Transcriptions of Tom Brier performances played on my player piano

[@scoobingtonmcghee977]

Thanks to chat for helping me fill some of these in! Timestamps: 0:00 - Ghost's n Goblins 2:01 - K.K. Ragtime (Animal Crossing) 4:35 - Animaniacs Theme Song 6:05 - Blame It on the Blues (Charles L. Cooke) 9:25 - Blue Lampshade (Brier Original) 14:10 - Blue Lampshade 2.0 19:59 - Last Rag (Devil May Cry) 24:18 - Snakey Chantey (Donkey Kong Country 2) 28:08 - Fumble Fingers (Brier Original) 31:11 - Gumball! (Sonic the Hedgehog 3) 35:21 - "Tom Making Up Stuff off the Top of His Head" 38:50 - "Tom Making Up a Waltz off the Top of His Head" 42:22 - Lucky Me (Brier Original) 44:57 - Meditation (Brier Original) 50:05 - No Foolin' (Brier Original) 53:52 - Nyan Cat! 1:00:34 - Patient is the Night (Over the Garden Wall) 1:05:09 - Rhythmodik (Brier Original) 1:08:11 - Cool, Cool Mountain! (Super Mario 64) 1:14:10 - Southern Tradition (Brier Original) 1:17:10 - Strollin' (Brier Original) 1:21:49 - Sunlight and Shadow (Brier Original) 1:26:03 - Birabuto Kingdom! (Super Mario Land) 1:28:58 - Credits! (Super Mario Land 2) 1:36:33 - Credits! (Super Mario World) 1:41:33 - Overworld! (Super Mario Bros.) 1:44:41 - Cetus (Tom Brier and Neil Blaze) 1:48:46 - Spring Yard Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog) 1:54:36 - Fluffy Ruffles (Cecil Duane Crabb) 1:57:10 - Hot Hands (Charley Straight) 1:59:51 - Lolita - A Tropical Dance (Luis Moreno) 2:05:06 - Peril in Pantomime! (Brier Original) 2:08:19 - Queen of the Roses (Charlotte Blake) 2:14:05 - Shooting Range (Ocarina of Time) 2:16:57 - Temptation Rag (Henry Lodge) 2:19:33 - Terra Vertigo (Brier Remix) 2:22:24 - Korobeiniki (Tetris) 2:27:54 - Horse Race (Ocarina of Time) 2:30:35 - Athletic Theme! (Yoshi's Island) 2:32:50 - Credits! (The Legend of Zelda) Thank you to Andrew Barrett and Keeper1st for correcting some credit errors!

[@cameronleesimpson5742]

Blue Lampshade for fun

[@sirpizza2044]

You sir, are a legend.

[@klawdstraif]

2:29:44 are the last embelishments for Horse race, as a waltz

[@scoobingtonmcghee977]

@@klawdstraifthank you!

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Hi, the tune "Lolita, a Tropical Dance" is not one of Tom's, but was composed by Luis Moreno and published in 1903 by Nau and Schmidt in Milwaukee, Wisconsin(!). Mr. Moreno was a musicologist in Ecuador, according to Nick Arteaga. Tom did record it on his album "Rewind" though, (which features exclusively old tunes by other composers; none are his originals) Here's two editions of the score rendered into MIDI by RagtimeDorianHenry: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWrdlYNmdq6JqpI Please correct the composer credit on your list.

[@urfavragtimeguy3875]

Tom Brier was the king of ragtime writers of this century, and it's too bad something so tragic happened to him... He will forever be one of the greatest American composers ever.

[@sirpizza2044]

Definitely, his style of ragtime was the most unique and special style I have ever seen. All of his compositions not only had a feeling of classic ragtime but modern ragtime aswell. He was such an incredible musician.

[@specadmin]

Agreed. When my wife bought his folios and played some, I realized he was a genius. It's tragic what happened but Tom's legacy is far from over.

[@lava_oreo]

Ugh I never knew until now. I rewatched him playing the athletic theme (brings back childhood memories), that's how I got here..

[@StupidlyCool]

What happened???

[@MrUnderhilll]

@@StupidlyCool His vehicle was rear ended by a truck which left him paralyzed from the neck down.

[@JT-bq5ov]

There will never be another Tom Brier. He's a legend.

[@spacelemur7955]

I am so glad KZbin came along while Tom was at his peak. He has fans around the world, and will remain an inspiration for many years. Few of us will ever have made or make such a positive impact. Tom, we love you and hope you find contentment and happiness despite it all.

