Maple Leaf Rag

nyakki

Get Flash to see this player.

Description

This is a tribute to one of my favorite artists. Scott Joplin.

I know this is a departure from my regular "Loops Only" songs but my daughter fell in love with the song and asked if I could play it. How could I resist... she has me wrapped around her finger.

I do have loop drums in there to keep with my Loop Theme. I brought the tempo down a bit because of what my college friend said to me once, "Don't Rush Joplin"

This is Track 2 of my Life In A Day "album"

Leave a Comment

You must be registered and logged-in to comment.

Song Stats

Hits: 3091
Comments: 31
Fans: 6
Plays: 680
Downloads: 114
Votes: 13
Uploaded: Feb 24, 2006 - 08:38:27 AM
Last Updated: Feb 24, 2006 - 09:55:08 PM Last Played: Nov 16, 2009 - 06:16:32 AM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-ShareAlike

Song Actions

Keywords:

maple leaf rag (2), scott joplin (2), life in a day (8), jazz (501), tribute (35), rag (12), rag time (2), ragtime (22)

Comments

thetiler	thetiler said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	niece :) Very enjoyable! Like the drum as well.. This is lots fun to listen to. Full of fun melodies. A very happy feeling. Terrific! Thanks for sharing this gem :) Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)

nyakki	nyakki said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	niece :) Thank you for the nice comment. I really appreciate it. --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

drakonis

drakonis said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)

Great Scott!
I love Joplin as well, and your piano playing is very expressive and
bouncy, nice dynamics in there. I had drum loops in my first rendition
of *my* ragtime piece, and due to popular demand, removed them. I
have mixed feelings on that, the drums here give more of a "stage"
feel, which is interesting, but having them come in partway through
seemed a little odd, and overall, I don't think they added anything. I
too think the piano playing sounds clearer and better by itself.

I assume this wasn't mic'ed live, you captured MIDI and had GB "play"
the piano? For some reason, having the higher notes on the LEFT and
lower notes on the RIGHT bothered me slightly, I almost turned my
headphones around :) But the slight stereo separation was good.
Sounds like you kept the reverb/echo levels very low, almost too low, I
might give a teeny bit more reverb (AUMatrixReverb-Small Room?) to
warm this up slightly more.

I really liked how you played this, it felt very warm and sparkly, and
yes, not too fast! Jo-zu desu!

ttfn,
Drakonis

Check out my latest song called Lullaby for the Inner Child

nyakki

nyakki said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)

Great Scott!
Funny you should mention the "stage" feel. This whole "rag time" obsession
with my daughter started with a recent trip to Tokyo Disneyland. One of the
performances was Maple Leaf Rag and they had drums, piano, horns, the
whole works. The drums were added because my daughter was asking where
they were (I drew the line on horns). I went to iTunes to show her that the real
"Maple Leaf Rag" didn't have drums but about half of them did... can't win
them all.

I did midi it because it would allow me to change the sound to a "Honky
Tonk" piano :-)

I'll go back and check the balance to make sure the Highs
and Lows weren't screwed up. I was messing around with separation to take it
away from dead center. I did play with the reverb and echo (as well as adding
brightness with the Equalizer) but I just tested your suggestion
(AUMatrixReverb-Small Room) and all I can say is HOLY SHIT that
sounds a billion times better... I love GarageBand

And domo arigatou for your comments and suggestions.

---
Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker

Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

Magritte	Magritte said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	Fun! I love Joplin, and this familiar piece is nicely spiced up by your interpretation and by the drums. Lots of bouncy perky fun -- in a family friendly way, of course! Check out my latest song called Tango Macabre

nyakki	nyakki said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	Fun! I am not here to judge what you do with Joplin behind closed doors... Be bouncy and perky to your hearts content. :-) Thank you for the nice comment. --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

MidiOrleans	MidiOrleans said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	Most enjoyable! Wonderfuly refreshing piano sounds. I rarely talk about music period, but I feel the drums detract. Save them kindly for Jelly Roll Morton & then sparingly. The piano sounds so finel and in this style {in my books} drums rarely fit. Otherwise 9s & 10s for a well executed version. Check out my latest song called Calle del Maine

nyakki	nyakki said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	Most enjoyable! I guess people are feeling a bit passionate about the drums. I will have to post a Drums Free version. Thank you for you comments. --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

caroline	caroline said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	yes!!! love it!!! copy taken!!! playing on loop already!!! the bear and i are bouncing all over the house - thank you, thank you xoxox Check out my latest song called clink that link mjrf

nyakki	nyakki said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)
	yes!!! I have to say that this is the first comment I have ever received that has not only given me hugs and kisses, but said it had bears bouncing around the house. This comment is a keeper. Thanks :-) --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

perceptualvortex

perceptualvortex said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)

Dissenting
opinion here: I do like the drums, I don't think they detract from the great piano playin. But what the heck do I know about ragtime? There were a couple spots where the drums seemed to hit accents that were out of place, but otherwise I thought they added a nice texture. I've always liked this tune, and you did a fine rendition!

