the piano version of Solace.

Scott Joplin's music was very popular when he was alive but it too was a bit forgotten after his death. If it wasn't for Marvin Hamlisch using it in the film "The Sting", who knows if anyone today would have ever heard of him. Just another example of Hollywood bringing a "decomposing" composer's music back to life.

[Chris]

I have this friend who's absolutely nuts about Joplin. He doesn't play the piano. He knows how to read music, but you put some beginner's lesson book in front of him, and he can't get through the easiest thing. He doesn't remember where the notes on the staff map to on the keys fast enough. You could say he's a poor sight reader, but it's so much worse than that. This is not surprising, as he's never had any lessons. The thing is, though, he loves Joplin's music so much that he learns the pieces anyway, by figuring out from the sheet music where to play and then doing it over and over again until he has it memorized. He does this a few bars at a time. It takes forever for him to learn a piece, but he does it. He can play tons of Joplin piano pieces now, and he's really good, artistically. He rarely makes a mistake either, which is surprising considering his fingerings are horrendous. That man could be a great pianist if he worked on the technical end of it a little.

[Joy]

That is amazing, Chris. Good for your friend! It sounds like it's a lot of work for him but if he enjoys it then that's what counts!

[This message has been edited by Joy (edited October 04, 2002).]

[John Rasmussen]

Originally posted by Joy:
Do you play the Minute Waltz in a minute?

I have read that the title is actually not the English word Minute but the French word of the same spelling, which means "little." I'd like to see anyone waltz to a performance of this piece which takes only 60 seconds!

[Joy]

Originally posted by John Rasmussen:
I have read that the title is actually not the English word Minute but the French word of the same spelling, which means "little." I'd like to see anyone waltz to a performance of this piece which takes only 60 seconds!

You're right. People would be waltzing around like whirlygigs! I'm sure a lot of people don't realize the meaning is little and not 'minute'.

Joy

[Chris]

Yes, we have actually brought that up here before, and it sounds reasonable to me. Also, somebody here said he had a recording (or heard a recording) of somebody playing it in one minute. It sounds pretty much impossible to me, unless you just speed up the tape or something, though.

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Chris:
Yes, we have actually brought that up here before, and it sounds reasonable to me. Also, somebody here said he had a recording (or heard a recording) of somebody playing it in one minute. It sounds pretty much impossible to me, unless you just speed up the tape or something, though.

You could do that with MIDI instruments and a sequencing program.