[@nineko]

I shed a tear at 5:22, when I expected Tom to say "cheated", but he didn't 😢

[@Masckerdoom]

You've been in these comments for a decade bro

[@ernestmendez5487]

Most of the time when I listen to Tom Brier's music it makes me and everyone else happy who's listening. But I try not to think about him too much. Because the subject always makes me want to cry. Such is a tragedy beyond words. And as a fellow musician who has dedicated his life to music the phrase "Ragtime God" when used to describe Tom is perfectly appropriate. What joy he continues to bring. What a gift to us. And I'll continue to speak his name with respect and gratitude for as long as I possibly can.

[@PaulRudd1941]

I was listening to it and I told myself not to cry. Then I cried.

[@spacelemur7955]

Beautiful written and moving. Thanks for being you.

[@YeshMCx]

Man... if you close your eyes... :( Thank you so much for the effort you put into preserving Tom's work, though! I, as well as everyone else here, wish him nothing but the best

[@DugrozReports]

Agree. Thank you, Keeper 1st, for "Keeping" Tom's Music archived and easily accessible to us masses!

Everyone always talks about Tom, but rarely, if ever, do I see people thanking Ron. No matter what was, is, or will be, one may only ever hope to find a friend as good as Ron is to Tom. Not much of Brier's legacy would exist without your work, Mr. O'Dell, and for that alone you deserve our thanks.

[@isambo400]

Hey Keeper thanks for all of the work. I’ve been blasting Toms playing as I cruise across the country for over a decade now.

[@nagybenedek6083]

Man, that paints such a nice picture. Cruising along, listening to these tunes.

[@Dezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

Man his style has a lot of luckey robert-isms, i hadn't noticed how much stride is in his style, tremendous skill as always, ty for these Keeper!

[@americ4nt4co87]

Literally crying. I miss Tom and hope he'll recover from the accident. He'll always be my favorite ragtime pianist for me since his insanely talented style of playing is what motivated me to challenge myself to play more difficult pieces that included more jumps than previous pieces. Ill keep you in my prayers Mr. Brier

[@tabryis]

How did i miss this

[@JonathanMartin884]

The ending of Tom's Super Mario World Credits asks all other song endings to hold its beer. Greatest song ending ever! Love you Tom!

[@spacelemur7955]

I love that you get it, too. It floored me. He took a lovely ditty and made it epical, _on the fly!_ To have heard that ending in his head while sight-reading shows real soul.

[@nicojar]

Thanks a million times, Keeper

[@ahmetarif7397]

Man, I'm about to cry. It's like listening to his ghost 😢

[@Keeper1st]

Not the best wording, as he is still living.

[@ahmetarif7397]

@@Keeper1st I'm sorry, didn't mean to offend. I just got emotional seeing this piano play songs of videos i have watched over and over, but this time w/o this great artist.

[@cameronleesimpson5742]

Tom is a countless inspiration for many of my star pieces I've came to love and if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be where I am right now so I am so thankful to discover you guys when I was getting into ragtime myself like seriously.

[@LoganDouglass]

I just learned about Tom a couple days ago, and I'm in complete awe... Hoping hard for your recovery -- you're an inspiration

[@eddiesavitzspizzaboxcollec7252]

Just stopping by to thank Tom and Keeper for all the wonderful music. Wishing Tom the all the best, and praying that we'll all get to hear his fingers light up the keys again someday.

[@adminchobe]

Isn't quite the same hearing the SMW Ending theme without his slight fumbles :(

[@listenandbelieve]

Ai yai yai...

[@courtneyturgeon9468]

This is the loveliest thing I've ever heard!! Almost as lovely as the real deal. Very nostalgic, I used to watch your Tom Brier uploads when I was about 13, now I'm attending college. I wish only the best for you and Tom :)

[@xxPenjoxx]

Saved to favourites, thank you for all the hard work in preserving his music, Keeper

[@tristanbelmont8348]

I remember watching the video of Tom playing Joplin’s “Entertainer” out in public and it’s my favourite version of the piece

[@jabrown]

How wonderful to find this today on Easter. This MIDI piano doesn't sound as good as the real Tom, but it comes close! Wishing Tom all the best, and hoping his brain functions recover more. He and his music are much loved by us all.

[@jabrown]

I wanted to ask---does Tom remember the accident itself?