Check out my latest song called Machine Man (w Beastie Boys)

nyakki

nyakki said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)

Dissenting
I guess the drums are a passionate point.

I will post a Drums Free version soon.

You know how you listen to something for so long that you don't hear the little
things like the drums being a little off. I'll go back and listen for the misbeats.

Thanks for the comments

---
Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker

Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

J.A.Stewart

J.A.Stewart said 1370 days ago (February 24th, 2006)

Poppin' Joplin
Had he never done anything else in his life, I would have been grateful to
Marvin Hamlisch for introducing a whole new generation to Scott Joplin's
music. His happy orchestrations on piano are delightful and you have
done a very nice job of recreating the joy and enthusiasm of his music in
this tribute. I enjoyed hearing you poppin' some Joplin very much.

Your daughter has good tastes in music... and probably in fathers, too. ;-)

Check out my latest song called A Night @ Neverland

nyakki	nyakki said 1369 days ago (February 25th, 2006)
	Poppin' Joplin I don't think she has much choice in fathers but it's nice to think that. Thanks for the nice comments. --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

guitarplayer

guitarplayer said 1369 days ago (February 24th, 2006)

very interesting - swing feel
Hi - very nice - you have a very strong swing feel on the active passages
(usually written as 16th notes for this genre). And reenforced by the
drums. It reminds me a little of Jelly Roll Morton's improvisation on this
piece, but stayed closer to Joplin's original compostition

Morton's version can be heard on the Smithsonian Collection of Classic
Jazz. Thanks for keeping this music alive by your fresh interpretation!

-john
http://www.john-myers.com/

Check out my latest song called Main Menu Loop

nyakki	nyakki said 1369 days ago (February 25th, 2006)
	very interesting - swing feel Thanks for the nice and informative comments. --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

John Stebbe

John Stebbe said 1369 days ago (February 25th, 2006)

Never heard it . . .
Never heard it with drums before, but it sounds very appropriate.

You play VERY WELL! Is that you playing live?

I like the 'swing' feel of your performance. I almost always hear it
'straight,' but the swing feel does seem much more natural.

I teach public elementary school music. This month (February) is
African-American History Month, and I played a couple of Joplin tracks
on the "Morning Music" on the PA system, which I do daily, as one of
my duties. I also have pictures of famous composers on my wall in the
music room, and Joplin has a prominent place (I have him in-between
Aaron Copland and Mary Lou Williams).

Your choices of drum loops are excellent.

Check out my latest song called NECAP Test song

nyakki

nyakki said 1369 days ago (February 25th, 2006)

Never heard it . . .
This is "Live"... sort of.

I did cheat after getting it into GB (using the pencil to fix a few "warts" and
cutting/pasting Left/Right hand to put them on separate tracks).

There is one place where *blush* I cut/pasted from one section and put it
over
another to hide a couple of mistakes. It was easier to do that then go in with
the
pencil.

But, yeah, that's me after a make-over.

---
Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker

Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

composerclark

composerclark said 1369 days ago (February 25th, 2006)

happy times!
Wow, is this ever great! Tremendously fun. The drums are very tastefully
done; I thought they fit perfectly, even though, like most people, never
heard them in the Maple Leaf rag before. My wife and kids find most of
the stuff I listen to here pretty strange, but they were all boppin' along to
this one. Bravo! Please give us more!

Check out my latest song called Scarlet Nightfall

composerclark

composerclark said 1369 days ago (February 25th, 2006)

happy times!
(Incidentally, what is one supposed to do about the "Song writing/Content"
category in a work like this, written by someone else? It's a great piece, the
drums added a lot, so I gave it a great score, but I'm always unsure how to vote
in this category when the submission is an old classic.)

---
<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18317">Jennifer's Tune</a>

Check out my latest song called Scarlet Nightfall

nyakki

nyakki said 1367 days ago (February 27th, 2006)

happy times!
Thank you for the nice comments.

