Added: 4 years ago
From: chocotiger
Views: 182,532
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  • about 30 people don't like this video just because they don't own a piano for playing such a wonderful song.

  • I love the way that you play ragtime....easily the best I have ever heard, and the only one I have heard that plays ALL the notes! Lol Daphne

  • This music could be called either sweetly sad or or sadly sweet.

  • This song always makes me cry because it makes me remember the good times i had before when i was a child

  • Nice job.

  • thank you. i love this only second to Solace. Joplin's melancholy is under-represented… and glorious.

  • this was my first joplin experience. Choco, making me love joplin since 2008.

  • this song makes me dizzy :) ..

  • I agree! Chocotiger understands this peice!

  • @brothodontist I honestly was garbage just 6 months ago, before I started practicing seriously, and now I'm actually decent. As with all things, the keys to piano are hard work and dedication. Sorry bout the rant bro!

  • @brothodontist Some huge parts (probably to your dismay) are finger exercises, reading, and hard practice. I'm not as good as chocotiger, so it took me 2 months to completely learn maple leaf rag with 1 hour of practice on it a day. Be patient and play things super slowly at first, and progress to playing speed as you get more confident in your knowledge of a specific part of the song. Btw, do songs part by part. I've been getting lessons 8 or 9 years, and was casual for the first 7.5 years. I

  • La dedico all'amata Morettina

  • Formidabile esecuzione sentimentale

  • yo btw, you should play the Great Crush Collision March, or else some jazz piano (e.g. Thelonious Monk). I'd love to see your renditions.

  • hey man this is great! I have no idea how to use the pedals and because I butcher this song so badly (on so many different levels), I was wondering how important the pedal work is to the whole sound.

    How many years have you been playing for? Tbh, I've been playing (just for fun) for a little more than six months. To get to be really good, do you have to practice every day, practice finger placement, etc. (the really boring stuff) or can you just play casually?

  • this kids my best friend

  • Joplin himself wrote repeatedly the word "slow" on his piano works, as in "slow march tempo", "very slow march time", as well as "not fast" . The "Harmony Club Waltz" he requested played "Andante", meaning walking tempo.

    In his "School of Ragtime, Exercises for Piano", first lesson, he wrote "Play slowly until you catch the swing, and never play ragtime fast at any time." He wrote this 1908, and even then was irritated that his works were being played too fast. 

    Keep up the good work!

  • @philidor4 also on Gladiolus Rag, which is on of the hardest yet awesomest joplin pieces i've ever played, he wrote Note: Do not play this piece fast. It is never right to play "Ragtime" fast.

    He even put the word ragtime in quotes, which i have never seen before.

  • beautiful

  • Very very nice!

  • rock on man :) very moving.

  • someone must of accidentally hit the dislike button

  • where did you get your sheet music? it sounds a lil diff from mine

  • Scott Joplin made this beautiful work of musical art and yet he died of syphilis( or more specifically dementia but I don't like to think that Joplin was demented before he died) aged 49 only! He could have lived longer...made more rags...:/

  • so beautiful

  • GO CHOCOTIGER!!!! you are my piano playing idle!

  • Played with such enthatic flare and emotion! A credit to an outstanding performar.  This really was a pleasure to listen too... Many thanks!!!

  • I'm trying to purchase this song from itunes, but I do not like the way the pianist plays it. I like this one better, it has so much emotions to it. When a pianist plays it fast, it looses most of it's melodious sound. Darn, I wish I can purchase this version. Good job, by the way.

  • I think you just might be the king of Scott Joplin music.

  • Choco u are the best men ^.^

    I really enjoy that song ..

  • and a one and a two and a ching chong potato

  • @tauwilltriumph - I really think that you are gelous and a pig to post such remarks. I'd like to see you do better. Its people like you who are ignorant that you can't play yourself,,,

  • Comment removed

  • why does this song have to be so long? ive got only one page memorized

  • Thankyou for the sentimental rendition, beautifull and slow... unlike many others.

  • beautiful, thank you

  • Beautiful!

  • beautiful

  • BEAUTIFUL!

    

  • BEAUTIFUL!

  • BEAUTIFUL!

  • Man, you play beautifully! This one is special, you gave soul to this piece.Thank you!

  • Ole Joplin lost a wife and was experiencing some major pain in his life when he wrote this. Many thought it was incredible and the best of classic rag. However, it did not stop an even larger tragedy. This songs gives what his legacy is.

