Stevens Price plays Ragtime

[etienne5013]

Hey i got the same book that you see at the end of the video..awesome ragtime songs in there..

[Troybeallad]

Most enjoyable, and really good towards the end. Thank you.

[GingerPatrol]

Stevens is the director of the Amador High School Chorus this year, we're so honored to have him ^_^

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Where Can I But\y The Sheet Music.

[pczukor]

You can try contacting the composer and asking him directly.

Search Yahoo for "sutter creek stevens price" (without the quotes) and click the 'Sutter Creek Member Profile' top result, and use the email address you'll find there for the Ice Cream Emporium.

Stevens also co-sponsors the Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival.

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Thanks!

[luigiranalli77]

You can't buy the sheet music directly from the composer, because this rag is "Yankee Land" from 1904 and its composer, Max Hoffman, passed away decades ago. Anyway the free score is available on the Templeton Sheet Music Collection website on internet.

[AlistairMacIlherron]

Used to work there. No doubt he is playing the piano. And yes this is one of his compositions.  I know for a fact I have heard this many times. If you ever go there ask him to play the melodrama rag. Tell him Alex mentioned it.

[HarborGuy]

No, he is playing no piano roll on the roller - look!

[BlueEyesBlackLace]

I personally know stevens, his daughter is my friend. he isnt faking it(somebody said that) this is real and not even his best. sometimes he'll just start playing and making up the the melody as he goes, ive seen him, and then afterwards he cant remember what keys he used, he also has the most amazing voice when he sings. ask anyone who has seen him.

[KawhackitaRag]

Yes, that may be one of his own compositions, but the first section is nearly identical to that of "Rags to Burn" by Frank X. McFadden (pub. 1899 and currently available in the folio "Ragtime Rediscoveries" put out by Dover publications). As a matter of fact, Brun Campbell was a friend of McFadden's and re-used parts of "Rags to Burn" in some of his own rags.

[hermit96]

OMG FAST AND GOOD

[elixirguitarist]

He is not even playing that, its one the those air pump player pianos

[pczukor]

It is, indeed, a player piano, and like any player piano, you can play it the regular way, too. You are dead wrong in saying Stevens isn't playing. For one thing, it's an original composition and no piano roll for it exists. For another, you can see his hands striking the keys. Were he to do that with a piano roll playing, the resulting cacophony would have been awful--unless he knew the piece so well he could strike the keys at the exact instant the player did, an even more impressive feat.

[the45shootist]

...and there is no roll in the spoolbox!

[KawhackitaRag]

Well, you're half right- you can play a player piano exactly like a regular piano, because it is basically a regular piano with a player action. (the action doesn't interfere with the keys). However, I have played along with various rolls (it's not too hard if you're good at keeping time) and as long as it's not a 6-hand arrangement using up most of the keyboard, fun to do.

[Keeper1st]

In addition, you can see the pumps are not moving. This is not even all that flashy of a rag by ragtime standards. Check the Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival video to which this is a response, and about halfway through watch the solo segment of Tom Brier... or watch the "I Wanna Be a Rap Star" video I put up of Patrick Aranda. If you thought what Stevens was playing was too good to be real, wait 'til you see those guys!

[pczukor]

When we first met Stevens we had no idea who he was, nor about the Ragtime Festival (which we had just missed by a week or so). So when we were talking about Ragtime and he started playing, we considered ourselves so fortunate and just loved listening (and watching). He had played several songs already, by the time I remembered I had my camera with me, and asked if he wouldn't mind playing one more short selection, so I could record it. This was the result.

[pczukor]

Yes, I think it is one of his own compositions. It's a shame that the sound is out of sync--I asked a friend about this, who thought that it could be older firmware in my Canon digital camera I used to take the clip, which may not record sync points in the video and sound files, so when YouTube takes it and converts to Flash, there's no way to guarantee synchronization. Guess I'll just have to come back and do another one (with better equipment) next year!

[Keeper1st]

Might be able to read convert the video into a different format and fix the problem. While the individual performances I have up from Sutter Creek are straight from the camera, obviously highlights video was edited. I used a utility to convert the camera's files to AVI so that Windows Movie Maker could read them.

[Keeper1st]

Yay Stevens! That's one of his own compositions, I do believe. Pity about the video being slightly sped up here. I presume you noticed how that piano has been autographed by all the ragtime performers who have played it over the years. What a treasure!

[avalonakasha]

You just made my day!! One day I will play as well as you.

xxxxxxxxxxx

[Riverratt2006]

amazing!