About the piece
Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime”, published it in 1902. Seventy years later it became hugely popular again thanks to the film The Sting (1973), which used Joplin's music as its soundtrack.
Like every rag, it alternates several themes; the left hand jumps between a bass note and a chord while the right hand plays off-beat (syncopated) notes.
How to practise it
- Left hand alone, bass–chord, bass–chord, like a march step: it is the engine of the piece.
- The right-hand syncopations: tap them on a table first, then on the keys.
- Don't rush: Joplin himself wrote on his rags that they should not be played fast.
- Learn one theme at a time; the app splits the piece into parts to repeat.
Free sheet music
First page. Complete sheet music (PDF) on the Mutopia Project (public domain, edition by Chris Sawer); in the Piano Learning app you read it two pages side by side while you play.
Frequently asked questions
Is it suitable for beginners?
There are simplified versions; this is the original, intermediate mainly because of the left-hand leaps.
Is the sheet music free?
Yes: Joplin died in 1917 and the music is in the public domain.