Maple Leaf Rag - Scott Joplin PIANO TUTORIAL - P. Barton, piano

In this viewer’s request tutorial I play Maple Leaf Rag in 4 different ways. The sheet music in the “swing” version based on Joplin’s piano roll can be downloaded (free) from Google Drive: drive.google.c...
Please note: This new Maple Leaf Rag edition is based on a transcription of Joplin’s piano roll but edited in such a way as to make the embellishments more practical to play at a moderate to fast tempo.
*Even though Maple Leaf Rag was written in 2/4 meter I prefer to play it in 4/4 meter, because (to me) the phrases arch best in 4/4.
Free public domain edition of original published score: www.mutopiapro...
In these recordings, I use the harmonic pedal (only) in resonance half-position. The harmonic pedal was invented by Denis de la Rochefordière.
My Patreon: / paulbarton for those that like to support online creators from as little as 1$ a month.

[@artisuryavanshi7785]

Maple Leaf Rag" is a multi-strain ragtime march with athletic baselines and offbeat melodies. Each of the four parts features a recurring theme and a striding bass line with copious seventh chords. The piece may be considered the "archetypal rag" due to its influence on the genre; its structure was the basis for many other rags, including "Sensation" by Joseph Lamb. Paul,your channel deserves 1M subs,"So guys please smash the subscribe button of his channel"on Paul's behalf.😁😁.He is very detailed too.

[@PaulBartonPiano]

You are so very thoughtful, Arti - thank you!

[@hippityhoppitus5495]

⁰⁰

[@erinc9672]

Subscribed! Thank you, Paul!

[@adrianthomas6244]

@@PaulBartonPiano well played, love ur playing of ragtime, I love playing ragtime myself, I find for instance when I play the maple leaf rag tempo di Marcia, or march time, that enables the piece to sound authenticated like Scott Joplin wants it played, same for when I play the entertainer not fast, I find personally that sticking to the original tempo, the ragtime time compositions sound a lot better, I appreciate what you said about people allowed to interpret ragtime the way they like too play it, and respect those who do, but for me when I play ragtime or even playing Beethoven sonatas etc, I always find playing the tempo it is written is the way, as it sounds to me the way it should be played, greetings from wales uk.

[@ScorpionSpeed]

Absolutely astonishing!! You will always be my favorite modern-day pianist, Paul.

[@Gigasaur1]

Paul, you provide for free on this platform what few could expect to see and hear in music colleges and universities around the world at great expense. By this alone you deserve everything you've earned and more. One of the greatest musicians and educators on YT. 👏👏👏

[@dibaldgyfm9933]

What a marvellous video!

[@vincentdesiano4861]

That was outstanding! Thank you!

[@micksayers1]

You have taught me a lot with this video, already Paul. You’re a saint. 🎉🎉

[@olabystrom5265]

Thank you for the score with the added notes! 🙏🏼

[@PaulBartonPiano]

You're welcome, Ola.

[@wblue74]

When I heard the Joplin piano roll I was amazed by the different feel, surely he knew his own music better than anyone. I also think he would have approved wholeheartedly of interpreting it your own way.

[@jorgemeneses4492]

Paul, artful way to play those different ways. I agree with you, it should be played the manner that most pleases the person playing it. I am in my second year of piano studies and know that one day I want to play a couple of Scott Joplin's compositions: The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag. Keep up your teaching and appreciation of piano music. Mil Gracias!!

[@GringoPeruano]

sugar, Paul - such passion - wonderful. many tx

[@scootermacarthy5990]

Thank you for this wonderful performance and comments. I just want to add something. Rags are actually a form of a march and with marches the first time thru makes a statement but the second time thru there should be a marked difference: volume, length of certain pitches, accents in specific areas or even take some parts up an octave. This works perfectly in the B section where up taking it up an octave is much more interesting. And when coming up to the A section again take it down an octave in the bass. I recommend listening to Claude Bolling play this on his album of rags and boogie woogie selections. His performance is stunning. This performance is good but gets rather uninteresting in a rather short time. Just sharing my opinion here. Hope some find it helpful. Your technique is quite good and clean for the most part and you've mastered the hardest part: the C section! I wrote this before hearing entire video but I'm just sharing some info; you did a good job explaining! I think I like traditional style best as the jazzed up version sounds kinda hokie.

[@jpinhead]

GOD! I wish I could play like this!!

