Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar

Subject: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Mar 14 - 11:06 AM

For those who may like a spot of old-fashioned ragtime, I've done a recording of Scott Joplin's "Eugenia" - one of my favourite rags - on tenor guitar.

If you'd care to hear it, you can catch it at my revamped website:

Eugenia

As Joplin said, "Ragtime should never be played fast."

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 14 Mar 14 - 11:46 AM

thanks Will. I'll be back again (and again). The Joplin is lovely.
cheers
dennis

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Mar 14 - 12:56 PM

Cheers, Dennis - glad you liked it. I'll get the tenor tab and chords and music up on my "Tablatures" page sometime soon.

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Mar 14 - 02:45 PM

Tenor tab & music, guitar tab & music, and chords - all on one file - are now available at:

http://www.mjra.net/WillFly/Eugenia.pdf

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 14 Mar 14 - 07:30 PM

Sweet! I'll be working on this one, on my '49 Regal. What tenor strings do you use, Will?

Dennis

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Mar 14 - 02:47 AM

Enjoyed playing your arrangement of Proudlocks on tenor guitar. Excellent. Was tslking to reg meuross avout his new tenor and he tunes in DADG. He says there are a wide variety of tunings and Seth Lakeman uses open G. What do you find are the advantages of th tenor, Will?

Pat

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: Will Fly
Date: 15 Mar 14 - 05:12 AM

I use Elixir .010 strings - phosphor bronze Nanoweb - on the tenor, which is tuned CGDA like a viola.

There are many tunings indeed for the tenor guitar. As far as I know the most popular are DGBE - like the top 4 on a conventional guitar - or DGAE, like an octave mandolin. The CGDA is what's known as "standard" tuning, and that tuning suits the scale length on my instrument.

Because the instrument's tuned in 5ths, there's quite a large span between the top A string and the bottom C string. Given that the A is the equivalent of the guitar top E fretted at the 5th, it's very easy to break the .010 string, so I'm very careful never to overtighten it.

I prefer to use the tenor as a lead melody instrument, rather than play chords on it, and I think it's incredibly expressive, with the potential for lots of vibrato and some nice string bending. As in Thanks for the memory...

It's one of my favourite instruments to play - as you've probably guessed!

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 15 Mar 14 - 11:44 AM

Thanks for the video, Will. I have a friend who plays fiddle and mandolin, and he is interested in doing ragtime, yet intimidated by the timing and the speed of it. I sent him the link to encourage him.

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: Will Fly
Date: 15 Mar 14 - 12:50 PM

Ragtime has been subject to many misconceptions over the years, the most common being that - in spite of Joplin's assertion that it be played slow - it should rattle along at breakneck speed. I'm playing "Eugenia" at 1/4 note = 60 (crotchet = 60 in the UK), and this speed brings highlights the intricacies of the syncopation and the beauty of the chords.

Joplin also used a wide canvas in his compositions, and one problem the arranger of his pieces when transcribing them is to decide where to fit them on the chosen instrument. I've had to take some parts of the melody line of "Eugenia" up by an octave and some down an octave - just to fit them on to the compass of the tenor guitar. With these changes the melody ranges from the bottom open string - C - to the 7th fret on the top string, i.e. the whole range.

The syncopated timing might seem difficult at first, but reveals itself with practice.

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: Leadfingers
Date: 16 Mar 14 - 06:13 AM

Nice one (Again) Mate

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: Will Fly
Date: 16 Mar 14 - 07:29 AM

Thanks Terry - glad you liked it.

Subject: RE: Scott Joplin's 'Eugenia' on tenor guitar
From: bubblyrat
Date: 16 Mar 14 - 09:16 AM

Me too , Mike !! And I can now play "Tommy Bhetty's Waltz " (after much trial and error !).