The "ULTIMATE" Ragtime Medley

Well... not quite ultimate. There are several ragtime classics that this medley is missing and I don't think I can say in good conscience that I have given the ultimate performance of any of these pieces. Half of these tunes aren't even really ragtime! But the phrase "Ultimate Ragtime Medley" really felt cool in my head, so I decided that overselling it was worth it for the title. This has been the culmination of about a year or so of piano practice. About two years ago I started learning the Maple Leaf Rag for the AMEB Piano for Leisure Grade 7 exam and that was my first step into the surprisingly large world of ragtime. I discovered YouTube videos of the exceptionally talented ragtime pianist and composer Tom Brier sight reading music from video games, and that eventually led me down the rabbit hole into ragtime. I've been especially inspired by Tom Brier's lightning-fast left hand and his ability to embellish upon a tune so easily. A few months ago I discovered that the majority of songs can be played with just the I, IV, and V chords of the key and with that I started turning all sorts of things into rags. Eventually I strung all the rags I had learned up to that point together and added some other little songs in between, and that's what this is. If I could change a few things about this medley I'd probably first try to make the tunes more "rag-like" because a lot of them aren't quite as syncopated as I think a rag should be. Secondarily, I would try to make my left hand a little less boring and lazy. For long stretches I don't put any variety into my left hand and it's a little bit boring. Overall, I'm really proud of how it turned out and I hope you like it!

Видео The "ULTIMATE" Ragtime Medley канала purplehatguy