Customer Reviews for Graceful Ghost Rag
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Cindy
Location: from Pennsylvania
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
December 17, 2011
Fun Stuff
This is definitely advanced, but sounds great once it is played well. It's quite a satisfaction to get through this piece.
14 of 28 people found this review helpful.
Cindy
Location: from Pennsylvania
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
December 17, 2011
Tricky Stuff!
Wow, this is tricky stuff. It should have some fingering in it, but otherwise, it's accurately printed in easy to read notation. I suggest taking this 5 page piece one line at a time along with an MP3 recording by Bolcom to play it well. It's fun to play.
12 of 27 people found this review helpful.
Cyndi
Location: from Camp Hill, PA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
December 17, 2011
Worth the time to learn!
This is a very tricky, but beautiful piece. It has five pages of a mixture of octave stretches, syncopated single notes (the trickiest part!) and one key signature switch in the middle. I suggest getting a good MP3 recording by Bolcom and following this sheet music. And, customizing fingering to meet the numerous stretches and positions on the piano.
16 of 32 people found this review helpful.
ShirlthePearl NYCity
Location: from Rego Park, NY
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
November 8, 2011
Graceful Ghost Rag Review
This composition is not very difficult technically to perform, it is the musical nuances, rubatos, syncopation that is oftimes left up to the individual performer (pianist) to determine and execute. It's a wonderful addition to my repertoire and is loved by all who hear it.
13 of 29 people found this review helpful.
Marz
Location: from Dinuba,CA
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
January 22, 2009
"Haunting" Beauty !
This very difficult piece is so lovely. I will not be able to play it as it is written, but enjoy very much watching Dr. Cory Hall play it on YouTube, while I follow the score.
30 of 52 people found this review helpful.
KGB
Location: from Los Angeles, Ca
December 3, 2007
Great piece
This is not an easy piece but one of the most beautiul rags written. [...] Not an easy piece to find either.
11 of 28 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from New Jersey
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
October 7, 2007
Graceful Ghost Rag
Great piece Takes work ,but is worth the time and effort.
25 of 52 people found this review helpful.
R. Henley
Location: from Chattanooga, TN
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
June 25, 2007
Graceful Ghost Rag Piano Piece Review
When I first heard William Bolcom's "Graceful Ghost Rag" On the NPR radio show "From the Top", I knew I wanted to learn how to play it. The music arrived surprisingly quickly from Sheetmusicplus, and I immediately tried it out. At first the number of flats threw me off a bit, especially when it switches from five flats to six, but when I make up my mind to learn a piano piece, I go for it. I'm learning the five page piece in stages, and I feel pretty comfortable with the first two pages. In my case, practice makes palatable! I've even overheard my 22-year old son whistling the tune while on the computer. I've always thought the piano was invented for ragtime music, and this piece is my favorite so far.
17 of 31 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
June 4, 2007
Great Smooth Ragtime Piece
I heard "Graceful Ghost Rag" on George Winston's CD "Forest," so I already knew how this piece was supposed to sound. Otherwise, I would have found the timing extremely hard. In fact, George Winston does not play the two middle sections of this piece and I have not been able to completely learn those yet. It is, however, a marvelous piece and such a relaxing, smooth song. So far the 3rd section is hardest, having less repetition than the other sections. I have found it helpful to learn the song starting at the end and working backwards. I totally recommned it for any ragtime lover.
24 of 39 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from VT
July 11, 2005
Treat yourself
You will love this wistful and graceful rag, and find it addicting. I find it a very motivating piece for my upper end intermediate students who are working their way into more advanced music, and who are looking for something fun to play. This is not your grandmother's rag - you will enjoy Bolcom's harmonic structures.
8 of 14 people found this review helpful.