Scott Joplin - The REAL Pineapple Rag

I'm fed up with these piano players on Youtube playing ragtime like they're Liberace with flourishes and embellishments Oscar Wilde would cringe at. They all play the edited version of this classic making it seem as though Joplin invented a tuneful little ditty when in fact the latter stages of the song demonstrate Joplins progressive and forward thinking approach to Ragtime in 1908.

This song is taken from Scott Joplin's own piano roll so
I hope people will recognise Joplin's genius which is evident throughout this piece, from start to finish.

Shame on you part timers who have posted videos here and only bothered to learn half of the song.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• scott joplin
• ragtime
• pineapple rag
• piano roll
• real
• original
• 1908

[ragtimist]

There are elements to this roll that can not be played by hand. There are octaves in the left hand and extra notes in the middle register that mean a third hand was edited in. Also listen to the trills in the last theme.

[BenNCM]

@ragtimist So you do admit that the song was played by someone and not a piano roll. The trills that you're referring to sound very human-like and waver somewhat, as does the whole recording. Why not Joplin plus a friend?

[ragtimist]

Joplin did not play this on piano roll and this roll is not a hand played. It is arranged and differs from the original score. And the second half of this roll has part of Euphonic Sounds.

[BenNCM]

@ragtimist You're so right. I knew that Joplin didn't this but how do you knew for sure that it wasn't played at all? The album that I have has deemed the Pineapple Rag/Euphonic Sounds medlet as one song. Interestingly, on the album that I have the very next song after Pineapple rag is Euphonic Sounds but that song is actually Kismet Rag. The album makes no mention of this at all!

Thanks for clearing this up.

[edisonphonographfan]

@NatKingCole46

Actually recording in 1908 was very clean advanced from the 1890s but at the time there were very few recordings of pianos to compare with but I would agree a piano would not seem to record the best , the best recordings were of a band or voices,banjos etc... Just check out my videos and you will know what i mean.

[Harmonyww]

Ragtime is meant to be embellished upon. The Pineapple rag, as with all Joplin rags, is simply a lead sheet to allow a musician to improvise and add their own spin on each tune. That's why the majority of uploads on Youtube of people "playing ragtime like they're Liberace with flourishes and embellishments Oscar Wilde would cringe at" sound a heck of a lot better than this.

[TheMaxi418]

the rhythm is absolutely fantastic!

[NatKingCole46]

I like the recording, but it is not played by Scott Joplin because

1. "It's never right to play ragtime fast" - Scott Joplin

2. recordings at that time (till ~1920) were never that clean, they whooshed.

3. for example look at Pete Johnson's recordings, he lived at that time.

4. Scott Joplin is even better than those four hands!!!

[WaffleAbuser]

@Schultz383

There's another difference: What's after the D part wasn't in Choco's video. I hadn't heard it before, though, and it wasn't in my sheet either, so I have to admit that I've also only learnt "half of the song".

[Schultz383]

@BenNCM I read your comment on chocotiger's video and went to check this one out.....they sound *almost* exactly the same other than the fact Joplin played his quicker than Choco and Choco's doesn't sound 90+ years old :/

[JamesPriceJohnson]

this is amazing, lol, is he dancing when euphonic sounds starts? lol

[JamesPriceJohnson]

damn this is good, never heard this version better. amazing.

[ragtimist]

This is definately a roll, possibly from the Connorized Company, but it was not played by Joplin. There were only a few rolls that were promoted as "played by Scott Joplin", and Pineapple Rag was not one of them. Joplin's name would be a significant selling tool, so there would be no benefit to have him record a roll and not promote it. And he did not do any records.