[@Keeper1st]

@@jabrown I don't think so. As for the piano, it does sound like real Tom when playing live-captured performances by Tom (see "Brier Plays Brier" and "Tom Brier Karaoke" videos), but as the selections in this stream are programmed transcriptions there's a certain lack of the human element no matter how good the transcriptions are made.

[@jesperkragh]

@@Keeper1st. I am surprised how good some of the transcriptions sound. And I have head some of the original videos at least a hundred times.

[@Keeper1st]

@@jesperkragh Yes, some of these transcribers are exceptionally good. It is really difficult to get the swing just right in a programmed sequence.

[@PiotrBarcz]

@@Keeper1st Weeeeell, it's a bit out of tune too... and some of the notes don't repeat that great, this piano actually sounded better the last time you did a stream like this on Tom's birthday. I wonder why it sounds so muffled and dry now?

[@ronniemillsap]

Goodness! there are times when i am watching this.....and it literally looks like Tom has 3+ hands on the piano at a time....with such speed he must have been moving!

[@phillyfanmatt]

Thank you for making it so easy to binge Tom’s great work (and yours for the arrangements!) all in once place. This is such a gift. The community that assembles in the comments of Tom’s videos always puts a smile on my face. Such a nice little corner of the internet. I think about Tom a lot, and I hope he knew/knows how happy he made people.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Man, “Lucky Me” REALLY jams hard on this piano!!! Thanks for posting! I used the Olivewood piano roll of this tune to win the “pumper contest” at the AMICA annual convention in 2014, which was in Fresno that year. We had an Aeolian upright player piano from the ‘teens rebuilt and lent by the late Stephen Kent Goodman. The pumper contest determines who is the best at playing the player piano, i.e. putting in dynamics thru pedaling and the finger levers, to make the roll come to life and not just grind the music out monotonously. I did my damndest to make it sound like Tom (or I) was actually playing that piece.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

AMICA = Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association, founded in San Francisco in 1963. This group is, along with MBSI, the Musical Box Society International, one of the two largest mechanical music enthusiast and collector groups in the USA, of people interested in player pianos, player reed organs, player pipe organs, orchestrions, photoplayers, band organs etc. it’s a great group and you don’t need to own an instrument to join :) ,

[@gustavobraga582]

Hey Andrew! I had no idea there was such a thing as a "Pumper Contest" :-) I would love to see videos of it. If there are any on youtube, please direct us there. Cheers

[@andrewbarrett1537]

I will prevail upon AMICA members like Julian Dyer and Glenn Thomas to see if there is any footage of past “pumper contests” to post online!

[@444k3]

I miss him so much...😭😭😭

[@rawrwata5289]

I hope Tom makes a speedy recovery the guy is a legend and got me out of the rut of listening to just metal and rock music with his performances of famous video game themes

[@ozmond]

“Speedy” it’s been 5 years now

[@snafuet]

@@ozmond well, with brain injury, it can take a lifetime or never recovering, so 5 years is kinda alright....

[@phillipgreenfield8120]

Amen to that..what a brilliant guy and such an incredible performer. Thankfully we have so many of his recordings and live performances on U-Tube

[@Bryan_Kay]

This was the first song I heard Tom do and I was blow away by his style and how naturally he would jump with that left hand. Truly a spectacular musician.

[@WritersMoment]

Which of all of these songs? xD You left a comment, not a chat entry.

[@coocoocrazy6451]

But if you open your eyes, you see a particular person playing! Hope he will actually be able to go back and play at least one more piece of art.

[@brendancochran6751]

It's like he is still here playing the piano. Thank you for making this.

[@burgesj7]

Damn damn damn I mean i REALLY miss Tom I genuinely do

[@1Steins]

This is incredible! It must have took massive amount of effort, thanks for preserving Tom’s performances, and still finding new ways to save his works.

[@m.e.e.p.e.r]

Love that Tom's on-the-fly tempo change at the start of Super Mario Land 2 credits (1:29:45) is captured in this. One of my favourite moments of his.

[@Keeper1st]

@@m.e.e.p.e.r It was more of a correction, as the piece was written in a one-step rhythm, but initially he began playing it as a ragtime two-step. He noticed after a couple measures that he’d made the mistake, so finished the motif then started over with that correct rhythm.

[@Dr0dd]

Thank you so much, hearing this music preserved like this is so infinitely reassuring. Still pray for his well-being, he was and is such a dynamic person.

