"Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin / Performed by Matthew Walker on a historical keyboard

[@Jedihho]

Sounds amazing! Definetly has a nice saloon vibe about it!

[@69kpurewaffle]

Brilliant rendition! Athough I cannot play at this level quite yet, I aspire to. But it sounds BEAUTIFUL in that pianoforte!

[@johnyoung2705]

Hi Matthew, thanks for showing off the cool-AF historical keyboards! Maple Leaf is a tune for the ages and that vintage keyboard, whatever it is, gave it a distinct flavour. I agree that it pairs well with that keyboard - it made me think of salmon with white (actually pink) zinfandel, no less. lol Looking forward to more videos!

[@robertklose2140]

Nice job, Matthew, and thanks for the tour of those beautiful instruments

[@Robotron-wd9em]

the hammers on this instrument are covered in thin layers of learther which gives that nice bright an very percussive sound also the action al lot different not only is it lighter but in this type of action insterad of pushing towards a lever that makes the hammer jump and hit the string you are doing the opposite pushing the whole hammer that has a little beak at the end that pushes against the escapement and makes the hammer jump and hit the string.

[@Titan2492-nv6fo]

The instrument on the far-right is an actual fortepiano, another example of which may be found in this performance of the six-voice fugue from J.S. Bach's "An Offering of Music": kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJvbfKxppbVnZ9k . It is speculated that the entire collection under that title was in fact composed for such an instrument, as according to the composer himself, he was asked by King Frederick II of Prussia during a visit Bach had paid him to improvise a fugue on a theme which the Frederick himself (being a noted flutist in his own right) would provide. Bach at first improvised one of three voices - preserved by Bach as the opening fugue in the collection, and then was asked by the King to try his hand at one for six, which is what wound up becoming the focal point of the entire collection. This same fortepiano is what Beethoven and Mozart would've known, in fact WERE you to hold down the sustaining-lever on the one you just played here, you'd get the proper effect Beethoven was looking for in his Piano Sonata XIV, Mvt. I. The sort of piano on the far-left didn't come around until AFTER Beethoven's passing. Quite honestly, I'm surprised a true fortepiano has enough keys for Scott Joplin's works. Joplin quite possibly was more familiar with the instrument on the far-left, which, if you hadn't noticed, is "missing" the top three keys. If you're at all familiar with a composition such as L.M. Gottschalk's "The Banjo", you'll notice that, towards the middle of the piece, there are a series of massive jumps indicated by ottava lines. You'll notice that the third of each jump has no ottava line. While such a jump 8va would indeed be possible on one of today's pianos, in the case of the far-left instrument, it is very much impossible.

[@matthewwalker3591]

@@Titan2492-nv6fo This is great! Thanks for info; very helpful. I like how you provided a link that shows the very instrument. And thanks for the clarification on the instrument on the far left. I has stated that Beethoven played that type, but I was wrong. You’re right about the Scott Joplin rags. In fact, the fortepiano I played actually didn’t have enough keys for the Maple Lead Rag in the upper end, but it was very minimal. I only had to omit one note, (the high Ab), from the performance.

[@Beartastic_]

This is a very entertaining video and that instrument has a very interesting sound!

[@michaeltreadwell777]

Brilliant. You are forgiven for the errors - we never noticed ! You did a LOAD better than I could ! Take care 🙂

[@jameshauger9544]

It looks like a Stein fortepiano who made instruments in the late 18th century into the 19th. His shop was later taken over by his daughter Nannette Streicher. I have a Anton Walter fortepiano which improved some of the action of Stein's fortepianos.

[@KarlUppianoKarlU]

Isn't that a fortepiano?

[@danielmkubacki]

So cool!

[@sharethefootage1088]

Roll the Bones!

[@gammafoxlore2981]

The instrument on the left is a piano akin to those played by Chopin, and Liszt. The instrument on the far right is a forte piano (sound like a Viennese style fortepiano, akin to what Mozart and Beethoven would have known and played). Approach it with a lighter touch, the action is shallower (meaning that it takes significantly less force to produce a forte dynamic).

[@DavidGiumenti-sm6yi]

That's sounds wonderful on that old pianni

[@moukka1760]

haydn would have fainted, mozart would have laughed and beethoven would have taken notes

[@Salmagundiii]

Handel would have asked to speak to the manager.

