Mother/EarthBound store theme "Humoresque of a Little Dog" sight-read by Tom Brier, piano

[telemarketersteve]

WHO WEARS SHORT SHORTS!

[gretschdrummer100]

how do you sightread like that?

[lulzitsdave]

I want to download this song and play it whenever I walk into a store.

[adsbegone]

EarthBound, creating shockingly and amazingly great cover versions of its music since 1994.

[TheChromish]

@adsbegone * 199X

[adsbegone]

@TheChromish No. I was writing the release year of EarthBound, not the year EarthBound was set.

[TheChromish]

@adsbegone I was making a joke. XP

[adsbegone]

@TheChromish Oh, okay. XD

[offensivejerk]

Did it make the customers purchase more playing "Buy somethin' will ya?"

[chaitofu]

"La la La la

I just love ragtime!"

[SirSlush91]

no tom you dont need to practice... you nailed the song the first time around

[DarkMage300X]

2 people are tone deaf...

Poor people.

[HoppyWalkthrough]

THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

[SpoopsTheName]

1 person plays the keyboard more than an actual piano.

[bkev93]

I love this, it feels like it belongs in an old-time saloon.

[Keeper1st]

@bkev93 It almost IS in an old-time saloon. This building dates back to about the 1880s or so. The piano isn't quite so old though. And the building was never a saloon -- rather a soda fountain, Western Union, and other things...

[Keeper1st]

@bkev93 But, of course, this style of music also is too recent for what would be considered "old-time saloon". This is early-20th-century music -- not something that you'd hear in the 1870s and 1880s.

[Slushywushy5]

Tutorial please

[askmiller]

i'm gonna go find and shoot the douche who disliked...

[lalalalucius]

It's always interesting how I'll hear an Earthbound song that I think I don't like, but then I listen a bit closer and suddenly I love it. This is one of those songs.

[47H10N]

Actually the only thing, that could be improved about these Videos is the Audioquality of the Cameramic. It simply doesn't do justice to his amazing skills (is this correct english? I'm german).

[Keeper1st]

@47H10N Yeah, later in 2009 I got a new camera with very good audio quality. All my videos shot from November 2009 onward have much better audio.

[TolaMacarino]

Oh, that F minor part is so beautiful. You must have played Earthbound for that song to be in your arrangement!

[Keeper1st]

@TolaMacarino No, I'd never even heard of the game when I came across the music. That part was in a recording I found from I think Super Smash Bros. or something, so I included it in my transcription. I used two recordings of different versions of the tune when coming up with my piano transcription.

[MrL00kas]

I created a youtube account just to "like" this. Go Tom Brier!

[Sebastian1011]

0.o the one person that disliked... WAS GIYGAS!!!! O.O

[MatheusNiisama]

@Sebastian1011 pokey disliked too!!

[TheChromish]

@Sebastian1011 And Pokey.

[random3411]

i saw u in the world record book i think lol

[random3411]

U ROCK AT PIANO IM NOT THAT GOOD!!! I <3 THIS SONG

[Ashmanchan10]

that is sooo skilled.. nice work :)

[HeWithoutPants]

@SolomonFaulkner36 id still prefer to do this the legal way... with their permission... lol

[Chris246t8kr]

@HeWithoutPants Do you mean permission from Keeper1st (the video owner)? If that's what you mean, Someone asked him before, he's fine with people converting these to mp3s...

[Keeper1st]

@Chris246t8kr For personal use, there's nothing stopping anyone from doing so... other than this old camera having only recorded at 11kHz.

[Chris246t8kr]

@Keeper1st Yeah, that's what I meant ;-). Even though it's an old camera it's still great to listen to.

[PercysPants]

@SolomonFaulkner36

Piano Hero... wow. Have you ever seen a piano? IT'S NOTHING BUT BUTTONS!