  • Beautiful tempo.Just beautiful.The key changes really work better at this speed.I loved it.

  • You really played it in a beautiful way! Very nice!

  • Thank you for playing this song slower than most. It deserves it.

  • I have the same arrangement. It's very fun to play!

  • I think that you should play it a little faster. Otherwise great. You are my favorite Joplin piano player. Scott Joplin would be proud.

  • @pianomasterbrandon1 it sounds much better slower because it doesnt so happy cause everyone knows its not supposed to be all happy n shit

  • @pianomasterbrandon1 it sounds much better slower because it isnt so happy cause everyone knows its not supposed to be all happy n shit

  • ...... beautiful..

    

  • I love this song, when I was a boy I had a cassette tape of his songs and would listen to it quite frequently. Thanks for sharing this, keep up the good work.

  • i'm self taught and i've nearly learnt it. once you know the chorusy bit the rest is no problamo really. and i use this vid to help me know what it sounds like n how it should be played so i know the teacher will be like wow considering i usually stick to easy grade 4 pieces..

    what grade would this be anyways??

  • @burtv1610 Well, because it only has one sharp, it would lower the grade level substantially, but because of difficulty I'd say about a grade 3-5 piece, depending on the music system.

  • @CheersBigEarsTHEBEST what do you mean one sharp? it has so many accidentals...

  • @CheersBigEarsTHEBEST do you even know what you're on about??

  • thts really relaxing !

  • Very Good . Complements on the million veiws of The Entertainer

  • ooh..first time i saw you play with a piece on! hahaha..anyway, i'm very much dependent of pieces! hahaha.. i can hardly memorize but can sight read, well not really good but just quite fair enough.. hehehe.. nice playing , uhm piece of advice, i know u know better than me about this, but i think u have to "bite" more those notes/chords and u know, own the piece! this piece is actually sad though written in a ragtime-waltz style, and u can actually make it even sadder! and let the melodies sing.

  • Great Job Playing. Great Song

  • noobasaurus rex

  • I cant read notes I play by ear FYI :D

  • geilo

  • it made me sleepy, like it was snowin outside and inside it was warm

  • You play beautifully.

  • wow man, gotta go learn this now. well played mate :)

  • awesome !!

    basu

  • This song was composed after Scott Joplin's second wife died.

  • @orchidxbabae24 Hahaha 2nd oh thats funny to me in a way... Hahaha

  • @orchidxbabae24 uhm, just askin', how sure are you? can u give me a reliable source about the the information u are talking? thanks..hehehe..i really want to know if it's true or not..i live Joplin so much and his music..and this piece is very beautiful..can imagine Joplin in misery, composing this, thinking about his wife..that's just wow, it hurts so bad!

  • benjamin button brought me here:)

  • Absolutely beautiful! It's a rare treat to hear this poignant waltz played at all, let alone so beautifully. Very touching and lovely rendition. Thank you

  • That is just beautiful. What a gift you have

  • well done sir

  • Beautiful! my biggest challenge in playing this or any scott joplin piece was respecting the "composer's note" " Never play ragtime fast, it is never right to play ragtime fast." Your restraint is commendable!

  • interesting, one of the only ragtime pieces written in 3/4....

  • A little bit too slow for me in some moments, but very good anyway.

  • From what I understand, this was the first song he wrote after his second wife died.

  • @BoidsiesRoblox uh? this is a song? really? there's a "song" version of this? please please who sang it?

    or maybe u meant it as "piece?" just wanna know..thanks.. :))

  • @RicAbapo Yes, I meant piece. You know what I mean... I probably posted that at 1am or something...

  • @BoidsiesRoblox hahahha! well, if that's your "reason" then i guess that's just it and i have to take it.. haahha.. well, ragtime at 1 am is very much cool! hahhaa..lol

  • i've lost someone quite close to me today. listening to songs like this, and Solace, are so touching during difficult moments

    thank you

  • This song makes me think of a peaceful day of travelling and seeing new places.

    Love the performance here.... not fast!

  • one of the best songs i ever heard

  • 21 people missed the like button

  • Best version on youtube

  • This is, by far, my favorite version of Bethena. You play it nearly perfectly. Instead of playing it quickly and dryly, you play it slowly and expressively. I love hearing the melody sustained, for once. Good job!

