An interesting, and enjoyable, by-product of learning the piano has been an increased awareness of music, and a re-introduction to some music that I’d forgotten about. Scott Joplin is a case in point.
Having pretty much reached the end of the first book of piano music, my teacher had suggested I have a think about what I’d like to play next. So on a visit to the music shop in town last weekend, I spent a good while poking about their piano music and lesson books trying to find something that would fit the bill. I eventually found a book that looked about right (turns out it’s a bit more advanced than I’d realised!), and as I leafed through the book came across a simple arrangement of his classic piece “The Entertainer” (Real player reqd).
This brought back a flood of memories (for some reason it’s a track I have very early recollections of) from my childhood (as well as a plan to hire the classic “The Sting” movie, which featured The Entertainer). I just knew I had to learn it eventually, and my teacher picked up on that when I told her the story, so we started poking about the score and playing the treble part. Away from lessons though I thought there must be more to this composer than this, and picked up a “Best of Scott Joplin” album to listen to. Ragtime wasn’t a term I was particularly familiar with either, but is the name for the style of music he was closely associated with (indeed, he was known as ‘The King of Ragtime’). It’s regarded as the first truly original American music genre, pre-dating Jazz.
My “Best of Scott Joplin” album is certainly getting a lot of play at the moment, and it’s very cheerful and upbeat too (Useful on damp and grey Glasgow winter days!). Whilst I’m many years off being able to play the full version of The Entertainer, it’s already thoroughly enjoyable hearing the melody coming from my (hesitant) fingers as I poke about the piano, and it’s all turning out to be a fun and enjoyable way of (re)discovering music.
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March 19th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
[...] On the fringes of my airplay time are a few others. I’m poking about Air’s new album (Pocket Symphony), but it’s not grabbed me after a few listens, and I’m feeling a mite relieved I didn’t go see them at Glasgow’s ABC after the Guardian’s review. “Four Day Hombre” have some potential that another week or two might mean they grow on me, but “Clap your Hands say Yeah” just sound like they’re trying too hard, and hit a few raw musical nerves in a bad way with their opening gambit. But more listens are still in order for all of these. And of course Scott Joplin has been getting Piano time and airplay too. [...]