Maple Leaf Rag with several key changes -- Swanson & Hodges

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hodgesswanson

Fifteen-year-old phenom Adam Swanson (YouTube's "adamrag") challenged Frederick Hodges to play Maple Leaf Rag in B major -- an extremely difficult key in which to play it. Hodges countered with this arrangement containing multiple key changes.

Here, both of them play it in that multiple-key arrangement.

UPDATE: They've been improving upon this arrangement. Tom Warner captured them playing the improved arrangement in June of 2008. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icNlrH4-t10

Of course, Maple Leaf Rag was composed by Scott Joplin, and published in 1899.

At the end of the video, as I pan across the audience, you can see fellow YouTuber "wilscool" standing against the wall (a few feet from Janet Klein) behind a camera tripod, so it seems he may have gotten this performance from Frederick's side of the room. Keep an eye out in case he posts that angle!

This was recorded on Saturday, 17 November 2007 at the 21st annual West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, California.

As for playing the Maple Leaf Rag in B major, Tom Brier answered that challenge at the post-festival party, playing it in a duet with Swanson. Another fellow YouTuber, tdub1941, recorded that performance, so keep an eye out for that as well.

http://www.frederickhodges.com
http://www.westcoastragtime.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ragtime
• piano
• duet
• maple
• leaf
• rag
• scott
• joplin
• frederick
• hodges
• adam
• swanson
• wcrf
• 1899

[Kakabeblen]

The angle the video was recorded from, along with the low mic quality makes it quite hard to "Understand", but once you hear through the crappy record quality you really get the magic in this one.

Very nicely done =)

[Keeper1st]

@Kakabeblen Follow the video response by "tdub1941" and you can hear a later performance from a much better camera. And of course Adam & Frederick did this on their album "Double Trouble" if you want studio quality!

[jeremyrom]

Why isn't there any Dynamics!!! I dont understand why ragtime is for some reason exempt from requiring some contrasting sections/emotions/dynamics.

[Keeper1st]

@jeremyrom There are no dynamics because this old camera had aggressive auto-gain control.

[jordanlythgoe1303]

is it like an old peoples home gig

[Keeper1st]

@jordanlythgoe1303 Apart from the people in their teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s in the audience, you mean? This music and these events are attended by people of all ages.

[Keeper1st]

@thenotoriousadin Your voice will get there someday too...

[SHADEKING2542]

Wow this is great!!!! it's so different because you rarely find anyone who will change the key to an old classic like this. BRAVO!!!!!!!!!

[JamieMaule]

awful

[hummer14455]

Being a fellow Maple Leafer, I think it's great to have a very vast perspective on this song. To the critics, I found this version inspiring to start adding tit bits of this to my future performances! You guys did a good job, I love it.

[Marisaur]

Too overly done :x

it's a nice happy song, and their jamming too much little key changes, it sounds messy

[3329dylan]

I'm sorry but this has taken a fantastic composition and overdone it. It really doesn't need all those key changes and to be honest, they sound really out of place and just downright wrong

[gmmix]

Two masters of the keyboard and the genre! WONDERFUL.

[chanlongching666]

actually real easy

[chanlongching666]

easy lol

[DrTeeth007]

OMFG! This is brilliant. The more talented the player, the easier they make it look. Ace!

DrT