[@Yogaa_004]

I love you so much Keeper for still keep this masterpiece work

[@kimjohnsen113]

Thank you so much. Best of wishes for Tom. We miss him

[@jamiibear]

Thank you for this :) sending best wishes to Brier, I've been a great fan for years and to have his works performed and immortalized like this is a blessing.

[@raghebtamimiful]

I wholeheartedly hope Tom Brier will recover and regain his health and vitality .

[@Tiberiansam]

I'm happy and sad at the same time listening to this... ...I wish that I had a time machine to go back and warn Tom about his impending car accident... I really wish that somehow, he'd make a full recovery. I've been watching your videos of Tom for the last 13 years and been a fan since I heard him play some videogame music rags.

[@ApostleZeruel]

This is a true treat! Thanks so much for keeping Tom's music alive, Keeper and all transcribers! This is the Lord's work if there ever was such a thing. Thank you!!!

[@IAyala1010]

GEEEZ these sound like midi files how accurate he played

[@IAyala1010]

Ik they are technically midis but I meant official ones pulled off sheets

[@Persun_McPersonson]

@@IAyala1010 A piano roll/MIDI file taken from actual performances, like these, are going to sound more accurate than ones just based on sheet music.

[@metanogaming412]

Thank you for your stream Tom can be proud of you

[@DugrozReports]

In "Cool Cool Mountain," anyone else hear the car drive by in their head??? 1:12:04

[@sir380]

The super mario world credits, while probably the most popular one, is still the best cover in my opinion.

[@mccoy_]

Amazing!! Thank you for this compilation 💙 Tom’s work has always been a gleaming light to my day. I’m happy to see it preserved so well

[@reinopirttijarvi2487]

Hoping to hear the Pinna Park theme in the next livestream!

[@mrtimo3822]

I wish him well

[@ilonajeanpassino608]

what a piano genious! love his work.

[@ensanesane]

I love "Peril in Pantomime!" so much!

[@laurataylor1278]

Can I get a copy of this music for my player piano? I have a Yamaha disklavier and it takes a flash drive. Thank you very much. Also we used to see Tom at sudwerk brewery in Davis back in the day.

[@Keeper1st]

I have a lot of actual performances by Tom that I could send you. I am still cleaning them up so not all are ready for prime time…

[@laurataylor1278]

@@Keeper1st thank you for the quick reply. If the music can be put on a flash drive I’m very interested in any ragtime you can offer, let me know how much you charge. I understand it is very time consuming and tedious work.

[@Keeper1st]

@@laurataylor1278 I can email. MIDI files are pretty small. I’ve been needing to email them to a couple local ragtimers since I had promised back in August, actually…

[@6B26asyGKDo]

Great work K.K Ragtime and Nyan Cat are my favorites,!

[@pedrodiehl419]

@Keeper1st Hello, is still possibly send a letter to Tom? The last address have changed? Iam a fan from Brazil, ad he inspired me so much in times of sadness and difficulty. Will be nice for him recieve a love oversea maybe? Thanks for all the thing your are doing for Him and us.

[@Keeper1st]

He is now living at his parents' home in Oakdale, California.

[@-NGC-6302-]

So nice to hear his playing, especially if he may not return to this level again

[@nagybenedek6083]

That's quite a sad thought.

[@Keeper1st]

Technically this isn't his playing, but transcriptions of his playing. I do have some videos of his playing on this piano, live-captured performances from past concerts on recording pianos. I've streamed a lot of them on Twitch or on the Discord server, but there are are few on KZbin as well. See "Brier Plays Brier", "Tom Brier Karaoke" and the recent video of Julia playing with "live" Tom accompaniment for the first time since 2016: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXfSgX1pp9Sehbc

[@heavenlyair]

thank you for this

[@giguer7055]

I would have liked to hear Tom Brier play some anime music or even compose it, that would totally have been another universe!

[@Keeper1st]

Like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGO8Y2hnYrSop68

[@deceasedblue]

I always put this stream on for homework.

[@n0rg]

Love that animaniacs key changes

[@mypetblackie108]

I hope Tom gets better soon :c I miss him

[@KennethPlaysOfficial]

this man turned ghost's n goblins into a rag

[@epicablaze]

The Greatest.

[@ethanyoung6733]

Thanks so much. He’s my favorite piano player, just amazing

[@harrymacdonald2672]

Is there a way I can get sheet music of Tom's? I _adore_ his music and would very much like to learn a couple of his pieces!