[@j.infant8408]

Desde Chile , eres grande Paul

[@CodyHazelleMusic]

Paul I love your sound...so much liveliness, bounce, musicality...every note is a treat. I don't know if you take requests but i would love to hear you play Solace. It's my favorite Joplin tune and so far the only recording I've heard that does it justice is William Bolcom's. I'm studying his phrasing and rubato myself!

[@murdo_mck]

I'm listening to Solace (Bolcom) as I type. Love it.

[@CodyHazelleMusic]

@@murdo_mck I put up a recording of solace here on my channel

[@MarianKowal-l4b]

Excelent

[@anakromhis]

If jedis were to play pianos using the force I suspect it would be just so... Not to mention that Paul knows the ways of the Force... May the syncopation be with you!

[@ponylockz7371]

Ragtime, Jazz, Hip hop, Rhythm and Blues and even Rock n Roll are all 💯 North American music and expressions. It doesn't have anything to do with the music that comes from any part of the continent of Africa.

[@LukasYasue]

w o w I"m getin used to these videos there so many of them and how do you know me secret piano tutorial. and by the ways This video has been approved by Scott Joplin the Original

[@spartahristova2631]

La joie, La joie

[@ilof8125]

Hi Paul, Iv been learning the piano for a couple months now and I’m having some trouble increasing the speed at which I play, do you have any tips for this? Thanks

[@ironframe5989]

I'm not Paul but I find that breaking it up into its 4 sections and concentrating only on each section for about a week I can get the speed up. I've been practising this piece for 3 or 4 months and am still not happy with any section other than the first but I'll persevere. For fingering "Jane" has an excellent tutorial on youtube. When you think you've finished practising go around one more time and you'll get there.

[@TomD67]

Paul, I like this video very much, but one detail bothers me. In measure 4 (4th full measure, that is), you seem to be adding an extra E-flat octave in the right hand, on the model of the two E-flat octaves in measure 5. That's not in the published score I have, nor do I hear it on Scott Joplin's piano roll version (kzbin.info/www/bejne/pn6kpX9to8RgqMU).

[@anton5730]

Yeah I was wondering about that. That extra octave is definitely not in the original score.

[@keepsave5538]

i dont know how to use the pedal. Is it a random way when i have to hit it or is there a real time when i have to?

[@chowbow573]

Keep Save I play it without pedal, and it still sounds good

[@MarianKowal-l4b]

My level schould by desame. We see?

[@edzmuda6870]

I thought that the music was called ragtime because the joyful tempo and melodies helped comfort women going through their menstruation cycles.

[@andrewsoltisz3383]

13:11 for the final swing version

[@xanthopsized]

I was mesmerized by the piano roll version of Maple Leaf but couldn’t find a single video of anyone playing it, that’s until I found your video. Hands down the neatest version. You capture almost all the embellishments I hear in the piano roll version. I can’t thank you enough.

[@PiotrBarcz]

When Joplin marked staccato, it meant to play the second strain WITHOUT sustain pedal and shortening the notes like crazy to have a very crisp sound, the staccato section ends at the start of the intermission with the first strain.

[@pattiannepascual]

Magnificent! and the actual piano is so well balanced. It sounds amazing.

[@PiotrBarcz]

I like the third example without swing but with the offset accents. That is true ragtime.

[@janjool]

Thanks for covering Scott Joplin. I always find practicing his pieces most enjoyable because they make you want to dance 🙂

[@solenecarre8008]

thank you for the score, I really like these embellishment notes !

[@PaulBartonPiano]

You're welcome.

[@willie2639]

Thank you Sir! Your interpretation, your analysis, your commentary, and most of all, your respect for this man and his music, is by far, the best I have ever heard or seen. Although I have very little my talent, smarts or skills, you have inspired me to try playing this wonderful music once again. Thank you for doing justice to Scott Joplin!!

[@juchecatgirl]

I was just thinking to myself last night that I should see if you had a video on Maple Leaf Rag. Imagine my surprise when I saw it this morning! Great video as always, keep up the great work 😁

[@rodgermyles2871]

Having real difficulty with the Trio probably because I am a beginner. Have downloaded your version. many thanks for your demos. Will be back to get them solidly impressed so one day I might be able to play this reasonably well. Thanks.

[@dmswan3172]

Paul, thank you so much for this great tutorial! Each of the four versions is wonderfully played and your insights on interpreting Scott Joplin rags are very helpful. 6

[@tishsimonnet5376]

Bravo Mr Barton! Please would you play Jimmy Johnson’s The Charleston, transcribed from a piano roll. I’d love to hear how you play Stride, as you have nailed swing! I absolutely love the later versions, towards the jazz meter.

