# Recent ragtime hits **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2009, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160 "2009-10-26T11:19:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/21 "2013-04-17T12:12:49Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I understand and hear the march, but what does it mean, “syncopated”? Well, syncopation is a general term for “a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm”: a "placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn’t normally occur. (form da Wiki) It’s easier to understand if you hear it. Try listening to _The Entertainer_ or \*The Maple Leaf Rag \*or _The Syncopated Clock_ (or even _Ragtime Cowboy Joe_) on YouTube and you’ll probably get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/22 "2013-04-17T13:10:18Z")
Any examples from Robert Johnson? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/23 "2013-04-17T13:16:50Z")
Well, [http://www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org/](http://www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org/), has some of his music available (it’s in the upper-right). I’m not where I can check and see what they offer, but it’s Johnson, it’s all good. Oh, and the Internet Archives, at [http://archive.org/details/RobertJohnsonMp3AudioSongs](http://archive.org/details/RobertJohnsonMp3AudioSongs) has a bunch more, but I don’t see anything I’d recognize as ragtime right off. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/24 "2013-04-17T13:51:50Z")
Wiki says that syncopation is used in Jazz and the Blues. I thought I might recognize something. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/25 "2013-04-17T14:33:41Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Wiki says that syncopation is used in Jazz and the Blues. I thought I might recognize something. Well, syncopation is used in both, but in Jazz more than Blues. There’s quite a bit of overlap. Sugar Blues has quite a bit of syncopation, St. Louis Woman not so much. Try Tiger Rag on Youtube, or Play A Simple Melody. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/26 "2013-04-17T19:22:27Z")
U2’s \*Pride (In The Name Of Love) \*is a familiar song with some very obvious syncopation: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LHcP4MWABGY/maxresdefault.jpg "U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love) (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHcP4MWABGY) The instrumental parts are very straight, 1-2-3-4, almost march-like. But Bono’s vocal line, particularly on the verses, is very syncopated. Listen to the way most of his words land on the “off” beats in between the 1-2-3-4 of the drums. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/27 "2013-04-18T00:48:28Z")
A “recent” ragtime composition is [William Bolcom’s “Graceful Ghost Rag”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQVoY3f-Ctc) - very beautiful! ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/28 "2013-04-18T01:08:27Z")
I once attended a lecture of Paul Tanner, a UCLA music professor of jazz. He told us that the makers of _The Sting_ asked him if ragtime music would be a good choice for the soundtrack. He told them no, it was no longer popular in the 1930s and still years away from its resurgence in the 1950s. He laughed that he was happy they ignored his advice. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/29 "2013-04-18T02:34:32Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > U2’s \*Pride (In The Name Of Love) \*is a familiar song with some very obvious syncopation: I couldn’t catch it there, but Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) found some English guy on the web talking about it. He played “Ain’t [Missbehaving](ain’t misbehavin sarah vaughan)” and I have at least a vague idea. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/30 "2013-04-19T00:04:40Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Joplin’s “Weeping Willow” is one of my top-10 best musical pieces. In the final section of Joplin’s “Fig Leaf Rag” he momentarily takes the piece from Eb major to Gb major. That half of a measure is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/31 "2013-04-19T00:10:52Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/32 "2013-04-19T00:17:44Z")
Correcting my botched double post. The magic moment I referred to can be heard here \*[Scott Joplin - Fig leaf rag - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc1ThB6ANwg) \* at the 3:46 mark. And again at 4:16. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160/33 "2013-04-19T01:57:04Z")
Thanks, TC. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-ragtime-hits/515160.md?page=1)