[@Keeper1st]

Ask us on the Discord...

[@harrymacdonald2672]

@@Keeper1st sure what's it called?

[@Keeper1st]

@@harrymacdonald2672 discord.gg/3AhzJZ4

[@Pandy-do8je]

Glad to hear this! ♥️⚡

[@jasonkatz3631]

is there sheet music for these songs? I know there are simpler versions online, but is there sheet music to these Transcriptions

[@Keeper1st]

To some. Some have transcriptions on MuseScore of varying quality; some that were transcribed straight to MIDI have been written down by me and are on my page www.keeper1st.com/music/vgm.html

[@jasonkatz3631]

@@Keeper1st Thank you :)

[@gblargg]

It's interesting to be able to see the keys better with no person and hands blocking them. Also weird, like the piano is playing itself, just for the fun of it.

[@javiercriado2694]

I love this music!

[@BreakfastKids]

this was so cool thank you tom needs to see this

[@Fooshj]

Damn this guy was basically the ghost writer for all super nintendo games

[@ErgortanguperPolice]

This was streamed on Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s birthday. He’s another pretty good composer.

[@michaelbaucum6787]

This is incredible.

[@Traveo_O]

kk ragtime is one of my favorites

[@RockyTheThird]

I don't really know how to explain it but it really hurts deep when theres somebody who you go to for enjoyment in videos. This is kinda like what happened with Etika to me. Watching video after video to either laugh or in this case really get in that fun vibe of music is great. This really does blow ya know? Its hard relistening to these songs. First time hearing them played by tom its the remembering of the show or game its from and the good times that went along with it. Reliving that nostalgia. When I uses to watch the old videos on repeat I would always get ticked when there was a fumble or somebody talked, like dang that was perfect except it ruined that take. Now here it is actually perfect, great audio and no talking. Even though theres no fumbles its just like how I remember. Except theres no comments before and after. Thank you for putting this together, it really means alot. His music always gave me alot of happiness and always will

[@mrfamous333]

Any transcription love for Humoresque of a Little Dog yet?

[@KosuriBotaro]

1:28:57 mario land 2 ending

[@yuumeko]

Holy cow, "Cool Cool Mountain" is a huge jam (1:08:11)

[@0mnis14sh]

Bravo!

[@GrahamMurphy525]

Thank you. God bless Tom

[@MrLandale]

Great Transcriptions! Thanks for all work!

[@n0rg]

What happened at 1:56. Also, Animal Crossing has been captured many times live.

[@Keeper1st]

Not on a recording piano, so we have only a transcription to play back on the player piano.

[@Keeper1st]

As for that moment in the video; that's as far as the transcription I have went. I don't remember who made that transcription or if it was ever finished. I have since received another transcription that has the entire performance but isn't as accurate in the other bits.

[@dkeith45]

WONDERFUL : )

[@christiangadfly24]

That's Yoshi's Island Athletic theme is a banger.

[@specadmin]

Thank you very much for this. Wonderful video.

[@Chaosmod_PvP]

Where is spinach rag 😥

[@parafuso_999]

Tom! I love you 🙏

[@kanalarchis]

This made me curious to look up player-piano systems. Man, these are expensive. How about yours?

[@Keeper1st]

I managed to find the piano used (but the player system barely used if at all) for only $1300. Snapped it up!

[@mckaydula17]

Credits! (Super Mario Land 2) is hands down legendary

[@FleaOnMyWiener]

1:36:32

[@intredastingvideos9365]

living legend!

[@AGsports305]

Does anyone know the title of the first song played

[@chrispychiptune6573]

That is Tom's sight reading of Ghost n' Goblins, although it's unfinished.

[@richardsmith3199]

cool man 😁

[@asussurge670]

These awesome to hear

[@saatchi7889]

Thank you so much for this

[@strauby12]

This is awesome

[@ravio777]

Ik this video is three years old, but can someone point me in the direction of the first blue lampshade video?

[@Keeper1st]

The first video of Tom playing Blue Lampshade is a clip in the Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival 2006 compilation.

[@PiotrBarcz]

I wish you would make all these midi files public...

[@MadMod99]

Thank you for this!!

[@haywoodjablome440]

So ummm.. when is there gonna be a vinyl release of this?

[@PiotrBarcz]

I'm subbing so I don't miss another stream with good music!