Chopsticks in ragtime on two pianos, unplanned & unrehearsed

Please read this description to understand what's going on here.

It's only 20 minutes until the start of the finale concert at 10th annual Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival, but instead of heading out to the concert venue, Adam Swanson (foreground) came into the American Exchange Hotel venue and told Tom Brier (background) that he wanted to play a two-piano duet with him.

He asked Tom if he knew "Car-Barlick Acid". Tom, who is such a good sight-reader that he doesn't memorize many tunes, said he'd probably be able to follow Adam's lead.

Tom asked Adam how it starts. As a joke, Adam played the first few bars of "Chopsticks" instead.

Well, as Adam was about to discover, when you give Tom an idea like that, he's going to run with it!

The video starts as Tom begins playing Chopsticks in return.

Adam says he only knows the first strain, but look at how quickly he picks up the second strain (and, later, a Trio section that Tom makes up on the spot in the subdominant key).

Once Adam gets it down, Tom starts playing with the rhythm, in true cutting-contest fashion.

Adam later changes the performance into "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home", then, once Tom plays it too, Adam plays "Tiger Rag" on top of it, since the chord structure is the same.

They did eventually play "Car-Barlick Acid" together, but that's for another video.

Alas, Adam is on an old piano that had some of its notes badly out of tune by this time on Sunday (even though it had been tuned in the morning).

http://www.suttercreekragtime.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/adamgswanson

Category:

Music

Tags:

• chopsticks
• ragtime
• piano
• duet
• adam
• swanson
• tom
• brier
• unrehearsed
• spontaneity
• suttercreek

[gmmix]

One of the best! FIVE STARS and added to my list of favorites.

[Keeper1st]

@gmmix Be sure to check out the "redux" video response to this, when they did Chopsticks again a couple years later.

[crankatorium]

@Keeper1st hi, could you tell me about how old Adam Swanson is now?

[Keeper1st]

@crankatorium Adam is 19 now. He was 16 or about to turn 16 when this video was recorded.

[MrRagtimefan]

AWESOME!!!! both masters of improvisation!

how can i learn to improvise like that? is there maybe a book or something that would help?

[Keeper1st]

@MrRagtimefan It just comes from a lot of dedication to the music, studying recordings (and, in Tom's case, piano rolls), and so forth. How they do it off the top of their heads is a mystery. I can sometimes make a new arrangement of something direct to paper (such as a couple videos I posted this past week), at least, but nowhere near the quality that these two can do right at the keyboard in real time.

[billdakelski]

how come i cant do that?

[TheGilbeeno]

Love how Adam tries to finish it like 5 times but Tom just keeps adding new melodies to confuse him :D

[TheOneAndOnlyMrH]

The one person who disliked this video was a Klingon...

[FImMbO]

MY ears, they don't comprehend the awesome. TOO MUCH AWESOME. <3

[Birdnest12]

I just couldn't love this more!!! I am with DanStJH...green with envy!!

[DanStJH]

It makes my fingers hurt! But it is so awesome! I am green with envy of their mad skills!

[btbuster1]

This makes me smile every time I watch it!!!

[SatanisaBeaverShark]

Lol, at the end, he was like "No! We're DONE!"