[triforceman1000]

THIS is how you play piano

[pergold]

Earthbound in black and white

[jigglypuff1337]

This is the most funky piece I've ever heard lulz. It's so cheerful :P

doo doo dee due doe dee doo doo dee due doe dee dew dew doo doo doo deedledoo da doe dee duuu doo doo dee due doe dee doo doo dee due doe dee dew dew doo doo doo deedledoo da doe dee duuu dee doh dah deh duh doo da dee dl do doh doh deeedledadum. blim

[Naxo448]

wow, you played it perfect!

for some reason this theme reminds me of Maxwell's Silver Hammer by The Beatles xD

Love Earthbound :)

[HeWithoutPants]

wish i could ge these musical pieces recorded into an mp3 format :D

he brings the lively beat out of tunes such as this with his "embellishment"

[OSoDelish]

This is utterly spectacular.

The two chords at 1:11 to 1:12 suggest he could really veer off into some stride madness. Which I recommend.

There's a Giygas harmony noticeable at 2:56 to 2:58.

[07towers8]

303 people prayed for the safety of Ness and his friends...

1 person heard that call, but didn't care.

[wormxing]

Stop saying "Something like that" all the time, you're amazing for god's sake! >:D

[windkai]

incredible!

[stubert311]

this is what happened to linus after his time with snoopy

[Dammationz]

I LOVE YOU >:

[genepark81]

He's incredible. I've been a big fan of your videos since you've been posting them. Please consider getting him to learn the songs and recording an album's worth of awesome game ragtime tunes. Take my money!

[Frilleon]

You should rerecord this now that you know it.

[Keeper1st]

@Frilleon I don't know if he has played it again since that night, actually...

[Frilleon]

@Keeper1st Well let's get this going then! :)

[46587985231]

Holy shit.

[gyrrakavian]

Could you all play the main theme of Conker's Bad Fur Day?

[Keeper1st]

@gyrrakavian I did give Tom a piano transcription of that tune, but it's a much too complicated tune (and in the unusual ragtime key of A Major), so had too many mistakes to post (though certainly was pretty darn good!). He really liked it though.

[gyrrakavian]

@Keeper1st Oh well. Thanks anyways!

[dibby656]

he's a tad bit harsh on himself :P

[MaskedGuardian0]

After I finish learning Who Turned Out the Lights, this'll be my next goal.

[MITCHsaysHI]

holy mother of god

[10INTM]

You really brought out the intended ragtime from the beloved 8-bit song.

[10INTM]

Made my day! Thank you!

[AStandsForFrench]

THe people of youtube aren't going to give him any shit, as evidenced by the 212 likes, 0 dislikes. Man's a master.

[Togeshroob]

Hey, I was thinking about this song today, and I instantly thought of Tom Briar. I was planning all day to contact you (Keeper) about seeing whether you could get him to try this one out, but then I decided to check and see if he already had...

And whaddya know! That was absolutely fantastic; 'those people on YouTube' are all praising him, not ragging (ahaha, didn't even mean that pun) on him missing that one part :p

[zebraplop]

EPIC Tom is wonderful

[MorfGworfmim]

I hope I am this cool as a grown man :D

[EarthWormJizz]

This guy should be the president of the universe; playing everyone into intergalactic peace.

[jgoku3418]

i would in no way ever point out that u messed up!!!! amazing job!!!

[jcsieg]

Oh my GOD. That was jaw dropping stuff! AMAZING!! ♥

[Odinn08]

I'm speechless. This is brilliant.

[HypercowXYZ]

Oh my god! I love how he is just jammin out on a tune in one of my favorite games! :P

[bigpotatofive]

I like how this is the first time he played it and he screws up a single note and expects people to not be impressed anymore. I couldn't do it this well even if it was my 1000th time playing it!!!

[DarkwolfJock199]

BRAVO, BRAVO! This is possibly the best version I have EVER, and I mean EVER, HEARD!

[HippieChic1970]

Cool!Reminds me of the song,"The Entertainer." Nicely executed Tom!

[speeps84]

what's funny is that the only place in the game where this song is played is the little shops where you buy your food and stuff

[TheOpinionatedPerson]

Was he a prodigy, or did he actually have to work to get that good?

[Keeper1st]

@TheOpinionatedPerson Probably both. I know he began playing at age 5, I think after his parents noticed him picking out the tunes of piano rolls. I have read that his first appearance at a Sacramento Ragtime Society meeting at age 14 was jaw-dropping. I didn't meet him until he was about 20 or 21 (he's now 38).

