Boogie Woogie, Stride, and Ragtime: The Best of Piano

This article is a collaborative effort, crafted and edited by a team of dedicated professionals.

Contributors: Andranick Tanguiane, Fred Lerdahl,

Contents

Boogie Woogie, Stride, and Ragtime: The Best of Piano is a compilation of some of the best piano pieces from the early 20th century. If you’re a fan of this style of music, then this is the perfect blog for you!

Introduction

Piano music has a long and rich history, dating back hundreds of years. But what we think of as “piano music” today is fairly new, only emerging in the late 1800s. In the early days of piano music, there were three main styles: boogie woogie, stride, and ragtime.

Boogie woogie is a style of piano playing that was developed in the early 1900s. It’s characterized by a fast tempo, with the left hand playing a repeating bass pattern and the right hand playing melody and harmony. Stride is a similar style of piano playing, also developed in the early 1900s. It’s characterized by a fast tempo and an even 8th-note rhythm, with the left hand playing a walking bass line and the right hand playing the melody. Ragtime is a slower style of piano playing that emerged in the late 1800s. It’s characterized by its syncopated rhythms, which often give it a “ragged” sound.

All three of these styles are still popular today. If you’re looking for some good piano music to listen to, check out these three styles. You’re sure to find something you enjoy!

What is Boogie Woogie?

Boogie woogie is a style of blues piano that was popularized in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It is characterized by a driving, syncopated rhythm, often played with a slide or stomping left-hand bass figure. Boogie woogie is often associated with barrelhouse and honky-tonk styles of piano playing.

What is Stride?

Stride is a type of piano playing that emerged in the early 1900s. It is characterized by a fast tempo and a heavy bass line. The right hand plays melodic fragments while the left hand keeps the rhythm going. Stride was developed by African American pianists who were influenced by ragtime and blues. Unlike ragtime, stride is not based on a predictable pattern of 2-4 beats. Instead, the left hand plays a series ofsyncopated rhythms that give the music its driving momentum.

Many of the greatest stride pianists were from New York City, including James P. Johnson, Willie “The Lion” Smith, and Fats Waller. Their music was often played in Harlem nightclubs and was extremely popular with dancers. Stride continued to be popular in the 1930s and 1940s, but it eventually gave way to bebop and other more modern styles of jazz.

What is Ragtime?

Ragtime is a style of piano music characterized by its syncopated, or “ragged,” rhythms. The name comes from the fact that this type of music was often used as accompaniment for dancing, specifically the controversial new dance known as the “rag.” Ragtime was at its height of popularity between 1897 and 1918, with Scott Joplin being one of its most famous exponents. It fell out of favor in the 1920s with the rise of jazz, but has experienced something of a revival in recent years.

The Best of Piano

Piano has long been one of the most popular instruments in the world, and its influence can be heard in a wide variety of music genres. Boogie woogie, stride, and ragtime are just a few of the styles of music that have been shaped by the piano. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best piano music in these genres.

Boogie Woogie

The first recorded use of the term “boogie woogie” was in 1928, in an interview with pianist Meade Lux Lewis by music journalist James Isleib. Isleib asked Lewis about a piece called “Honky Tonk Train Blues”, which Lewis had recorded for Vocalion Records the previous year. Lewis said: “That’s a boogie woogie”, and when Isleib asked him to spell it, he said: “B-o-o-g-i-e. That’s the kind of music I’m playing.”

The earliest recorded use of the term “boogie woogie” appears to be in a 1928 review of pianist Leroy Carr’s record “How Long, How Long” by music critic Don Graham. In his review, Graham loved Carr’s records so much that he concluded his column with the following couplet:

Other sources suggest that the term may have been used earlier than 1928, but there is no firm evidence to support this claim.

Stride

Stride piano is a style of jazz piano that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The style is characterized by a left-hand rhythm that “strides” along, while the right hand plays melodic lines. The stride style was developed by artists such as James P. Johnson, Willie “The Lion” Smith, and Thomas “Fats” Waller.

Boogie-woogie is a style of blues piano that was popularized in the 1940s and 1950s. The term “boogie-woogie” is used to describe a type of blues piano that features a left-hand bass pattern that boogies along, while the right hand plays melodic lines. Boogie-woogie was developed by artists such as Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, and Albert Ammons.

Ragtime is a style of piano music that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ragtime is characterized by its syncopated rhythms and jazzy melodies. Scott Joplin is one of the most well-known ragtime composers.

Ragtime

Ragtime is a musical genre that was popular in the early 20th century. Its main characteristic is its syncopated, or “ragged,” rhythm. Ragtime music typically has a fast tempo and is easy to dance to. It often features prominently in film and television soundtracks. Some of the most famous ragtime musicians include Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, and Fats Waller.

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