Something Doing

Scott Joplin · Level 5 (Advanced) · jazz and blues · Piano

A rag by Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime”: stride left hand (bass then chord) and syncopated melody. F major, 2/4, 88 bars (about 3 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• As Joplin wrote: “it is never right to play ragtime fast”. Keep the left hand perfectly steady and place the right-hand syncopations precisely. The piece starts with a pickup: count the incomplete bar before coming in. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. The left hand makes wide leaps: look at the landing note in advance and move early, without rushing the rhythm.

More pieces by Scott Joplin

• Elite Syncopations
• The Strenuous Life
• Wall Street Rag
• The Entertainer
• Search-Light Rag
• Peacherine Rag
• Original Rags
• The Easy Winners

Source : Mutopia Project · Public Domain