Redneck Rag -- superb piano performance from Tom Brier

[tehyoster]

I can only hope there will one day be sheet music for this song so more people out there can play this awesome tune.

[selenajasondemi]

One amazing pianist that isn't Chinese!

[MILMAG1]

Don´t confuse talent with hard work. Obviously, this guy is talented but his ability to sight-read like this is a result of endless hours of practice. Once you´ve mastered soght-reading you can play anything you want anytime. For any younger people out there, it is truly the key to musical freedom. DO THE HARD WORK, IT WILL PAY OFF!!

[Keeper1st]

@MILMAG1 He's not sight-reading this. He's not reading at all -- note the lack of sheet music on the piano. Nevertheless, your advice is valid.

[AAErikCO]

God if only I could get a copy of this on piano roll! Please PLEASE P-L-E-A-S-E get the man to sit down at a piano to record this to midi. This would sell like hotcakes, er, in redneck terms, "Flappy jacks".

[IMAFIRINMYLAZERMAN77]

Wow!!! You were right!! He does play insanely fast!!! Wow...I've actually been watching his videos all day and I am utterly amazed by his sight-reading and pure talent!!! Way to go Tom!!!

[Keeper1st]

@IMAFIRINMYLAZERMAN77 I've been watching him in person for almost 20 years, and, believe me, it never gets old!

[Croter8ment]

wait... am i to understand that Tom himself wrote this piece?

[Keeper1st]

@Croter8ment He won't admit to it, but it is assumed to be so.

[Croter8ment]

@Keeper1st that's really funny.

[pianolist]

@Croter8ment A few years back at the Sutter Creek Ragitme Festival,  Tom B. told me that he arranged Red Neck Rag from a guitar piece that he heard somewhere.

[pianolist]

Tom Brier is the best ragtimer in the US. He is awesome!

[Croter8ment]

Tom Brier is my hero

[Chris246t8kr]

Incredible performance, loved it :-)

[Shane88L]

XP Very, very good stuff !

[mrcolmh]

nice

[sstrunks5555]

Oh my goodness. LOL So fast, and the left hand is so clean. I need to meet Tom. One day!

[bubu102]

WOW! ragmusic is really cool!

[Squarerig]

This is another outstanding performance by Mr.Brier playing a delightful tune.Thank you Keeper for the clips of this genius on the Klavier.

[MellowCypriot]

Is Tom doing improv from about 3:42 to 4:49? Either way, it's a fun transition. And I'm not sure which way I like it better...fast and slow, it's an awesome tune! Kudos to Brian March, riding his moped into the sunset...and of course Tom Brier too.

[Keeper1st]

Yeah, he's just goofing around for a minute there before finally breaking into the rag in its normal form.

[iamdarragh]

any chance tom would be doing a tour to ireland any time soon?

[Keeper1st]

Alas, it's rare that Tom ever plays outside of Northern California.

[scoutcrazy]

would love to come and see you all in real life some time...but i can only hope :P

[TaichiKuro7]

Tom must have the arm muscles of a god.....

absolutely amazing.

[grantmanager]

We all enjoy Tom so much because he so obviously enjoys his great talent!

[SonicNARF]

Haha, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when he started playing the song the normal way. XD

[Keeper1st]

You can see the camera shake a bit at 6:10 because I was holding back laughter of my own -- just when you think he's going full speed, he cranks it up a notch!

[Guschobo]

so first 5min is improvisation and the rest he played by ear?

[Keeper1st]

Well, the first 5 minutes is just playing the tune in "sedate" styles to go along with the sarcastic suggestion by a member of the audience. Then he plays it the way it was intended. Although he won't admit it, many of us believe that "Brian March" is a pseudonym and that Tom actually composed or co-composed this tune.

[Guschobo]

could you send me the sheet music for this fantastic rag? i've looked for it everywhere but i didnt find it ...

[Keeper1st]

It hasn't yet been published, as far as I know... but I think the Raspberry Jam Band does have scores when they play it, so I think it is indeed typeset.

Of course, the first five minutes or so of this video is Tom playing around with different styles. It's only when it starts going fast that he plays it the way it was intended.

[juliar65]

The RJB has a handwritten score of sorts which is in Tom's manuscript. He swears that he heard it and just jotted it down. He has been very adamant that he did not write this tune. Still suspicions linger......

[Jcrexxor]

so wait is he drunk when he preformed this?

[Keeper1st]

Heh no... He's just being Tom, having fun with the music in reaction to the sarcastic request to "play something sedate like Redneck Rag".

[Jcrexxor]

LOL the Term Sedate kinda confused me there, I wonder want would happen if he did play drunk.

lol, you don't have to make him do that

[Keeper1st]

"Sedate" means calm and relaxed.

[jc1341]

this guy is amazing cause ragtime is one of the hardest types of piano to play. and he plays it like it is the first lesson of a piano book

[aaron12345432]

Another great performance from Tom.

sorry I accidentally clicked 3 stars =( I would've rated 5.

[jc1341]

you can rate more then once

[clemspaw]

Very good.

[juliar65]

If this isn't vintage Tom, I don't know what is!

[PRAR1966]

DUDE'S GOOD!