[Tikku4ever]

One time when we were having a garage sale, I put this song on my CD player. Needless to say it worked

[Asylum0]

If it isn't too much trouble, please tell Tom I was thoroughly impressed, F minor and all.

[jebeebus]

this video feels like it's from the 1970s...

[LagParty]

this is awesome.

[vincejp1]

I can never get enough of all your videos !

the part at 3`00 put a smile on my face ^^

[xarboy5000]

I looooove this song, and it on a piano is even better!

[MapleData]

I'd love hearing this music when I actually walk into a store or bar or something. That'd be awesome. xD

[debaser247]

this makes me want to saunter into a saloon/brothel, order a tall frosty one, lose a game of poker, flip the table, accuse a guy of having one up his sleeve, start a full on bar brawl, then in the ensuing chaos, steal the poker money, swoop up my workin lady watching from the second floor and ride off into the sunset.

[meeps4tetris]

"you'll have to play it again once you LEARN it"

me- "WHAT?!"

[PercysPants]

I'm afraid my ear for chords is terrible. What's the blues-y chord he ends with?

[djtbone87]

Percys: If you mean the chord around 3:32-3:34, it's C7.

[SpongeDude811]

Kinda sounds like one of those wild-west bars... lol.

[Zebeldarebel]

I know this guy! It is the neck beard guy! He does a bunch of vids like these.

[Keeper1st]

Well, I do the videos (and the sheet music); Tom does the piano playing!

[HerrSchenkel]

Haha, that's fucking amazing...even moreso considering the fact that this is his first time playing it.

[valzilla2000]

I'd give him like 100 dollars in tips if I was rich.

[Marioparty10]

If I was rich, I'd give him $1000 in tips!

[Frilleon]

this is a great video.

5/5

[ramzeysid]

that's the result of practicing the same sorta stuff ALL the time! it's inspiring dedication and talent =D i couldn't perform like that ever! i compose instead =)

[SuperKeyboardking]

your amazing dude

a true inspiration!

[pyrotek7x7]

His laughter sprinkled in makes me giddy inside.

[bobbyloaded]

thanks for putting my vid on as a response! i'll keep practicin till I can play it like ol tom boy here!

[lexmarkx8]

this is brilliant

and so are the video responses!

check them out if you havent already

[Keeper1st]

Indeed. "yukimatsuri" does a particularly good job.

[SecondPlaceEagle]

Do you think there are any songs from Pokemon/ F-Zero / Kirby that might fit his playing style that he can do?

[2f2fbattlepope]

Definitely not for F Zero.

Pokemon has some potential though.

[usernameunave0]

I'm sure there's a few from Pokemon, I could look through the OSTs I've got to check which ones might fit. Just off the top of my head, I can think that the Pokemon Center theme might fit, as well as a few route themes and possible Celadon Game Corner. Not so sure if anything from Gen 3 or 4 would work though given the instruments, other than possibly Routes 101 and 104...

[edge4552]

Can you do some more earthbound or video game music sometime?

[Keeper1st]

I have plenty of videos of Tom reading through ragtime tunes that came from video games. This is the only ragtime piece from the Earthbound series that I've been made aware of...

[AllenMusicTV]

2:10 is where the fun starts to begin. Hooray for people like Tom Brier (if he isn't the only one)!

[SmaddyDiva]

This is fantastic!

[wwatkins92]

Wow! Abso-posi-lutely awesome! "Humoresque" done better, and especially done better than the Brawl version. Thanks a ton, Tom! And man, you're one heck of a talented pianist!

[teryakicat]

Dude... that was like...

THAT WAS SO NOT SIGHT-READING.

[Keeper1st]

Indeed it was. You can even hear another pianist (Alan Thompson Jr.) comment, "You know, some of us actually have to practice things," after Tom's first read-through. If he weren't sight-reading, you can be sure it would have been flawless. Tom is one of the best sight-readers of ragtime music around (Richard Dowling is also highly regarded as a sight-reader). I have many videos showing Tom's sight-reading ability (and tdub1941 has a couple as well).

[teryakicat]

... That's amazing. <3

I'm just speechless! Tell him he has a fangirl! XD

[PurpleKirby54]

*Starts Doing in mario paint composer*

[2f2fbattlepope]

Earthbound has some of the best videogame music around. You should definitely write more scores up. I would love to play them.

