1. Piano Styles: Ragtime to Boogie-Woogie
Chapter 4
Piano Styles:
Ragtime to Boogie-Woogie

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The Birth of Ragtime
Ragtime predates jazz
Even though rags were not improvised, they had an improvised feel
Ragtime had a direct impact on the development of jazz
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Pianists were not used
in the first
Dixieland bands.
They therefore developed a style that would resemble the sound of a full band.
Eubie Blake
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Ragtime piano technique involved playing alternating bass notes and chords in the left hand, while playing highly syncopated melodies in the right hand. Refer to Demonstration 1
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History of Ragtime
The name Ragtime may have come from its intricate syncopation - or ragged time
Ragtime began as a piano style applied to existing popular tunes
Style became more compositional as rags were published and sold
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Ragtime -continued-
First heard at World’s Fairs in Major U.S. cities at the end of the 19th century
Tin Pan Alley publishers began to sell rags in the early 20th century
Many early ragtime pianists migrated to
Sedalia, Missouri
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Ragtime compositions
Constructed using a European model of
balance and form
Each rag had four themes (strains) of equal importance
Examples are:
“Maple Leaf Rag”
“Tiger Rag”
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Scott Joplin ( )
Most prolific composer of rags
Over 50 published, but may have written as many as 600
Also wrote a symphony and 2 operas
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9. Ferdinand “Jellyroll” Morton (1890-1941)
Best known early ragtime pianist
Claimed to have invented jazz
Had no peer as a soloist
Led a string of successful orchestras
Pioneered creative arranging techniques
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10. “Maple Leaf Rag” compare renditions
Scott Joplin
(CD 1 track 6)
Recording from a piano roll
Formal structure
Exact repeats
Not improvised
Jellyroll Morton
(CD 1 track 7)
Different key
Looser rhythmic feel
Less attention to form
Sounds improvised
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11. Ragtime and Dixieland merge
Pianists began to play in bands
Melodic concept changed
Rhythmic stress on alternating beats carried over to jazz
Form was abbreviated
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- Conclusion -
The ragtime style, while nostalgic, is still popular today as heard in films, on Broadway, and elsewhere.
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Stride Piano
An improvised piano style that followed ragtime
Players used popular tunes of the day
Faster more intense rhythm feeling
The most popular piano style of the 1930s
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14. James P. Johnson (1894-1955) “Father of Stride Piano”
Composer of “Charleston”
Listen to “Carolina Shout”
(CD 1 track 8)
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15. Thomas “Fats” Waller (1904-1943)
Student of James P. Johnson
Well known pianist, composer, singer, and entertainer
Most famous tunes include: “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
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Art Tatum ( )
One of the most versatile pianists in jazz history
Ahead of his time both technically and harmonically
A master of stride
Listen to “Elegie”
(CD 1 track 9)
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17. Boogie-woogie
Another piano style dating to the depression era of the 1930s
Rhythmic feeling is created by constant 8 notes per 4-beat measure (called 8 over 4)
Ostinato - a repeated bass (left hand) riff that holds the piece together
Earliest players were mostly self-taught
Style later adapted by big bands, rock ‘n roll and other styles
Refer to demonstration 8
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Meade Lux Lewis ( )
Early master of the Boogie-woogie style
Listen to “Honky Tonk Train Blues”
(CD 1 track 10)
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