Maple Leaf Rag

[CantSeemToThink]

Awesome, awesome, AWESOME!!!

Kudos man!

[banjochrille]

Awesome!

And by the way, this guitarist is emotional. He is natural and that is much much more beautiful than this mainstream professional piano sellers.

So yeah, let's RAG!

[WildGunman77]

would it kill them to put the microphone in front of the guitar?

[Truthseekerfinder]

Great work, but it's not from the original music, despite what others are saying. There are several phrases that are not played as the piece is written. however, this is very well played and deserves a wider audience.

[Charsept]

Instrument transfer : Complete

[jethrose]

I´ve always liked the idea of Ragtime played on guitar....and most attempts have bee somewhat laboured and contrived....Your tuning, a stoke of genius, allows you to get the piano feel while bringing out all the superior potential inherent in the guitar.

[b1ak3m]

That was amazing!!  Well done!

[chuckb71954]

Astonishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!

[davemampel]

Fantastic!

[key2kingdom]

Hey Dude! I'm learning this at the moment, I like to learn everything by heart, this is one of the hardest tunes I've come across to learn by heart. Well done for posting the whole thing.. Other guys have posted just the first half of the tune - I could give in and do that today, but what's the point? 10 **********

[jimi254]

nice

[stringpiano]

....just need to adjust, that your highly potential version/rendition to god ol´Scott hits the origin of piano feel the most. Just for the record and for the worth of a random comment.......Please, , as you were, carry on Gen. Lt......

[stringpiano]

....in my simple joy, consideration, interpretation, what ever, of this magnificient 1800´ century tune, you´re simply t h e best guitarplayer concerning razorsharp performance. Wow. Wish you would hand over to me the tab. It´ll probably kil me, and so what :-) Greetings and a nice Christmas to you, Sire.....

[z454]

great one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rjm12757]

I absolutely loved it. I was mesmerized.

[drone713]

Asians always look like they're not really feeling their music

[Lennythewinner]

I didn't think Maple Leaf was even possible on a guitar. Bravo!

[raztrip]

Well done, Mr. Hamada.

好きです。

[SomethinWild]

Favorited. Period.

[BX500]

Outstanding! Perhaps the best guitar version of Maple Leaf on youtube, as it's true to the original. Great feeling! I can see he's having a good time playing it, not laboring w/ left-hand positions, as often happens w/ classic rags transcribed to the guitar. It could have been a bit slower, or perhaps more "bouncy", but I'm picking at hairs here; this guy is great!

[loungepianoman]

@BX500 HE IS GREAT

[ramrod2298]

great....

[Hyduk87]

Spot on accuracy, incredible clarity on notes and amazing control of the tempo! However, there has been a couple people who posted about the lack of emotion. I don't think it's emotion that's lacking, if anything, a little bit of dynamics would have made this beyond phenomenal, little swells during the phrases, crescendos up, then the sudden drastic fall off to a really soft part, characteristics of Joplin's pieces. But I still really like it, and you did fantastic for being live!

[haveaboat]

that's true, that and, scott joplin pieces are more stiff compared to the music that it contributed to developing, which is jazz, which as more swing to it, giving more "emotion" for a lack of a better word.

[evsynator]

@Hyduk87 .... perhaps those same people that complained might like to show us how it should be done . You always find that the complainers cannot actualy do anything themselves .

[mara235]

This is NICE and as close to the piano version I have ever heard - continue on!!

[purzlfall]

Virtuous but just robotic

[noazarkle]

This sets a standard for us to aim at.Please don't ever withdraw the vid.

[HAMADATakasi]

Yes, I play it in Ab key with my original "Otarunay Tuning", EbAbCFCEb (6 to 1).

[78tyg]

accurate but without any feeling.

[relinquished666]

FREAKING UNBELIEVEBLY BRILLIANT

[Morahman7vnNo2]

No Way Thats Standard Tuning! Is It?

[cosmojh]

Doesn't look like a 5-string or a tenor. Just looks like an OM sized Yamaha regular 6 string.

[Korte321]

fantastic!!!!!!! :o

[reeffrrrmaddnesss]

unbelievable

[tw69hands]

You are the man! What kind of guitar is that? It looks a 5-stringed guitar or a tenor?

[kapowz3r]

sounds better on piano... probably because it was written and normally played on piano, but he still did a good job.

