Scott Joplin’s “The Easy Winners”

Over the years I have performed three Scott Joplin ragtime-pieces and previously recorded two: The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag as part of my “Great Strides” CD (1999).

I eventually realized that I had also played “The Easy Winners,” but had never recorded it. Sometime after finally recording “The Easy Winners” in November 2014, I realized that the song at 4:40, is almost too long to maintain most listeners’ interest (these days). Even with an accompanying video, 4:40 would likely be too long for many listeners. To make a shorter version of the piece, I decided that I would record an arrangement without the repeated sections. I made the 1st and 2nd repeats (in the musical form) into two pianos playing at the same time. After the abridgment, the piece is a (hopefully) more listenable 2:22.

The accompanying video is another I made using Fotomagico. The pictures used in the video are scanned from the two volumes of Joplin solos in my music library. I hope you enjoy my rendition of The Easy Winners and its accompanying video.