Maple Leaf Rag
Added 2020-02-01 19:37:14 +0000 UTCDave Van Ronk's arrangement of "Maple Leaf Rag" was first released on the album Sunday Street in 1976. I thought it was about time there was a proper note-for-note transcription of this iconic arrangement.
View the video of my performance on youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKGdBBOEWqs
Right Hand:
Van Ronk used only thumb, index, and middle finger in his right hand. Usually his picking was fairly primitive and easy to understand. Thumb handles bass notes, index and middle play melody and inner harmony. His forward rolling arpeggios in this arrangement are likely all played i m m, i m m...
Left Hand:
Those who have yet to take advantage of using the thumb over the neck to play bass strings will find this arrangement to be a worthwhile exercise. Van Ronk would use either bar chords or thumb over the neck depending on when it was most convenient. Most of the movable chord shapes here utilize the thumb over the neck, but when inconvenient or when the bass note is on the 5th string he is more likely to use a full bar with the index finger. The C section (measure 82) is trickiest in terms of left-hand fingerings, I added editing to the tablature to clarify what Van Ronk was most likely doing here, based on what I know about his technique and the aural clues I could pick up from the recording. All chords should be completely fretted when changes in harmony occur, indicated by parentheses around the notes. Remember, parentheses means notes are fretted but not plucked. The tablature is attached to this post!
Comments
Ah , makes sense. I have to say your lessons are so incredibly accurate and thorough. Very much appreciated. For Maple, leaf rag, having your video and the transcription, the piece is definitely learnable. Especially when slowing it down. At some point in the future, I vote for a lesson on this arrangement. That would make learning it much easier. Great work you have been doing the past few years, Andrew. Keep it up! And I will spread the word.
Rob Steinhardt
2023-01-30 02:11:17 +0000 UTCRob, the video lessons didn’t become a perk of the membership until August 2020
Andrew Lardner
2023-01-29 23:29:35 +0000 UTCHello all. Am I completely missing it, or is the link to the lesson itself missing ? Thx
Rob Steinhardt
2023-01-29 23:13:19 +0000 UTCThanks, your suggestion for the partial A bar helped immediately. Such a simple change, why didn't I think of that? I'm trying to apply the same general concept to the D bar, too, although it is more complicated, so the jury's still out on that one. Now, about fretting the A string with the thumb...
John Good
2020-02-12 17:52:18 +0000 UTCJohn, in regards to the partial A bar, try shifting the horizontal positioning further to the bass side, if possible. The comment about the D chord with a partial bar ring finger is much appreciated. That is very difficult for me and I used to be much better at it when I was doing a lot of Kottke stuff that used it more. I wrestled with a d7 fingering but the harmony just felt too far off, and Van Ronk was very much aware of the harmony in this, which I’ll get back to in a moment. I spent three days watching video of Van Ronk, looking for any comparable fingering and could not find one. It is possible a 7th fingering can be used there, such as there is care taken to not let the 7th sound, but as you mention, the next instance of the chord suggests he wasn’t using a 7th fingering. About the harmony, one person wrote me on Facebook insisting that I had a chord wrong, and every version they know shifts from f major to e major in measure 6. I didn’t know how to respond, so I went to the original score (Joplin). He resolves to the pitch of E after the F harmony (the original is in a flat so everything needs to be transposed up a half step) so the harmony is ambiguous. The only harmonic analysis I could find was by an amateur and suggested the harmony should be E major. Then I went to Jelly Roll Morton’s version, he resolves to A (if transposed). To me the resolution F to A sound more natural than F to E. Curious to think about
Andrew Lardner
2020-02-11 17:53:47 +0000 UTCJames, the Larsons use a somewhat elegant heel, smallish with a downward slope. It is still not an easy grab regardless, and I barely make it (I’m just about 6’4” and don’t exactly have small hands). I’d be much more comfortable playing this on a 14 fret guitar. Thank you for pointing out the fingering error in 82! Will get that corrected. Yes the partial bar on the a chord may require the most flexibility, I used those a lot when working out Leo’s music so I became familiar with such a move.
Andrew Lardner
2020-02-11 13:53:34 +0000 UTCGreat piece. Does that 000 have a pretty small heel? I’m trying to play that 10th fret D chord with the wrapped thumb on my 12 fret 00 and having a hell (heel?) of a time ;). Before I watched the video I tried to grab the 3rd fret in measure 82 with my thumb and got into some twister situations with my fingers but you use your middle finger in the video which works out a lot better. Also and that initial barred A but with an open high e really forces you to use an angled and flattened first joint of your 1st finger!
James Short
2020-02-11 05:44:16 +0000 UTCHi Andy. Fell in love with Maple Leaf Rag and you play it so well! Will put that on our list for the next lesson. Thanks so much for the hard work!
mark blomquist
2020-02-02 19:26:12 +0000 UTCWonderful! I love both Joplin AND Van Ronk, and this seems like it will offer just the right amount of challenge for me. Thanks for continuing to do these monthly posts, Andrew. I totally forgot it was a new month, so this was a nice surprise. Additionally, "Lion" was a bit too daunting for me, but I appreciated the post nonetheless, and look forward to attempting it again in the future. Even if you weren't providing transcriptions and analyses, I'd happily pay just to support you recording the performance videos. Keep it up!
Nick Hamilton
2020-02-02 11:44:31 +0000 UTCIt’s exactly what I meant. If we are here is because we appreciate your work so much, despite we don’t post any comment. It’s a great idea to remember Fahey with another piece.
Marco G
2020-02-02 08:17:49 +0000 UTCThank you Marco. I was a little surprised too, but lack of comments doesn’t necessarily mean lack of appreciation I hope. Thinking about another Fahey for his birthday at the end of the month
Andrew Lardner
2020-02-01 23:49:16 +0000 UTCThank you Mark
Andrew Lardner
2020-02-01 23:46:34 +0000 UTCIMO they are always well recevied. You are doing a great job and for me every 1st of the month has become a very special day. I was surprised by the few comments on Lion... it is one of the best you have done. But I have to say I am the first to blame for not having find the time to post something.
Marco G
2020-02-01 22:57:54 +0000 UTCHey Andy. Great job and a wonderful post. Thanks!
mark blomquist
2020-02-01 22:43:48 +0000 UTCAwesome. I get nervous for each new post, never knowing if the content will be well-received.
Andrew Lardner
2020-02-01 20:04:41 +0000 UTCGreat choice! I've been wanting to learn this song for years, and now I can.
John Good
2020-02-01 19:58:46 +0000 UTC
