Mark Sieling Graceful Ghost Rag by WIlliam Bolcom

Mark Sieling performs one of his favorite pieces, WIlliam Bolcom's Graceful Ghost Rag from Three Ghost Rags at Eastman. He is senior at Manlius Pebble Hill School in Dewitt, NY. He plans to attend Crane School of music in the fall.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• William Bolcom
• Graceful Ghost Rag
• Three Ghost Rags
• Mark Sieling
• Mark
• Seiling
• Sieling
• Pompey
• MPH
• Manlius Pebble Hill
• piano
• Eastman
• Crane
• relaxing
• music
• improvisation
• solo

[DiVeronica]

Upstate NY! Way to "represent"!

[pokemonfan68625]

awesome job, great emotion, just i personally think that you're playing a bit fast...

[JazzPianoMarvin]

You play with so much feeling! So much that even I feel the music.

[mtsieling]

@harpdiva59 Thanks so much for posting !

[harpdiva59]

This is pretty awesome

Roll at @ 1'10" is very sensitive

I see a debate going on in the comments about whether or not it should be slower, and how most people take it slower, how it should or shouldn't be swung as a rag, etc etc.

It sounds good like this with forward motion, but maybe there's a sweet spot of just a hare slower that gives it a little more sensitivity (though it's far from insensitive now).

Again, bitchin' rendition.

[mtsieling]

I love this! I'm learning to play the piano right now and I now understand how difficult it truly is to bring out all those inner voices and to have the presence of mind to change this up within the piece during the performance! (I remember when I was there the judge picked up the music as if he'd heard something that wasn't there!!)

[musikman12358]

@kktrumpet, Actually sackadoodle is technically right about playing ragtime straight. Swinging is an invention of the jazz era which began a while after ragtime. If I remember correctly, Jelly Roll Morton (a jazz player) is the first artist recorded playing a rag swung. Since then, people have played just about everything swung. I am not saying it should not be swung but if we are looking for the "correct" way to play it... play it straight. Also, Bolcom plays it straight.

[catelijne77]

So beautiful!!!!

[kktrumpet]

@sackadoodle i think you might be confusing ragtime with gospels because gospels are really supposed to be done straight. i think this could be a little bit slower though. i think with this song it just depends on what you heard first (straight or swung) because i first heard swung and that's all i play so this sounds funny, but still very well done

[drummermike6380]

@teknovijay I agree. I have heard it swung. In my opinion, it sounds much better swung. Good job though.