  • I love this

  • Anyone know why EVERYONE butchers this song except for Chocotiger? Everyone insists on playing it with some strange tempo, or fast like it's happy joy joy song.

  • @TrentonNet i like it butchered and fast.

  • @TrentonNet No, that's not it at all... gah.. you have to be a piano player to understand

  • @TrentonNet You're wrong.  Zimmerman played it perfectly. No offence to Chocotiger, but Zimmerman, IMO, played it better. I think this version is just too slow.

  • Anyone know why EVERYONE butchers this song except for Chocotiger? Everyone insists on playing it with some strange tempo, or fast like it's happy joy joy song.

  • Seriously, out of like 50 youtube results this is the only good one... Keep it up choco!

  • @Shortiekid13 Have to respectfully disagree. It is a beautiful song beautifully played , but its not a dirge. Its a waltz. Its played beautifullly, but too slow. And there are many other wonderfiul renditions of this song on youtube! 8D

  • awesome !!!

  • i'm sooooooo moved by your performance <3

  • beautiful job :D

    i feel i should point out that in the future you should try not to hold the pedal across adjacent notes. Clashes don't really sound very good when they're mushed in with solid good, nice chords.

    An easy spot to see it is in the intro, you wanna refresh the pedal (release fully or close to fully quickly on the downbeat) then put it back down before the 4th note.

    Just some food for thought and some tips for future playing. Love your vids ^^

  • You may have noticed me rating a couple of your songs. Your playing is fabulous!! I'm 10 years old. I'd really like you to comment my video. Just type in robertgetter1. PLEASE rate mine.

  • i love bethena. that was quite nice..

  • that is an amazing song glad i stumbled upon it after i found "the entertainer" that you played. i'm getting the notes for it as soon as i can and learning it

  • fucking amazinGG!!!

  • Scott Joplin - died much to early. Just great music.

  • watching now--I can tell you feel it; nice playing.

  • This isn't really my cup of "Joplin" tea, but I really envy your playing ability. Then again, I envy ANYONE's playing ability since I stink, but you really have some skill! Keep it up and I hope you will record more!

  • I love this piece! I've started learning to play it but it's so hard.

  • @SOADwichtelchen  never, never give up

  • @marcorp87 Yep, NEVER!! I keep learning parts of songs, and then i decide to learn a different one before I'm finished the one i started. It's really annoying - Generally I do not feel a real sense of accomplishment until i've FINISHED a piece. Oh and nice playing by the way!

  • its so sad because Joplin made this after his dearest wife died 2 months after their marrige but this is a very nice one and good job

  • @MrsMcMusical really? I didn't know that! Thanks for that info.!!!

  • this was actually the ending theme from "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

  • Awesome!

  • You know, someday it could be summer.

  • Thank you for treating this beautiful rag time waltz with the respect it deserves.

    Very well played.

  • Magnificent

  • oh. my. god. this is probably the most beautiful joplin piece i've ever heard. amazingly played. love love love. i'm deffinaatly going to do this for my next piano recital.

  • Das ist ein Walzer und kein Beerdigungsmarsch :-(((!!!

  • Your are totally amazing

  • I think "Bethena" is the parlor piece they use briefly in the movie "Benjamin Button." It is very haunting.

  • this is the best : nice job!!!

  • Excellent video mate, yours is the first that comes up when searching for Bethena on youtube...just saw the Benjamin Button movie and recognised this song from it...i'm glad you played it :-)

    Thanks,

    Sam.

  • Tad slow, but I sense you could speed it up if you wanted to in a heart beat.

    Well done.

  • talking through music

  • wow, i wish i could play as brilliantly as you, it is brilliant.

  • oh yea!

    i remember watching that movie hearing this and saying to myself i bet thats's scott joplin!

  • Wow, nicely played! (: I started learning this a while back, but didn't get past the 5th page of it. Gah, lazy me.

  • You are a master ... WOW !

  • Such wonderful musical playing!!

  • One of my favorite songs of this era... just sums it up for me. Your playing is exquisite! Thank you!!

  • You play wonderfully.

    I STILL think that Benjamin Button's version is too slow tho. :)

  • @Atreus21 i think that it can work both ways, at the middle part of the song like 1:09-2:27 i think it'd be better faster, however i think the chorus is beautiful slow

  • @Superdaniel95

    I agree completely

  • This song is so beautiful. =']

  • Lovely! You capture  the oft-neglected beauty of the ragtime genre here.

