Dynamic Changes

Scott Joplin - The

Entertain

Billy Joel - Root

Beer Rag

The intro starts f (loud).

Once the melody comes in it
starts off p and crescendos
towards the end of each riff.
This repeats 3 times then
remains loud at the end of
the last one and continues
being loud until the end when
it diminuendos.
There arent any noticeable
dynamic changes through
this piece.

George L. Cobb Russian Rag

Starts off ff with a crescendo

and diminuendos in the intro.
The whole piece consists of
crescendos and diminuendos
throughout.
Generally stays fairly loud.

Jelly Roll Morton

- The Crave

The only noticeable dynamic

uses are the f at the
beginning and staying
between f and mf.
Otherwise there is very few
dynamic changes throughout
the piece.

Rhythmic and Melodic Differences.

It is played with a medium tempo.
This speed and the time signature it is written in, gives this
piece the rag time characteristics. There is a recurring
syncopated rhythm and the use of hemiolas is involved.
The entertainer uses notes outside the C major scale and this
gains a jazz and blues kind of feeling to it.
The melody generally jumps around a fair amount, playing
around with the beats and the notes. It is also syncopated
quite a lot.
It is a lot faster than my other pieces that I have chosen. It
has been described as a fast ragtime piano work.
It contains syncopation. It isnt musically difficult however the
speed that it should be played at makes it seem complicated.
It plays around with the C major scale in a similar way that
the entertainer does therefore also giving it a jazz/blues feel
to it. There are syncopated rhythms in it. The melody of this
piece is fairly simple and repeats a lot. It is all played around
the note C.
This piece is fairly complicated compared to The Entertainer
and Root Beer Rag as it has a lot of jumps and modulates a
lot.
There is use of chromatic scales and arpeggios throughout
this piece. Once again it plays around with the key it is in
which is F major.
This piece is also contains a lot of syncopation through the
piece. Once again it plays around with the chosen key it is in
which is F.

Time
Signature
Written in
2/4

Key
C Major

Written in
4/4.

C Major

Written in
2/4

F Major

Written in
4/4

F Major

contains
a B flat.

James Scott Frog Legs Rag

There are very few dynamic

changes throughout the
piece.

This piece begins fairly complicated as it plays in octaves and

jumps around the piano a fair amount however towards the
end it gets simplier as it generally uses scale techniques such
as arpeggios throughout the piece. It also uses falling and
rising scales. This piece however isnt syncopated like the
other pieces.

Db
Major