The Entertainer - Scott Joplin

 

So after finishing uni, I could finally sit down to learn and complete this piece to a satisfactory level. For my first video on this blog I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's decently long so a few mistakes are expected, but I think it sounds good. 

I originally started learning a much simpler version of this piece when I begun learning piano back in spring. I was going to upload that as my first blog, but I decided to try out the real piece as I had the sheet music on hand. Surprisingly it came onto me smoother than I could have hoped. There are some key aspects of this piece that defines its difficulty, namely the large jumps in the left hand, and playing octaves in the right. This took some getting used to, but it was enjoyable going through the process of learning these techniques. The characteristic syncopation which defines this piece as a ragtime also presented a challenge as my hand independence isn't going to be fantastic, given how long I've been playing. I'm used to 'plucking' notes and rhythms using only one hand on the guitar, so it took a lot of cognitive power when first learning the piece to use both hands separately (the guitar obviously uses two hands, but they work together in a way that is different to the piano). 

One problem that has presented itself through learning this piece is the way I read and learn music. I'm able to decipher a few lines of music slowly, and proceed to be able to play that phrase from memory after a short amount of practice. This is good for just learning pieces as I am able to play pieces that are quite arguably above my skill level, it just requires repetitive practicing until the whole piece is in my head. At that point it just becomes a process, like playing a game or driving, I don't have to really think about what I'm doing.  However, this has meant my 'active' reading is not fantastic. I have found that reading music whilst playing at the same time is something I am not developing for the piano, which isn't ideal. I have bought myself a large book of short pieces specifically designed for improving sight reading that should train this skill that has so far been neglected.

Overall, I am very happy with how my 'first' piano piece has turned out. I have practiced important techniques and improved my hand co-ordination on the piano, and have identified key areas that need specific work. I'm currently working on another piece which is just as enjoyable, and hopefully will be ready to post soon. 

Hope you enjoyed xxx <3