[hihurdler110]

Makes Earthbound that much more great to hear it in RAG!!! :D

[YoMomma868958]

HUMORESQUE OF A WEE DOG

[stevenskistg]

That was amazing! He made Humoresque even better than it already was.

[Keeper1st]

He has a knack for that. Check the video of him sight-reading the Birabuto Kingdom theme for the best example.

[akaphaneuf]

incredible!~ ^^

[shimmyjamily]

Holy crap! That was awesome! I liked that he had fun playing it, too. Such a great job especially since he hadn't played it before!

[kokonutty]

Keeper, that song is very similar to Dallas Rag. Check out my piano blog site.

[Keeper1st]

Yep, the main theme bears some resemblance to Dallas Rag, which is very popular with string bands and jug bands.

[kokonutty]

Well, Tom won't get any grief from me, that's for sure.

[nvhearld]

check out my mariopaint version

[GroovyGreenHat]

This guy is a fantastic pianist! Very well done. That's some serious skill.

[joeybuddy96]

It RULES IT RULES IT RULES

[sarabella]

Favorited. This is my favorite song from EB and it was so much fun to hear you play it! Good job.

[Alare21]

love the way he adds some different styles into it!

[LadySamusAran]

Wow this is just so awesome!! I can't get enough of these amazing arrangements! As soon as I get home I'm printing a copy and trying this out. Thank you for providing these, they're so great!

[kokonutty]

Well, I just memorized the KK Ragtime provided by Keeper1st and so will put out a video soon enough, though crappy vid (which means getting a better video cam the next time) but the sound will come through nicely tho'.

And I just downloaded the Humoresque dog piece, too. Liked that one. Thanks, Keeper1st!

[Keeper1st]

Cool. I look forward to hearing 'em!

[lishakara]

Holy crap, that was his FIRST TIME playing that? Crazy!

Also, lol I didn't think he screwed up the Fourside bit that badly. A little wonky, maybe but considering he's sightrerading...

Bravo.

[Sojiri]

sexy legs

[AdmlAckbar]

Oh wow. That was a real treat for the ears. Looking up into the comments, I'd have to really endorse hylatio's suggestion of Osohe Ragtime, even if it is a little too bluesy.

[CuraSB]

You totaly screwed up the F minor. 0 Stars.

[wrackune]

AMAZING! The nostalgia!

Keeper1st, you've got Tom Brier playing some great stuff. I WANT A CD!

[Keeper1st]

Tom has a couple solo piano CDs: "Rising Star" and "Rewind". The latter is available on CDBaby. He has a new album in the making.

[SlothSquadron]

Wow! You should do more Mother/Earthbound music! The people at Earthbound Central love this kind of stuff. :D

[MustelaFuro]

I agree

[Jezs00]

This is absolutely amazing! Good work... Inspired me to try my hand at learning it.

[daikonv]

Wow Tom is amazing! The man is really a genius when it comes to ragtime. If you're convincing him to play video game renditions, perhaps try "Spinach Rag" by Nobuo Uematsu.

[Keeper1st]

I gave him a score of that about eight years ago. I've had a copy of that since about the time it was written. I got an email from Japan with a MIDI file of it in '94 or '95 saying something like, "My friend writes music for games. He wrote this. He calls it Spinach Rag." So I made a score from that. It wasn't until recently that I learned what game it actually was used in.

[daikonv]

That's incredible! Did you happen to record him playing the song? Did Tom like the song?

[Keeper1st]

I only had a microcassette recorder in those days, but I didn't record him playing through it. As I recall, he was surprised that a tune from a video game was a real and complete rag (given that this arrangement of Spinach Rag had four distinct strains). I wan to make a new score of that one with some more of the harmonies that Uematsu put into his recording of it (though Tom put such harmonies into it himself as he sight-read the old score, I do remember).

[malgez]

Spinach Rag is also a rag song in the game Final Fantasy VI, although this is much better!

[heytallman]

At the end when he's like "people are gonna destroy me in the comments on youtube" about messing up in some part, I've watched this video about ten times in the past two days, and haven't heard anything wrong :\ great job playing a great song!

