The Entertainer
by Scott Joplin
Acoustic Guitar - Digital Sheet Music

Solo Guitar - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.555723

Composed by Scott Joplin. Arranged by Richard Hirsch. Classical,Jazz,Standards. Individual part. 10 pages. Richard Hirsch #165292. Published by Richard Hirsch (A0.555723).

A lively arrangement for solo steel string acoustic or classical guitar of Scott Joplin’s classic in the original key for the piano, C major. The piece sounds better in this key compared to other renditions I have heard for the guitar in D or A major. I would like to believe Joplin had the guitar in mind when he created the riff of chords, which are perfect for the guitar, in the first section of the piece. The piece begins in a straight version of the introductory lick in the high registers and falls into a swing from the beginning of the melody proper. The swing gives the piece a happy almost carefree character, excepting the slightly more pensive nature of the minor section. I have rendered this section in A minor instead of the original D minor. A minor is more suitable for the guitar and the substitution does not seem to disturb the flow of the piece. This section is sometimes left out in other versions I have heard. I prefer to keep the section because I feel it has certain characteristics of music from West Africa, i.e. Mali. The piece could be played slightly slower, depending on the skill of the guitarist. I recommend not playing the piece faster than the tempo given in the score. If the score is used for instruction I would recommend it for intermediate to advanced students. The fingerings for the left and right hands are recommendations that I personally feel comfortable with, others may prefer alternatives. The right hand fingering consists basically of alternating index and middle fingers aided occasionally by the ringer finger, with the bases played by the thumb. The full chords are played as in classical guitar; thumb for the base and index, middle, and ring for the rest of the chord. A few full chords are played solely with the thumb. There are practically no dynamics, similar to the music of Bach. Apropos Bach, for the classical guitarist, the piece works well as a dash of spice in an otherwise classical program.