Tom Brier plays Maple Leaf Rag in A, G, B, and as a waltz in B

(Originally published in A-flat.)

As well as people asking to hear Tom play Scott Joplin rags, I had one person specifically ask, "Can Tom play the Maple Leaf Rag?" Well, of course I knew he could, as I've heard him play it with other musicians (and, honestly, what ragtimer can't play it?) . I even participated in an after-hours four-piano rendition with Tom, Scott Kirby and the late Patrick Gogherty in the early 1990s when I could play it reasonably well.

However, I'd never actually heard Tom play it solo. The closest was hearing him play the song version (which is in E-flat) for a stage show on Joplin's life.

I mentioned this to Will Perkins, whom you see on the right, and Will commented that he'd never heard Tom play Maple Leaf solo either, so he asked Tom if he'd play it for us.

Of course, simply playing Maple Leaf Rag in the original key of A-flat would be boring, so Tom decided on a whim to play it in A natural. Then he shrugs and plays it again in G, before taxing himself by attempting to play it in the hardest key, B.

When I joked, "How about as a waltz?" he complied with an on-the-spot waltz rendition of the final strain, but still using the difficult key of B major.

So, to answer the question, "Can Tom play the Maple Leaf Rag?" Yes, he can. In what key and what time signature would you like?

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ragtime
• piano
• rag
• scott joplin
• brier
• maple leaf rag

[HYrohith]

i mean this man really really motivates me sooo much and takes my interest in this instrument to a whole new level.....i watch his videos every single day over and over again...thanks sooo much for showing the world tat such awesome pianists exist!so what does mr.tom do??is he like americas best and most wanted pianist or something?!cheers from bangalore india :D

[Keeper1st]

@HYrohith He's actually a computer programmer for city government.

[krusie0]

Well he's got me beat... I can only do the first two sections in what.. Ab, Db, Eb, F, and... C, I think. That third section is just the worst props to you for playing that! :^)

This music is also a heck of a lot more fun to play switching keys in the middle of the song! :D

[Keeper1st]

@krusie0 Adam Swanson and Frederick Hodges do that when they play it together. Check video ID "icNlrH4-t10" for one example performance, and "pF65oNWZOck" for one of Adam doing the key-changing arrangement solo.

[Zoltar567]

B is the hardest key? Wouldn't something like F# be harder? I'm no pianist.

[Keeper1st]

@Zoltar567 F# would be like playing in G-flat (six flats), which is occurs from time to time in ragtime tunes (the second half of Joseph Lamb's "Excelsior Rag" and the first half of Max Keenlyside's "One for Mom" come to mind immediately). B, however, is like playing in C-flat (seven flats), which is nearly unheard of. The second half "One for Mom" is the only thing I can think of, other than a brief bit of Blaze & Brier's "The Stygian Waltzes" which is in the relative A-flat minor.

[Keeper1st]

@Tyuo2010 Thinking in so many sharps when you're used to thinking in flats.

[Keeper1st]

@FBfan477 It's 92 years old and it sits in a public place getting played every day. Even when it has been tuned, it's out of tune... Some of the pegs just don't hold enough tension anymore or don't work at all, as I understand.

[Henry1993bc]

you should try and get him to play it in 7/8 !

[SeanLovesPiano]

Tom Brier is an inspiration. :] Coming from a young rag time pianist. I learned the original of this song this summer. As of now its perfectly fine in its original key, but I hope to be able to own this song one day as Mr. Brier does..

[KHquick]

@HYrohith Are you me?

[scopeeyevideo]

Always fun to watch these. If you need me I'll be at my piano lesson, struggling to play two sixteenth notes with my left at the same time as I play one eighth with my right. :)

[zerrubabbel]

@kutibotond he has experience...

[zerrubabbel]

we should all grow neck beards