Spinach Rag - Nobuo Uematsu - 植松伸夫 - sight-read by Tom Brier

[@86grav]

"I made in Encore about 10 years ago after receiving an email with MIDI file attached from someone in Japan saying, "My friend makes music for video games. He wrote this rag."" ....you have an original MIDI file from Nobuo Uematsu!?!?!?

[@RicoLen1]

Well, from someone in Japan who claims to be a friend of Nobuo Uematsu's.

[@Usucito]

I've never met this man... and yet, i love this man.

[@jordan4748]

Usucito Same

[@joseangelmonterroza9364]

now you understand religius people, you are one of them now, bowel to the higher being

[@AdmiralWinfrey]

​@@joseangelmonterroza9364I'd rather not give my bowel to anyone, even if they're really good at the piano.

[@thevectorchef]

Ragtime piano players like Tom Brier are one of a kind. Watching him nail a video game soundtrack (especially Final Fantasy) is mind blowing.

[@a33795]

This is the best version of Spinach Rag on youtube, and the man wasn't even trying!!!

[@hiyukelavie2396]

I wish there's a clean version of this

[@mcihay246]

@Luca Yates Regards to quality probably. Not that the playing is bad I guess, but the video quality is outdated... Unfortunately, it's not happening anytime soon.

[@antpaste]

3 imagine if he started trying, dude. World peace

[@jacksimmons9180]

L1LE1 well he just got moved to a facility and is getting legit help now

[@OmniversalInsect]

Literally anything that he plays becomes the best version of that song on youtube

[@13mungoman13]

3:32 "The keys move so that they land underneath my fingers." SO THAT'S HOW HE DOES IT :O

[@stevencleere4912]

"The keys move to land underneath my fingers" LOL

[@noah1488]

@3:31 for anyone trying to find that quote XD

[@vmunit2931]

His finger dexterity is insane.. Same with all great piano players. Sometimes I just get lost watching their hand movements. It all looks so effortless

[@Dnosirrom]

This puts to shame every other version of this song on the web. To think this is just a sight reading too. Tom captured the real feel of the tune. To think what he could do with this with a little practice....

[@srenhaandbk7904]

Not that i don't think you are completely right, i just laughed a little bit, as i was reading through your comment, when i heard 4:54. How ironic.

[@Iliek]

"No practice" except about 50,000 hours practice playing piano and reading sheet music.

[@malapertfourohfour2112]

Shame is for people who are done working on improvement. For everyone else, this is an encouragement to keep pushing their musical skills further.

[@shredded_lettuce]

Man this guy NEEDS to do an album of video game rags.

[@dugroz]

Would be awesome! Unfortunately, copyrights probably make that a daunting task.

[@crazyfroggie6546]

He does, it's an unofficial version, though provided by the platform of his fans on KZbin

[@eleos5]

@Vice TOLUCT If you would look at the most recent video on this channel, or do a little digging, you would see that Tom Brier, has indeed been injured for well over 2 years now. We would all appreciate if did some research before commenting.

[@eleos5]

@Vice TOLUCT This is not his channel. Only a close friend's. If you look at the most recent video, it explains everything. All the other uploads are of other musicians. It's okay to be corrected, y-know.

[@eleos5]

@Vice TOLUCT My bad, it was uploaded only a couple hours before I posted that previous comment. Look at the video that says Tom update, 18 January 2019. I'm pretty sure even the title is enough evidence to prove that tom is in a terrible situation, and it's not worth arguing over.

[@alcyonecrucis]

Another mortal bears witness to the glory of Brier.....

[@Keeper1st]

@MrCokeLolx Part of the reason I post the videos of Tom playing these tunes is to introduce ragtime as a genre to people who like the tunes but are unaware that this style is a living genre outside of video games and Disney theme parks. They see videos like this, then see videos of "normal" ragtime and realize the style of music as a whole is what makes these game tunes so catchy and memorable. So, you're a case in point. These videos have introduced you to ragtime as a whole. That's great!

[@Keeper1st]

The score does say to begin the strain slow but accelerate to the normal speed within a few measures. His second time playing the tune here, he decides instead to play the strain slowly all the way through, then play it in one-step rhythm (i.e. where the oom-pah bass moves twice as fast but the melody stays the same). It is not notated that way; I just suggested it to him after the first take and he made up a one-step version off the top of his head.

