Tom Brier plays Maple Leaf Rag in A, G, B, and as a waltz in B

(Originally published in A-flat.)
As well as people asking to hear Tom play Scott Joplin rags, I had one person specifically ask, "Can Tom play the Maple Leaf Rag?" Well, of course I knew he could, as I've heard him play it with other musicians (and, honestly, what ragtimer can't play it?) . I even participated in an after-hours four-piano rendition with Tom, Scott Kirby and the late Patrick Gogherty in the early 1990s when I could play it reasonably well.
However, I'd never actually heard Tom play it solo. The closest was hearing him play the song version (which is in E-flat) for a stage show on Joplin's life.
I mentioned this to Will Perkins, whom you see on the right, and Will commented that he'd never heard Tom play Maple Leaf solo either, so he asked Tom if he'd play it for us.
Of course, simply playing Maple Leaf Rag in the original key of A-flat would be boring, so Tom decided on a whim to play it in A natural. Then he shrugs and plays it again in G, before taxing himself by attempting to play it in the hardest key, B.
When I joked, "How about as a waltz?" he complied with an on-the-spot waltz rendition of the final strain, but still using the difficult key of B major.
So, to answer the question, "Can Tom play the Maple Leaf Rag?" Yes, he can. In what key and what time signature would you like?
Please see this follow-up video -- • Maple Leaf Rag in 12 k... -- in which he and a couple others play this in all 12 major keys and four different time signatures.

Пікірлер: 2 200

  • @MrSourkrause
    @MrSourkrause10 жыл бұрын

    wristwatch on the outside of the shirt, pro level

  • @roxylori
    @roxylori4 жыл бұрын

    Finding him, and falling in love with his talent, and then hearing about his accident, now I’m crying. The world isn’t fair folks

  • @BrokenG-String
    @BrokenG-String7 жыл бұрын

    I wonder how it must feel to understand music in such a superb way like this genius. Must have such a great sense of freedom and power when playing.

  • @j.g.bloodworth9837
    @j.g.bloodworth98377 жыл бұрын

    his left hand octaves are like a machine gun.

  • @Keeper1st
    @Keeper1st14 жыл бұрын

    @giorgiopicker Last year, Tom played for a band on a piano that was a semitone flat. So he just played everything a half-step higher than written, even as he read the pages of tunes he hadn't memorized.

  • @austinl4915
    @austinl4915

    You can tell everybody in the room is just loving it. I really wish that Tom was healthy and playing the piano again like this.

  • @puffadder92
    @puffadder9212 жыл бұрын

    i love the sound of a very aged piano, it give the song a"genuine rag" feeling.

  • @NONO-ld3ds
    @NONO-ld3ds9 жыл бұрын

    dat watch over the sleeve.

  • @jack-ux6wn
    @jack-ux6wn8 жыл бұрын

    If that ain't the most well kept neck beard I've ever seen...

  • @itsdoug7814
    @itsdoug78144 жыл бұрын

    It's really sad knowing Tom's condition now. I really pray he is able to get better so he can play and compose more pieces. Someone with talent like his doesn't deserve to be in a spot like that.

  • @Weezie1588
    @Weezie15889 жыл бұрын

    I can't get over the watch placement.....

  • @BATCHFILETUTORIALS
    @BATCHFILETUTORIALS8 жыл бұрын

    This guy is disgustingly good.

  • @forcesoundtrack6899
    @forcesoundtrack68996 жыл бұрын

    00:09

  • @Cool27Guy
    @Cool27Guy4 жыл бұрын

    The last line of the description is fire: "So, to answer the question, "Can Tom play the Maple Leaf Rag?" Yes, he can. In what key and what time signature would you like?"

  • @r3ynolds_ow581
    @r3ynolds_ow5813 жыл бұрын

    The fact that he can play this song in different keys show that he understands structure instead of relying on muscle memory.

  • @AndyRoidEU
    @AndyRoidEU5 жыл бұрын

    Next video: Tom Brier defeats Thanos,

  • @uchihasasuke7436
    @uchihasasuke74368 жыл бұрын

    Imagine how many fucking lines of code he could write in a minute LOL

  • @MMLCommentaries
    @MMLCommentaries9 жыл бұрын

    This, my friends, is talent.

  • @acewarrior1790
    @acewarrior17904 жыл бұрын

    This man is the only one acceptable to have a neckbeard

  • @zuzannawisniewska4464
    @zuzannawisniewska4464

    It's May 2024. No matter how many times I listen to this, I never get tired of it ...from Fort Worth, Texas