[@kaylllake1]

Paul is not only a remarkable pianist, he is a great teacher. In these days, it is so refreshing to find such a great person!

[@pennyliao4473]

Learning this piece now. This video breaks down the differences across the versions so clearly. Thank you!

[@somebody7270]

Thank you Mr. Barton for your videos.

[@Khyree_Holmes]

one of my favorites! I heard this when I was little on TV or something....

[@worrellrobinson4332]

Thank you for this lesson, I that either way played (Jazz or Classical) gives a pianist something tangible felt inside which expressed in a vibe of enjoying playing the piano! Keep up the good work stay blessed & fantastic kind regards from Worrell.

[@davidbernalpianista]

Paul you are such a genius, I just love the way you play the piano and your explanations about music. I liked all the styles, the jazzy one a little bit more, but the classical style works too. How hard is this piece to learn as compared to the entertainer?

[@leyniaLip]

What a treat to hear and learn. I love this style of music and did not know anything about it. Thank you!

[@sandvancrib]

Thought I played it quite well, but after listening to you I feel like some kid handling a bulldozer :))

[@Gustavo_Weckesser]

Great playing!!! thanks for sharing. Congratulations

[@tonyshanahan2609]

Wonderful playing. I agree with you and like both ways but lean towards the swung version. I once won a Sidney Bichet album in the 1980's and wow does his version swing and is fast. Top tutorial!

[@TheLastDay-BobReese]

Each way was great because you hear it soooo much just played just one way most of the time.

[@happy2space]

I love it

[@henriquejanuario881]

thanks for sharing! have you ever try a digital piano? Do you recomend any one? big hug!

[@PaulBartonPiano]

I have a friend with an electric piano, he plays beautifully and recommends Roland

[@M4VERICK1982]

I have a Kawai CS11. Stunning digital piano with beautiful action. Worth trying!!

[@ajboomer1995]

Great job, took me a while but I finally saw the difference. Thanks!

[@samwest6918]

This is so inspiring to watch and listen to. The explanation of the various approaches is expertly given, and brilliantly played, in such a calm manner too! Thank you Paul Barton!

[@ianwake970]

Brilliant video. I've been playing Maple Leaf Rag for years but with a classical meter. You've really inspired me to try it in the other ways you suggested.

[@johndodd7829]

Approaching nearly any piece of music I ask myself, “What would Paul Barton do?” :-) And usually you’ve done something wonderful. Thank you so much for this outstanding (as always) tutorial, as well as for the piano roll score. I’d long felt that Maple Leaf Rag was so overplayed, and usually too quickly and noisily, that I stopped playing it. But you have provided such fresh insight and breathed such new life into it that I’m going to pick it up again. This time the piano roll version, of course! You consistently provide so much value and enjoyment to humans and pachyderms alike, and now you have a new Patreon supporter!

[@matthewvarney6214]

My ear is now confused as all these varieties have their merits!

[@djtomt]

I am currently learning this piece and I was wondering about playing it with swing timing and whether Mr. Joplin intended it to be swung. I kind of instinctually use a lot of swing and feel like I am channeling the great composer while I play. What a wonderful and timely analysis you give here! Thank you for all your work on KZbin. You are truly an inspiration.

[@twamley]

In my book of Scott Joplin rags it says "never play ragtime fast" the composer, on quite a few of the pieces, I usually play at the timing of your first example, which is not too fast or too slow.

[@spartahristova2631]

Thank you 🙏

[@antonarkhipov9867]

Very good. Thanks .

[@stevehenry9826]

Thank you Paul for your informative video on the Maple Leaf Rag! My piano teacher was getting angry at me because I swing the 8th notes when I play this composition. But in the Scott Joplin rag roll version you played its sounds like that's the way he played it. Your thoughts. Excellent video!

[@jrileycain6220]

I appreciate this wonderful rendition. So many pianists insist on playing Maple Leaf Rag as fast as possible. They're using the music to show off their talent, to display themselves. Maestro Barton uses his talent to show off the beauty of the music.

[@ciaran188]

Any chance of recording the embellished version by itself? Have you recently tuned your piano it's sounding excellent

[@natfrey6503]

I learned this in my late teens and just last night played it while my in-laws and children danced to it.. When I heard your swing version a week or so ago, I longed to learn it that way. Thanks so much for the free score! Those embellishments are wonderful.

[@RicardoMelaniaa]

Simply magnificent! Congratulations, Paul Barton! I am currently studying this and I am in part 3 (I found this part more difficult) hehe Hugs from Brazil!

