Copper Penny Rag Cover Image

Copper Penny Rag: Piano Sheet

$3.50 USD
$3.50 USD
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Copper Penny Rag Cover Image
Copper Penny Rag: Piano Sheet

Copper Penny Rag: Piano Sheet

By Martha Mier

Level: Early Intermediate

Item: 00-20757
$3.50
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Description
Students who love ragtime music will welcome this new solo by Martha Mier. She has simplified the difficult aspects of this musical style to make this solo perfect for early intermediate students of all ages. The left-hand jump bass with full chords typically found in ragtime music has been replaced with single notes. The syncopation found in the right-hand melody is easily accessible for this level. The key of C major (with a few accidentals) allows the student to focus on the technical demands of the piece rather than the key signature. Combine these features, and you have ragtime solo that is not only easy to play but fun to play as well!

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Additional Details
Series: Signature Series
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 4
ISBN10: 0-7390-2416-7
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-2416-4
UPC: 038081195735
SKU: 00-20757

More about this title

About the Composer: Martha Mier

Martha Mier

Martha Mier has shaped piano pedagogy across multiple decades as a composer, clinician, and studio teacher. Since joining Alfred Music Publishing in 1989, she has written over 200 educational piano publications that reach students worldwide. Her work spans stylistically diverse collections, from Jazz, Rags & Blues to Romantic Impressions, all grounded in deep understanding of what students at each level can accomplish. She graduated from Florida State University and maintained an active piano studio in Lake City, Florida, while serving as a church musician and professional accompanist.

Mier's contributions to the profession extend well beyond publication. She serves as a certified piano teacher through the Music Teachers National Association, the Florida State Music Teachers Association, and the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Her workshops and adjudication work have taken her internationally to Australia and New Zealand, and domestically to major conferences including the Music Teachers National Association Conference, the National Piano Teachers Institute, and the World Piano Pedagogy Conference. Many of her compositions appear on the National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival Bulletin, making them accessible benchmarks for students pursuing festival performance.

Why we love this

Mier understands exactly what makes ragtime appealing to young pianists while respecting their technical reality. By replacing the traditional left-hand jump bass with single notes and keeping the syncopated melody accessible, she preserves the genre's rhythmic vitality without overwhelming early intermediate players. The result is a piece that builds genuine competence and confidence rather than frustration.

What to expect

Copper Penny Rag sparkles with the offbeat character of ragtime without the aggressive technical demands that often keep young players away from the genre. The single-note left hand gives the piece lightness and bounce, while the syncopated right-hand melody dances with playfulness and charm. Playing it feels simultaneously like learning something grown-up and having genuine fun.

Who it's for

Early intermediate pianists of all ages who are ready to explore a new style but need the technical scaffolding to succeed. This piece works for students in private studios, school music programs, and community piano classes who have solid hand position, basic rhythmic accuracy, and enthusiasm for something beyond classical etudes.

How to get the most out of it

  • Feel the ragtime pulse in two; this rhythmic foundation makes the syncopation land naturally rather than feeling fragmented.
  • Practice the left hand separately until the single-note bass pattern feels like a steady heartbeat; this creates space for the right hand to sing the syncopated melody without tension.
  • Bring out the right-hand melody with clear articulation; ragtime lives in the crisp attack and release of notes, not in smoothness.
  • Let the few accidentals surprise the listener; they're strategic colors against the C major home key, so lean into them without over-emphasizing.

How to use it

Feature this on a recital or studio showcase program where you want to demonstrate student range across styles; it sits naturally between classical repertoire and modern selections. It also works well in a thematic early intermediate recital built around American musical traditions, or as a confidence-builder early in the season to spark student interest in stylistic exploration.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and performing syncopated rhythms in the right hand
  • Coordinating independent left-hand patterns with syncopated melody
  • Maintaining steady pulse while playing off-beat figures
  • Understanding ragtime style and idiomatic keyboard writing
  • Playing with rhythmic clarity and articulation at early intermediate level

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