As for Song Writing/Content you could always judge their interpretation of the
piece. This is different than performance because they could have played very
well but didn't capture the "essence".

Just a thought :-)

---
Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker

Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

Cameron

Cameron said 1369 days ago (February 25th, 2006)

player piano
The rather dry, close sound of the midi programmed piano reminded me of an old player piano, which created an interesting effect here.

I will join the ranks that would prefer not to hear the drums. Or at least, maybe in not such a modern "jazzy" style.....these rags were the grand-daddys of jazz, the forerunners as it were. Maybe loops with more simple beats on 1 and 3 would fit in better with Joplin's style.

There were some distortion issues in the latter half of the song, on the louder upper notes. There was an interesting echo after the last notes died away.

I am so glad that you are posting Joplin piano music here! It's timeless, isn't it? Gets everyone's toes a' tappin'.

(I am currently practicing Joplin's "The Entertainer", probably his easiest rag to pIay since I'm just now starting to practice piano seriously.)

Thanks for posting this!

Check out my latest song called EPONYM

nyakki	nyakki said 1368 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
	player piano I'll look into the high end and echo. You probably have better equipment that I do :-) Good luck with the Entertainer. That one is also a very fun piece to play. Thank you for the comments --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

Keith O. Edwards	Keith O. Edwards said 1367 days ago (February 27th, 2006)
	On the Money! Now that's a fine performance! Light. Precise. No stumbling. That piece is harder than it sounds. Check out my latest song called Hallucination Rag

nyakki	nyakki said 1367 days ago (February 27th, 2006)
	On the Money! Thanks. I wish I could say that I did it in one take (or 10) or that I didn't have to mess with it in post production... but I'm far from being that talented... yet :-) --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

Cori Ander

Cori Ander said 1365 days ago (March 1st, 2006)

Mmmmm
Mmmmm so nice. Maple Leaf Rag was in the collection of 78rpm records
in my childhood home. And I just love it. Am actually collecting
recordings of it and this is maybe the best interpretation of them all (I
gave a really extreme vote because of that). And thank you for the tip
"don't rush Joplin". I have been trying to play Maple Leaf Rag on my guitar
for a while but am far from satisfied. Am probably trying to do it too
fast...

Check out my latest song called Guitar test — Martin CSN (Gerry Tolman Tribute)

nyakki

nyakki said 1363 days ago (March 3rd, 2006)

Mmmmm
My college friend exposed me to the world of Joplin (as well as other
composers). I remember his first reaction when I played the Entertainer. He
nearly flipped.

He said that Joplin's music was meant to be enjoyed. Don't play it like you are
in a hurry to get it over with. Savor the notes and the complexity.

Well, I don't know about savoring the complexity, but I do enjoy Joplin when it
doesn't feel like the musician(s) aren't in a hurry to catch a bus.

---
Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker

Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

charliechen

charliechen said 1332 days ago (April 3rd, 2006)

Great fun.
So rare to hear a classic here at MacJams. You play very, very well.

So, why not, I'll enter into the debate about drums versus no drums. I kinda liked the drum track. I just think it comes in at the wrong place. The drums enter when the current piano phrase has not ended, which makes it sound like the drummer forgot where he was supposed to start. I'd start the drums with the beginning of the next piano phrase. And maybe start with a simpler rhythm, just a high hat at first, maybe, then build the track from there. There, my two cents worth.

Again, such great fun.

Check out my latest song called Sparkles in a Lullaby

nyakki	nyakki said 1331 days ago (April 3rd, 2006)
	Great fun. Thank you for the nice comments. You have a point about the drums. I'll mess around with them and see what it sounds like. --- Need help selecting a MacJams song? Go 'Random' with MacJams Random Song Picker Check out my latest song called Maple Leaf Rag v2

MJG	MJG said 1047 days ago (January 13th, 2007)
	Ragtime little ditty Good stuff-MJG Check out my latest song called Fox River Spirits(Acoustic)

Feter

Feter said 191 days ago (May 17th, 2009)

Maple Leaf Rag with drums
ok I can see what some folsk here tryin to say about the drums ..
I couldnt find it distracting ...its just what the music need ...
I m having a suggestiobn but I m a blues guy have nothing to do with
jazz but love this kind of music ...can you add an upright bass to it
along with the drums ..for me it seems logic drums bass and piano )
good job my friend ...thnx alot for sharin !!!!

Check out my latest song called A Night With Feter feat'(Roxylee sloparts crissew johnwhitehead and Yamin AL Yamani )

Fan List