  • You sir are excellent!

  • i watched the film like 5 times i cried a few times during the 1st and 2nd time this song just makes me sad :;(

  • @danhebson123 I cried in the THEATER!!! It was really embarrassing. But that movie is on my top 10 list.

  • @danhebson123 He wrote this after his wife died 2 weeks after marriage.

  • @danhebson123 Greatest movie ever, Shud have won over Bitchdog Millionaire

  • A very tidy performance which I enjoyed

  • i cried even before it started :c)

    you play Bethena so flipping well! I wish people like you could give me your talent - you're too good!

  • what's benjamin button about?what kind of movies is it?

  • @RicAbapo I haven't seen it myself, but it's supposed to be a very sad movie about a man who aged backwards.

  • "it's supposed"?? so u mean, it's not really sad?

    yeah, i have read somebody's comment and just imagining what it was is so sad, the man in nostalgia then bethena was played as bacground music, ouch that really hurts!! friends' faces were flashed, the memories they had together, the laughters, about the subtle scenes of life, oh that hurts...

  • Yeah, I say "supposed to" because I've never seen it. And from what I've heard about it, I probably won't watch it-- I hate sad movies.

  • u hate sad movies? nah, i know u love some..hahahahaha...u know sad movies are eye openers for us, some are but some are just too exagerated but in any sense they are still eye opoeners...i want to watch this movie and my sisiter's keeper too...hehehehe...good day chan..

  • It's about this man who was born old and grows up getting younger.

  • yeah, i know now, thanks, but unfortunately, i have not seen this movie yet..tsk tsk..but i know this movie is so wonderful.. good day "mercury winds"..

  • @RicAbapo And to you a good day I bestow.

  • i love that movie

  • I am a classically trained singer, and your vids are amazing. I have enjoyed Scott Joplin's music since the movie "The Sting" came out. Marvin Hammlisch has nothing on you. Great stuff! Keep the vids coming! Sorry you were in pain for the Beethoven. I suffer from tendonitis every so often, and I have been told it can be related to carpal tunnel syndrome, so watch the wrist, as well. It may help. Good luck.

  • iam learning this song now! you perform it amazingly!

  • Single version of this song on YouTube who was the appropriate speed, imo.

    Good work!

  • I love scott joplin, this was played beautifully, im going to download the sheet music and try to learn it. I envy your piano skills though...it seems a little complex for me.

  • 5:43 , so much feeling in this melody

  • THX Chocotiger.

    You could strive to follow up John Arpin who was the best Joplin player.

    You've learned this master's lesson "Don't play Ragtime fast. It's NEVER right to play Ragtime fast."

    One hint.. It could be performed a tiny little bit better if there were more differentiation between pronounced parts and soft, shy ones.

    So this maybe another answer to the Q if it is hard to learn. It's not - but it's a long way to Tipperary to perform it so thoughtful like Chocotiger does.

  • hey isnt this from benjamin button?

  • This is not FROM that movie...

    this song is over a hundred years old.

  • ur a douche

  • Why?

  • i just meant it was featured in it

  • yah, it's from bengamin button

  • @jigsaw1096 No, it's not. It's a hundred years old. Benjamin Button isn't even a year old yet. Just because they used this song, doesn't mean it's FROM the movie.

  • U guyz don't know what i'm talking about! I know this song is old as hell. Im just saying TheMcbro is being a douche for responding to gotmilk311 like that.

  • Yeah, this piece was featured in Benjamin Button. It fit the movie perfectly!

  • Thanks Chocotiger for your thoughtful rendition of this touching composition. I found myself forgetting to breathe.

  • nice to see that people value more of the ragtime music than just The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag.

  • very nice! the song was actually written right after Joplin's first wife died. such a beautiful piece

  • second wife

  • hi you are in my abonement list what must i do?

  • Hey guys, is this an easy one to learn?

  • It will take a while to learn (that's just my point of view) but it is great to play!

  • the last 20 seconds kicked assss

  • Reminds me of Benjamin Button

  • It's in Benjamin Button.

  • Very purrrrty ... :)

  • Thank you so much for this!

    I am currently learning this song, and if was good to hear some one else playing it to see what I have been doing wrong and what I should try to fix. The song was beautifully played, I simply love it!