[@robertthompson9573]

I'm so impressed . To find someone who knows and plays Scot Joplin to such a high standard. I have heard dozens of players but you are the very best.Thank you

[@apriltoronto5254]

Hello Paul Barton and thank you for this high-class performance and the joy you gave me when listening to your playing. You, Sir, are a really apt piano player that plays with a raffinesse and an amazing feel and touch to the keys... Greetings from Berlin, Germany

[@danielsan7899]

Im learning this piece right now, Do you have any tips for developing a good technique to play this piece at a fast tempo ? Im finding it difficult to play this piece fast . Thanks

[@PiotrBarcz]

I just looked at your version of the score and i'd like to mention that you maybe would like to add an octave or two where the walk ups are. Nice job though!

[@Siraj-h4t7x]

I hv learnt the swing version of this peice from ur score Thanx fr giving a free google drive score Also great playing, as always

[@JuanCarlosRodriguezCerdan]

Excellent tutorial and very beautiful performance.

[@Olivman84]

Wow! Amazing job! I am so impressed and inspired! Thanks! :D

[@stonedwookie9916]

amazing bro i am so jealous. just started learning yesterday. reckon its gonna take at least a year to learn lol wish i could read music

[@miguelsantroni3377]

EXCELENTE RITMO.- PAUL ES UN GENIO !! CONGRATULATIONS ( FELICITACIONES )

[@flyurway]

Nicely played. I have to laugh, there's a shipload of videos of this and so far every one of them is done by someone from the UK!

[@everyday734]

Can you play 2 concerto by Rachmaninoff? Please play that 😍

[@WoodyPianoShack]

wonderful video and playing, really enjoyed the final interpretation (as played by joplin himelf), thank you Paul for the transcription too!

[@benjaminyen1087]

Excellent video and explanation of this American masterpiece!

[@Tapiocamilktea]

Played masterfully. Truly captivating.

[@gpmcfm]

Thanks Paul, I too liked listening to all the different ways you played this beautiful piece.

[@michaelcrowe2341]

Brilliant Paul. Thanks very much.

[@Vexilo03]

Good work old man !

[@vincentdesiano4861]

This is exactly what I was looking for! A million thanks!

[@rbeberman5296]

I’d say he knows this piece pretty well.

[@annebegin921]

Love this version! Great expression!

[@ahmedalshalchi]

I wish Dr. K follows up this gentle man and savea us from some of Boogie Woogie.

[@iss9875]

nice but where is the tutorial as tittle suggests?

[@ADRIANRC-nb6iw]

Paul quiero la Partitura completa Please.

[@user-yq1rc6or9x]

Great video. Love your videos. New to them all.

[@nealcopeland9]

Beautiful piano! You play very well

[@ayoutubechannul]

Relearning this after forgetting it thanks

[@papapapa8946]

Señor Paul es usted un maestro preciosa interpretación un saludo desde España

[@gribouille7052]

Merci mille fois pour cette belle prestation !

[@maarkwong]

Appreciate from China

[@alvaroyanes]

Al fin Paul!! Mil gracias!

[@peramundsson2006]

I am basically a classic pianist, but also very interested in old-fashioned American piano styles like boogie woogie, ragtime, stride and swing piano. Thank you Paul for a very entertaining, interesting and inspiring video. You play the piece perfectly and exactly as it was written, without any silly additions or changes as some other modern day ragtime players do. I could play Maple Leaf Rag when i was younger and will soon go about to re-learn this piece. Your video is very inspiring and helpful to me.

[@RichTancredi]

That's a long stride when you get to that Bb chord...I always have to slow down a little or I'll start missing the the octaves to D and F ....and it just gets sloppy from there....lol

[@paistebob3163]

Paul, this was really educational to someone like myself who never studied ragtime but I definitely prefer when you swung this piece at the end it seems to breathe a little bit more life into it although Ragtime is exciting in any version but that definitely was a great sampling!

[@MrMikomi]

You saved the best til last! Incredible composition, and incredible performance.

[@CommentaryCentral]

the 3rd interpretation was really bouncy and cool lol

[@ZodiakGFXNovato]

Pauuuuuuul play the Scherzo op.31 no. 2 !!! please!!

[@bigdaddysenpai9412]

By who. You have to specify which composer

[@bethanynicole871]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your style and everything about this video

[@bethanynicole871]

I keep coming back to this video bc of how much I like the different versions

[@bethanynicole871]

I have become determined to get that roll like how Joplin wrote the electrical piano!

[@11vlyleven]

Holy Crap can this guy PLAY!! Each version is better than the last!

[@briansimeone5409]

You have a good stride hand.