[@leonardoromeromartinez6483]

It is amazing how Tom enjoys the theme and does what he wants with the music. Absolutely amazing. Cannot stop listening it.

[@kirktown2046]

I freaking love watching Tom play and his enthusiasm and laughter, this dude is my people.

[@chaff5]

"When it does that slow down bit, I always imagine it going into a one-step." *laughs* "I could do that" *makes it up on the spot* Look in the dictionary for the words "awesome" and "pianist". Pianist shows a picture of Tom, Awesome says "please see pianist."

[@SilentStone13]

14 years oh damn, time past so fast

[@Keeper1st]

No; it's like walking onto a Hollywood "Western" set with anachronistic music. This music style is from African-American youth of the very late 19th and early 20th century -- not from white cowboys in the mid-19th century. Thinking so is like thinking modern western bars would have 50 Cent playing in them! But because this type of music was the most popular when silent movies were, and so many silent movies were Westerns, the misconception persists.

[@Pohvi]

No matter how many times i watch this, it's always just as entertaining to watch.

[@JamesOStanworth-Wang]

Tom's music continues to bring joy to my life. Best wishes for a continued recovery, Tom. Like the world the lady is blown away by the talent.

[@Dnosirrom]

This is the ONLY version on the internet that actually sounds like a proper Rag. Everyone else, including the FF cd's themselves play it far too slow.

[@hiyukelavie2396]

I wish there's a clean version of this

[@lonesilv]

Ragtime was never meant to be rushed: Just take a look at Scott Joplin's explicit instructions written all over his work. For some great examples of ragtime at the tempo Scott Joplin envisioned it, listen to Joshua Rifkin playing Fig Leaf Rag, Gladiolus Rag, and Magnetic Rag. Pineapple Rag is also another great piece that I think heavily influenced this rag by Uematsu.

[@annoynymouse1146]

@@lonesilv right? If someone wanted to play it faster and... harder, maybe as a stride would be a better way to play it (and to call it)

[@kevinchan1598]

@@annoynymouse1146 I think it would be inaccurate to call fast ragtime “stride” as the only similarity the two genres share is the oom-pah left hand. Stride piano is an offshoot of ragtime that is based around improvisation, and ragtime is (if you’re going by how the composers of classic rag envision it) to be played deliberately and as written. Perhaps to call it a ‘galop’ would be a more correct term as I’ve seen that word tacked onto the names of fast marches.

[@annoynymouse1146]

@@kevinchan1598 I would also say that syncopation is another similarity... so... the main difference between ragtime and stride is just the improvisation part? the added fills? Tempo is not considered that relevant?

[@Silverado1st]

Ive been playing piano and organ since I was 13 and this guy is just hands down incredible! Have a lot of great memories from playing piano all over the world when I was in the military and a few pubs in my home town that have old piano's just collecting dust. I rattle off a few 300 memorized tunes and get them all tapping there toes and clapping hands, but this guy is 1000 times better :) It is definitely a great gift to have and share with others. A complete pleasure to watch and hear him play!

[@leifvejby8023]

Could it be that he has no filter between his brain's association center and his hands, but just a direct connection?

[@Silverado1st]

@@leifvejby8023 That's possible. Probably alot involved with playing on his level. No restrictions to hand eye coordination, able to concentrate and focus solely on a few tasks, memory recall, photographic memory, being able to associate many things at once and such. I can play with my eyes closed too, but I'm at the bottom of the ladder hes climbing lol. I would be the one holding the ladder lmao. Enjoying what you do and years of practice and training help too.

[@Keeper1st]

@Taedrin Oh, sorry about that. I had moved all my web space to a new host and domain last year. I thought I had updated all my links, but I must have missed this one (which didn't matter until now because the old host still hadn't taken down the space that I hadn't been paying for since about this time last year!). Anyway, I've put the new link in the description now.

[@Keeper1st]

Maybe next month. I'll see him again at the Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival. He played it flawlessly (with plenty of wild embellishment) when I showed him the score two months ago, but I didn't record it 'cause I thought I'd let him practice it first. He didn't need any, unlike some of these others like this one.

[@dauntlesschicken9756]

He sight reads music like he is reading from a textbook. That ability must be so liberating.

[@Degenerate_Gen]

"the keys move so that they land underneath my fingers" that pretty much sums up Mr.Brier

[@Keeper1st]

@DarknessSavior I've been loath to do that because one of the reasons for posting these videos is to introduce gamers to the genre as a whole -- including ragtime music from sources other than games. If I were to do it, I wouldn't just have the videos of Tom, but my sheet music transcriptions and my video of Martin Spitznagel doing the Mario theme in stride piano.

