[Kirk Lorange]

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Kirk's Master Lessons are for the 'Beyond' members of Guitar for Beginners and Beyond, and are available as paid downloads only.

Movies will play in Windows Media Player - The lessons consist of two high resolution movies (full and half speed), two midi files (full and half speed), tablature and notation images, the Guitar-Pro file, mp3 and commentary - Click here to purchase this lesson.

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Maple Leaf Rag


This is Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag", or at least part of it. There are other sections that follow this, but they're not nearly as memorable as this part. They sound more like chord progressions than melody, but, if anyone is interested in them, I can do them as a separate lesson.

I listened to a few versions of this before coming up with this arrangement. Most of the others had a bit of swing feel to them and weren't nearly as neat sounding as a piano version I bought from iTunes (Rag Time Piano Roll). It has that very straight, almost stiff, rag time piano sound about it, and that's what I tried to emulate with this arrangement. It was in A flat, just about the most unfriendly of all guitar keys. I did mine in A.

It's a tricky little sucker! This would be better played using thumb pick and even finger picks. I gave up on them years ago.

The lesson consist of two high resolution movies (full and half speed), two midi files (full and half speed), tablature and notation images, the Guitar-Pro file, mp3 and commentary.


Attached is a full-size frame from the movies.