[rickross048]

shity

[SmartSpriter]

The song's perfect for the old-time-sounding piano style.

Very nice.

[StarmanSuper00]

Absolutely brilliant. I always love seeing Tom gradually throw in more of his own improvisations, too.

[Avalolz]

My god, I wish I oculd sight read like that

[Robbydude576]

These are awesome! The next time you see Tom, tell him to keep doing his thing!

[PoeTrader]

He should give him the old timey music from the ghost room in MOTHER 3! That's right up his alley.

[Keeper1st]

Send me some links to hear and/or see it, and I'll check it out. I don't know these games either; I just find the tunes (or have them suggested by viewers) and make readable sheet music.

[hylatio]

It's called "Ragtime Osohe". It's nice but it's very short.

(By the way, this video is amazing! I think he played it very well).

[Keeper1st]

Oh, that's a mid-20th-century blues. More something for a rock'n'roll pianist, but Tom does play around with blues too -- usually something with a march style left hand rather than a walking bass like that (search "improvised blues brier" and you'll see one he made up on the spot). I'll keep that tune in mind but there are more true rags out there that should take precedence.

[thesagem]

I don't believe that he was sight reading. That was amazing...

If you could get him to play Unfounded Revenge from brawl that would be amazing.

[joecooi22]

That was just amazing...I'm speechless!

[greendayluver972]

omg this is AMAZING for someone who is sight reading and doing the first time around! psh, who cares about the little mistakes. the overall amazingness was enought o awe me

[HeegeMcGee]

Holy crow! Magnificent!

This video speaks to the talent of the arranger, as i have been searching for such a lovely arrangement of this song to no avail. I recognized all of my favorite parts from my favorite recording, the Mother 1+2 soundtrack. Well done, Keeper1st!!!

As to the pianist, it sounded absolutely impressive for a first playthrough. I appreciated the imbellishments and the the very lively spirit.

I'll be spending the next hour or so catching up on what's posted. :D

[Keeper1st]

You have no idea how hard it was to transcribe the bits that are played on glockenspiel or toy piano or whatever that was. Oy, the overtones!

[zedrein18]

Great, really captured the feel of the song perfectly. It's really fun to hear master level musicians like this.

[mrfamous333]

I hope pianos are still built like this. I love this sound!

[Keeper1st]

If I remember right, this piano was built in 1912.

[Keeper1st]

OK, I didn't remember right. It was built in 1919.

[NintendoNerr]

I love this song! This is your first time playing it? Wow! Awesome version!

[dreamingofreality3]

=_____=

That piano is really out of tune.

The song's nice, though.

[Keeper1st]

Unfortunately, this piano doesn't hold tune in the high registers for more than a few hours. It's almost 100 years old and gets a lot of use there in the ice cream shop.

[dreamingofreality3]

It probably needs new tuning pegs, or maybe the whole action should just be replaced. Do you know who the maker is?

[Keeper1st]

It's a Milton player piano built in 1919.

[Greensky02]

Unbelievable that he learned it just like that... I couldn't even imagine processing data at such an alarming rate. It was very well played!

[Megabine]

love that song

[allstarz029]

Hahaha. love it.

sounds super fun to play as well.

[pivotdg]

awsome!!

[Enderjim]

very nice arrangement!

[Maturkus]

He did like two mistakes on that part, far from thoroughly screwed up! I could do far worse than that with anything I know by heart if someone was recording while I played.

[mangobat827]

OMGAWESOME!!! i loooove the mother series

[MisterMulluc]

Excellent choice sir!

[Mattteus]

awesome! I know the song and I give him no grief. If anything I'm in envy of how well he sight reads.

[Dannynelsonstinks]

Did you put some of the song from Fourside in that arrangement? I REALLY like this arrangement. Thanks so much for writing this out. Tom Brier is the best piano player on Youtube.

[Keeper1st]

I don't even know what Fourside is... (I don't really know these games; if it hadn't been for you and a couple others pointing me to this tune, I'd never have known of it.) I just used a couple band recordings of this tune (one I guess from an album and the other from Super Smash Bros. Brawl?). They each had that middle section that the original in-game recording I found did not have. And oy! It was difficult to transcribe that toy piano bit, with all the overtones produced by that instrument.