Ragtime is considered to be the first truly American for of popular music, something that was not derivative of European musical forms of African traditions. Following our definition of popular music from last week, ragtime was also a genre that was distributed to the masses… in early published music (before records were made!). As shared by the Library of Congress: “Ragtime was everywhere by the early 1900s–in sheet music, piano rolls, phonograph records, and ragtime piano playing contests, as well as in music boxes, vaudeville theaters, and bordellos”. Remember Tin Pan Alley? They were instrumental in circulating ragtime to the masses.
Read
Examine the history of ragtime with this lesson from the Library of Congress, follow this with this lesson from Carnegie Hall to understand more of its performance style and lyrics.
Gain more appreciation of ragtime’s form with this chapter from Resonances: Engaging Music in Its Cultural Context, edited by Esther M. Morgan-Ellis (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License).
Wait. What is form in popular music??? Find out here.
Watch
Learn about Scott Joplin, ragtime’s most notable figure and “America’s first pop star.” Write down any unfamiliar words and think about the complex social context in which ragtime artists tried to make their unique music be heard by a wide population.
Analyze
One of the most important keywords to understand ragtime and its unique appeal is syncopation. We use this term to describe a rhythmic pattern in which the accented beats are not where you would expect them to be.
Learn more about syncopation with this lesson from Hearing the Americas.
When you feel like you master this concept think about a song that you think is “rhythmically complex…” it could be a hip hop beat, or a danceable reggaetón pattern, then do the following exercise:
- Identify the pulse of the song (remember, we studied this concept on Week 1). Pro tip: just let the song move you, your body should naturally feel that pulse!
- Tap the pulse of the song with your foot. Most popular music songs should be in a pattern of 4 or 2 (less likely) that repeats itself, this is what we call duple meter.
- Hear the stronger beats (we call them “downbeats“).
- Listen carefully to weaker beats and how and when those are accentuated. How does that accentuation make you feel? If it feels a little off or exciting, its probably a syncopation!
Suggested: do this exercise for your Exit Ticket.
