Comment by thereallyniceman on October 11, 2011 at 19:44

When I recently asked for suggestions of favourite Classic banjo pieces I thought that I would have a go at  The Smiler Rag, as I said in a previous post, all went well until I tried to record it…  and here is the proof.

 

It is such a great ragtime piece I will continue to practise this one… until I get it right!!!!

 

Please post any “work in progress” videos of pieces that you are learning.

Don’t worry about wrong notes and stumbles. We all make them !!!!

Comment by Jody Stecher on October 12, 2011 at 2:13

Well I say yes yes yes you're doing most of it right. Ian, this made me smile continuously. The Smiler is a long-tine favorite of mine and it's great to hear (and watch)  it being played. Some of your fingering is identical to mine, some different. As expected. thanks from across the Atlantic.

Comment by marc dalmasso on October 12, 2011 at 5:58

Thks from across the Manche ; here ' s the link to the froggy Van Eps when i try unsucessfully  ,not to slow down the tempo but to keep the original ' one ; The froggy Van Eps often speed it up ( 2,05 )

http://classic-banjo.ning.com/video/the-smiler-rag

Comment by thereallyniceman on October 15, 2011 at 19:43

Thank you Jody for the kind comments and thank you Marc for videos of other arrangements.

I have put this together by listening to Fred Van Eps playing and from an old score I have had for ages, but a different arrangement. I like how Fred VE adds notes here and there... why use one note when three will do???  ... great!

We all makes mistakes in our practice. It would be no fun if we could play everything first time through!

I love ragtime pieces and The Smiler is quite a challenge (for me) but another few hundred hours of practice and I may attempt another recording to see if it gets any better  :-)

Comment by thereallyniceman on October 30, 2011 at 8:50

We all know what you mean about recording, Clayton !  Good to see you posting. I notice that you have been a member on here for a long time... please keep the posts coming, it is good to receive comments.

"Sounds Great" ?  You must have been listening to someone else playing  :-)

Ian

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