[SeeDeeMoe]

Very nice. Great tone and clean. He seems to really enjoy playing it too. I like that. Thanks for sharing.

[YameBoris]

a few things

1. YOU'RE AMAZING!!!

2. Have you got the score for this (the guitar version), or know where i can find/buy it?

3. YOU'RE AMAZING!!!

:D

[kamilaroi0kid]

I thought exactly the same about the maple leaf rag being played on guitar....I play piano I started when i was 5 and 28 now...and never thought it possible but the proof is in the pudding and here it is absolutely beautiful.

[tabaranix]

just fantastic!

[lashbear]

Takashi-san, Ganbatte !!

The most stunning piece of Guitar playing I've ever heard. I'm a pianist, and wouldn't have even inagined you could play Joplin ragtine on a guitar. Well done !

[capo420420]

yeah thats awesome .. thanks to peacejoytown for showing me this video ..

5 stars from me .. your friend jeff

Jeff Williams OFFICIAL YouTube STAR @

youtubestars DOT com

[Cyclist051]

Wow. Very nice job! Both with the arrangement - which appears to capture each element of the original faithfully - and with the playing. It is a smoothly as I've heard someone play this piece on guitar. I think that Scott J. would be happy to hear it! The only thing he *might* say coudl be - slow it down just a bit. Great job. (Form someone who also worked hard on a very nice arrangement of this piece and once upon a time could play it OK. But not like this!)

[snarfergarfer]

sublime

[havic5]

Great rendition!

[SUNNYD3322]

Fantastic. Keep on posting videos.

[Shackamaxon]

Nice. This is a real finger buster on the piano. Good job bringing out the melody but just a bit more adagio.

[lasht2monyon]

jeeezus h that mans a absolute genious,, top maks young man,

[mozartsnum1fan]

damn this guy is good i'll give u 5 stars

[zorbazig]

Japanese musicians will always be stunning ! Excellent !

[Gregoryjames50]

Brilliant

[maeviac30]

Omg..I wish my pinky finger was that flexible..

I have to learn this song.

[acoustyistics]

It's all about the position of the thumb!

[dnadrummer]

beautiful. What kind of guitar is that?

[hardjono]

yamaha made in Japan

[budgie98]

I'd give my right arm to be able to play like that!

[Pkw101]

lol, but without your arm, how you be able to play! :) just kidding! !Peace

[Sarn0]

heh heh...

[redmonde]

Brilliant technique, what can we say...

I also miss the diminished 7th as in Joplin's piano arrangement however it's really a minor compared to this awsome performance.

[10tealeaf]

Awesome! This is finger style guitar! guy knows

what he's do'n. Who wrote that tune? Is it Scott Joplin? I don't know...

[billgrant1999]

very fluid. I miss the diminished 7th arpeggios in the original harmony, but the artist has the right to reharmonize if he wants to.

[fohq23]

He makes it look So easy

so fluid

[pegxxx]

Need more clips !!!! A 17 on a 1-10 scale.

[Nazzyfied]

POWERRR!!!~

[kirjava098]

lol the tap guitar thing sucks so bad, its for guitarists in denial

[murrmac]

WAY more impressive than Adam Fulara's double necked version, actually.

Less gimmicky, granted.

[RL82]

VERY Impressive, not as impressive as Adam Fulara's double-necked guitar version, but impressive nonetheless.

[kieselsteinchen]

Quiet a fast but very constant tempo. and so relaxed playing. very great i find!

[ashdance]

what a fantastic show!! ash

[chasna2]

Fahey couldn't have pulled that off! Good job! I know the piece quite well and didn't think you could pulled it off, but you did.

[cartof2004]

wow! The armonics are incredible !

[Keeper1st]

Great to see Takashi in action. He was the first Japanese ragtimer I ever came in contact with, but until now I'd only seen photos and heard recordings.

[giorgiopicker]

check his link, if you'll find your way thru the japanese writings you 'll hear some more from him . surely worth the time spent tryin'

[budgie98]

giorgio, you're pretty damn good yourself! I've got all your stuff as favourites!

[giorgiopicker]

found this clip and more from hamada last year and , thought !oh well!? he's  just great!!!wild tuning too.

[beatlesque2]

excellent...well played

[scaldelaude]

bravo, enfin un guitariste sur du ragtime!! encore

[markborgen]

what happend to all the john fahey videos? :/ great tune by the way