[@EntropicDecayGaming]

Tom Brier is just awesome! This is the only video I've seen of someone playing Spinach Rag at the proper tempo. Keep up the great work!

[@ravenbuscus4416]

Hes the Bob Ross of piano! Everything he plays is art.

[@leonardoromeromartinez6483]

Nobuo Uematsu + Tom Brier = Amazing^2. It is also amazing how he enjoys the music and inserts new passages. Absolutely, telented. What about if both Nobuo and Tom meet together; it would be the apocalypse. Sigo pensando que si Nobuo Uematsu y Tom Brier coincidieran en el espacio-tiempo, el universo implosionaría.

[@PMoney365]

At 7:45, just when you think he's done, he melts your face!

[@osoxis]

Yes!

[@PersianPlatypus]

That woman is all of us the first time we watched Tom hahah.

[@dugroz]

yep!

[@gustavobraga582]

This is one of Tom's most brilliant videos! Humility, sense of humor, excellent playing, tons of embelishments, fun, creativity... Truly Tom all around!

[@RicoLen1]

I seriously would pay to have a clean copy of him playing this song mistake free. He is so good, and no matter where I look I can't find anyone that plays this song better than him.

[@Keeper1st]

@chaff5 Actually he says, "I could see that..." before doing it. I kinda figured that if I put the idea into his head, he'd run with it like that. But the result is almost always better than I imagined!

[@trantuananhnguyen714]

how could he came up with 3 different endings ?? and every ending has its own level, this man's creation is beyond God tier!

[@jsu9575m]

I revisit videos of Tom every year and will always be in awe of the talent.

[@RicoLen1]

I first visited this video 10 years ago and I'm still coming back. The guy was a master.

[@Keeper1st]

@VegasBilgeRat Heh, no, but it is a rather old building -- about 160 years old. It's the Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium, at 51 Main Street, Sutter Creek, California.

[@_WooWho]

I downloaded Keeper's arrangement of the sheet music and actually learned this a while ago. I should really re-learn this. It's a great tune.

[@Keeper1st]

@WyattEpp It was earlier than '99, I think. I was still using dial-up unix shell accounts, so it was probably '96, '97...? I didn't know what game the tune was from for many more years when I happened to come across Uematsu's name and looked around. Don't remember the name of the person who sent it either. The person had mistaken my site for a MIDI ragtime music repository, when actually it's just for my own MIDI sequences.

[@thelovelies249]

I'd like to bid on 1/1200 of an airship please...

[@gavintan9477]

Game Grumps Compilations Father: 1 Million Gil!

[@kyngkyng908]

you prolly dont care but if you are bored like me during the covid times you can stream pretty much all of the new movies and series on InstaFlixxer. I've been watching with my brother recently xD

[@timothyyosef3769]

@Kyng Kyng Yup, been watching on InstaFlixxer for months myself :)

[@Zambo43014]

I don’t get how he’s able to do that at 4:29 He has the lady’s hand in his face twice during the hardest part of the song and he plays it flawlessly. True Talent

[@an3582]

Toms music always brightens my day and ill never get tired of this video. You should get him an updated score so he can learn and perform it. Id love to hear a full ragtime band cover.

[@Dymdez]

This has been like my 100th time watching this and it really just dawned on me how amazing this is, around 1:48 is just unbelievable....This must be so much fun for him to be able to do this.

[@adamrulesworld]

I wish he would record a CD of these video game tunes. I would be first in line! I love listening to him play. Really inspiring to me as a fellow piano player.

[@Keeper1st]

It's a pretty regular request. I'm sure it would, but I don't expect it to happen. Martin Spitznagel did do three awesome videogame music tracks on his "Handful of Keys; Face-Melting Ragtime" album.

[@srenhaandbk7904]

This is great, you really get an idea of how Tom is to be around

[@Keeper1st]

Tom was a joy. This concert from 2001 also is something you'll enjoy in seeing how much fun Tom had, and how much fun people had WITH him. (Just have to deal with the poor VHS quality!) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZCZnJdprdeeoZo

[@Phobos_Anomaly]

Soren, I've seen you everywhere, and I remember you because of your super awesome Commodore profile pic and (I'm going to take a guess here) Scandinavian name.