[@ritschardt]

It is actually the type of instrument which Mozart and Beethoven used at least in his early days. It needs a bit of tuning It is actually a piano calling it a fortepiano is commonly said by recording companies for an historic piano. I like to hear what you are playing sounds fun .It is made by Thomas Wolff

[@ritschardt]

The last piano is a JB Streicher the son of Nanette Streicher.She and her husband were close friends of Beethoven who had one of her instruments of which he was very fond. Nanette Streicher was the daughter of the inventor of the vienese piano JA Stein.

[@Stigggs]

You play that Joplin tune very well and that piano makes a honky talk sound like you said. It had a harsh to my ear but a real novelty and Interesting. The best I can find on that instrument is that it is simply called a piano. That’s it. The reason being is that the key colors on all piano’s at Mozarts time and before all had the key colors reversed. So the reversed key color does not indicate what that instrument is. If that instrument has real hammers and you can produce piano and forte sounds by how hard you strike the keys then that is a piano. Albeit a very old piano or a replica of a very old piano. Unique sound.

[@kaylllake1]

Thank you.

[@jameshealan3540]

Scott Joplin was born in Texarkana..so was i

[@larryjohnson6385]

Great 👍😎

[@suntexi]

Scott Joplin put "Not fast" on the music. I have trouble with it; it's harder than some Chopin.

[@amazing763]

Yes, Matthew's speedy presentation encounters a few rough edges in the C and D sections. We all try to play MLR, with wildly varying degrees of success. If you hear me playing it, run away. Fast!

[@dilipaweeratunga]

Piano e forte

[@JoshPSommers]

Maple Leaf Rag if the composer notes said “play as fast as you can without regard for consistency or dynamics”.

[@marklandriau]

The harpsichord and clavichord do not have dynamics as they do not have hammers that hit the keys like the modern piano. And why leave a hate comment anyways? :(

[@mikesoule1352]

​@@marklandriauMy copy is marked "moderato" which this clearly not. He plays much better than I ever will, however it seems like cartoon music to me.

[@thomashogan4908]

I think it actually is a harpsichord. It sounds nothing like a fortepiano.

[@simonesperandio9383]

It's a Fortepiano!

[@EpicGradin]

yeah its a forte piano

[@Liunmayer]

In italian that instrument is called "clavicembalo"

[@HenryFigglebottomIII]

He looks like shaggy

[@arongeisz]

no hate but no need to rush this song

[@michaelberry6027]

It’s an early forte piano. The type of instrument J.C. Bach, Haydn, or Mozart might have used. As far as Scott Joplin rags go, slow down! It’s not a race to the finish.

[@BalshazzarWastebasket]

sounds like a sfinette

[@James-l5i3n]

Oops!

[@brotoubrotou3164]

Obviously you can play the piano but it was way too fast and quite sloppy. Ragtime isn’t and shouldn’t be a race to the finish. Slow down so the listener can appreciate all the intricacies of one of the best ever ragtime pieces.

[@Robbienumber1]

While Scott Joplin did say "never play ragtime fast", he did not mean play it slow. "Not fast" does not equal play slowly, he actually wrote this along with other pieces in "tempo di marcia" or march tempo, which is 100-140bpm, 140 being much faster than the speed of the pianist in the video. This person is still definitely rushing through the song which leads to sloppiness, but there's a big misconception about tempo in Ragtime and there are plenty of Ragtime pianists that play at that speed with every note still being comprehensible while also sounding great.

[@brotoubrotou3164]

@ Right, but it wasn’t him. People usually pick a speed and then go over and above their skill level. Plus, I didn’t imply to go way slow. I said to slow down to meet your ability. That said I still think it sounds best when played “slower”.

[@Robbienumber1]

@@brotoubrotou3164 fair enough, i 100% agree

[@RyderMungo-mz1jx]

I agree as well, he went way too fast, and it sounded rushed and sloppy with consistent mistakes in between. What a shame :(

[@mikesoule1352]

​@@brotoubrotou3164I agree---it was so fast, it sounded like cartoon music. I just checked my copy and it's marked "moderato". Then, I checked my metronome, and it says moderato is between 108 and 120.