The Entertainer: Intermediate Piano Sheet

This arrangement respects Joplin's original voice while making the piece accessible to intermediate students who might otherwise find the ragtime idiom intimidating. McLean's voicing gives young pianists a full, professional sound that rewards their efforts immediately, which means they stay engaged through the repeats and syncopated sections rather than struggling with sparse textures.

Infectious and joyful, with that unmistakable ragtime bounce that makes audiences smile instantly. The piece swings between moments of driving energy and syncopated playfulness, demanding that performers balance precision with the loose, conversational feel that gives ragtime its character.

Intermediate pianists ready to tackle syncopation with real musical payoff. This works for students who've mastered basic classical technique but haven't yet encountered the rhythmic and stylistic demands of jazz or ragtime.

• Keep the left hand steady and metronomic; ragtime lives or dies by rhythmic precision in the accompaniment. Students often rush the syncopated right hand when the bass wavers, so anchor it early in rehearsal.
• Shape the repeated phrases with subtle dynamic variation rather than playing them identically. Each return of the main theme can breathe differently without losing the piece's infectious stride.
• Distinguish between the written articulations and implied swing. Not every eighth note is detached; listen to recordings to hear where legato and staccato create the authentic ragtime lilt.
• Work the left hand hand independently before adding the right. The accompaniment pattern becomes automatic faster if it's solid on its own first.

Use this for a pops concert or a program exploring American musical idioms alongside spirituals and folk arrangements. It also works beautifully as a palate cleanser between heavier classical selections, and many students love it enough to practice it thoroughly without the usual teacher nagging.

• Syncopation and cross-rhythm between hands
• Left-hand accompaniment patterns and stride technique
• Ragtime style and articulation
• Rhythmic independence and steady pulse under rhythmic complexity
• Performing repeated sections with musical variation