[@Keeper1st]

There are books on the subject you can check out, such as the classic "They All Played Ragtime", or newer books on ragtime history by Ed Berlin.

[@ArveEriksson]

Well... This guy's just showing off. (And having all the kinds of fun doing so. Nice!)

[@Keeper1st]

Tom was never one to show off; he just had fun.

[@Keeper1st]

Yeah, besides the wrong time signature, they seem never to have heard of a double-sharp. The score I made a long time ago was just a quickie which still has some problems, though. The bass beats aren't separated, the grace notes are written out as 32nd notes (Encore would likely crash if you tried to start a measure with grace notes), and there's one place where I put an F-natural when it should have been notated as an E-sharp. But it's readable, at least. Most videogame scores online aren't.

[@Keeper1st]

@coollein There are a couple more ragtime tunes from Uematsu (and indeed from the Final Fantasy series) that I discovered recently and showed to Tom this past weekend. Video was taken, so stay tuned...

[@SilverXerion]

Is there anywhere where we can see that series of videos? we'd love to see Tom's performance on other Uematsu's compositions

[@Keeper1st]

@@SilverXerion Just search Tom Brier Final Fantasy, for example. I don't separate the videogame stuff into playlists because the whole point was to treat the music the same as any other ragtime presented here.

[@HoneyBunchesMcLover]

I'd kill for talent like this. Keep these videos coming, Keeper1st!

[@jerobarraco]

This play is epic, but also this "My friend makes music for video games. He wrote this rag." (in the description)

[@Dnosirrom]

Tom brings this piece to life! he realy seems to enjoy playing it. So alive and fresh! It would be amazing to see a clean copy of this. The wonders he could do with this if he spent some time on it! Now THIS is Rag!

[@cloudparter]

This is amazing! What a rendition. He got the timing almost down perfectly and he Sight Read this?!? I call shenanigans!

[@Keeper1st]

@xarboy5000 It's in the description. Final Fantasy VI.

[@Keeper1st]

@amplimax Notice how he plays it after I suggest it as a one-step, if you compare it to how it was played before, the bass line moves twice as fast in relation to the melody.

[@pcachu]

That improv on the last run-through is what makes it pro.

[@genjiglove6124]

Please get well soon Tom, the world needs more of your genius

[@necronopticous]

This is the best video on KZbin.

[@marleyanalytics]

These videos are such treasures.

[@Keeper1st]

@shadowzero9200 Oh, that's a great rag. I hadn't heard that one before. Definitely will make a score of it. Thanks for the heads-up! I also have Slide Show Part 2 from FF VII in the queue of tunes to make readable scores from (scores exist for both of these tunes but they're either overly simplified or have a lot of wrong accidentals or are in the wrong time signature, use too many ledger lines, etc., so I have to score them myself to make them truly readable).

[@Keeper1st]

Besides folk songs from the Old World, and new pop songs ("Oh Susanna" is still popular today), you'd have heard a lot of opera music, believe it or not. While today opera is considered high-class music, in those days before TV, movies or radio, it was the entertainment of the masses. You'll notice that many preserved old Western towns have an opera house, in fact. I've seen some racist songs about Chinese from the time too (many towns had a Chinese population as they were railroad workers).

[@newgate-zerohour]

This video was recorded 12 years ago and Tom is about 50 years old now - which would make him about 38 at the time. Therefore when he said he hadn't played it in 42 years, he was probably making an HHGTTG reference! Or perhaps something related to Final Fantasy 6-

[@Keeper1st]

Absolutely Hitchhiker's!

[@newgate-zerohour]

@@Keeper1st That's so cool!

[@Keeper1st]

@@newgate-zerohour You mean hoopy.

[@Keeper1st]

@Mapinga78 I dunno about that; he just knows what I mean by "one-step" which I would expect of any musician.

[@Keeper1st]

@GeorgesVI Same time (well a bit later) but different place. This was music in the cities -- particularly the ethnically diverse cities, as it came from African-American musicians. In many predominantly white areas, ragtime music and its related dances was banned for being obscene.

[@Keeper1st]

@shadowzero9200 I posted a video of Tom sight-reading the Treno tune last night.

[@doctoratroposxr9828]

1:55 What an amazing recover

[@RicoLen1]

Long time fan of Uematsu, honest he's one of the very best composers alive. I was only like 14 or so when I first heard this song and I got Final Fantasy 3 for the SNES. I was really surprised at how 'authentic' this song felt compared to much older and well known ragtimes.

[@leonardoromeromartinez6483]

Cuánta emoción podían conseguir con tan pocos bit

[@Potztausig]

Composed by a genius and interpreted by another genius. Damn for a moment I was sitting in the Saloon watching the girls dance concorde :3

[@Gxyz222]

Kupo, KUPO!!!

[@DaeoSZ]

that lady doesn't even know how lucky she is

[@Donkelo]

This video alone makes me want to abandon everything in life and learn how to play ragtime instead. Wonderful!

[@Starfoxfan-rg6iz]

This is my favorite one that he's done so far

[@oomenacka]

This does put a smile on my face

[@civilwildman]

Damn! And that's pretty much at the same speed as it's played in the game! Awesome job, Keeper1st! :D

[@1manorgy]

I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH THE BLOODY AUCTION HOUSE DAGNABIT

[@Silverado1st]

I play by ear but can read notes,just can't play directly from sheet music, but I can have fun with songs I do know, change key rythem and tempo. My dad could play from sheet music but not manipulate the songs, resticted to the paper. Think he was amazed at how I could change the songs. I wish I was at this guy's level, really looks like a lot of fun.

[@Cynis001]

This is one of his best videos in my opinion. I love it. Not just a good musican, but also funny XD

[@PopTartNeko]

Beautiful! It's been lots of years since I've played Final Fantasy VI and then I heard this familiar tune again. Realized it has never really left me.

[@darkdreamsdontdie7785]

Upon watching more and more of your videos. I now realize that he was in a terrible car accident that has left him unable to play the piano as he was once able to amongst other things. That is very unfortunate to hear and I wonder if he’ll recover fully and go back to playing piano.

[@amphreded]

I love that Tom's always having fun

[@BreadandFaxes]

His technique is so good it looks like his hands are going in reverse. Like theyre magnetized to the keys.

[@Lost1ntransaction]

No mas decir que el piano es el mas hermoso instrumento de todos, en todo sentido :)

[@Keeper1st]

@jere3416 Not specifically. Referring to ragtime music in general.

[@archael18]

I hope he will never have an accident and hurt his hands. It would be an unrecoverable loss.

[@a33795]

You had to jinx it. He had been in an accident and can't play.

[@StichyWichy21]

This comment did not age well

[@Locke1620]

Wow that was amazing. What I love about this tune is that you would never guess it was from a video game, which is how all VG music should be; good enough to stand on it's own.

[@Keeper1st]

As far as I know, Tom has not played this tune since.

[@DarknessSavior]

You should make a playlist of all of the videos you have of Tom playing video game tunes. I've tried finding them all in your videos, but you have -so many-. I found this one by accident when I found the Earthbound one. XD He's so great!

[@Keeper1st]

@TolaMacarino He does, every two months. Next date is July 23rd at 7 p.m.

[@daikonv]

thank you very much again for sharing this

[@kirktown2046]

Ah, incredible every time!

[@Keeper1st]

Yeah, wild dancing was a shock to Victorian sensibilities.

[@VicJang]

Such a classic performance. Love this.

[@princessmarthajandio]

Thank you, Keeper1st. I appreciate it.

[@Azremodehar]

Hearing this piece waaaay back in the day, when I played FFVI for the first time, is what made me fall in love with ragtime as a whole. Made me want to learn piano, too.

[@tonymc3817]

He was the greatest rag player in history, ever.

[@daikonv]

that was awesome! Thanks for uploading this :)

[@creandoCOSASdiy]

How the hell this can be. This man is one of a kind.

[@Keeper1st]

@Sainty01 Perhaps you did...? What makes you even think such a thing? It's not like KZbin is in Smell-O-Vision, and you wouldn't be able to hear if someone did over all the laughing and my talking from right behind the camera.

[@MisterMulluc]

Seeing the comments requesting the piece, I hastened to find an mp3 (having never heard it before). This is of course superb.

[@Neoknightshade]

Easily the best live play on KZbin, it sounds like the game and speed is just right

[@lucascecil6287]

His hair moved from his head to his neck to be closer to the music.

[@squirrelbuddi]

OMG LOL XD

[@CoyotePark]

Damn I laughed out so loud because of you at work here xD

[@kinghippo423]

how many years it has been since you've played this one? 42 ! That was funny BTW, I can't wait for the MOO MOO FARM song. That one will be epic. Like every song Tom plays. You rock !!!!!