Lars Ericsen

Tiptoe Rag

The ragtime, also known as rag for short, originated as a piano style in the late 19th century in the United States. Characteristic of this style are many syncopations of the melody. Accordingly, the name ragtime derives from 'ragged time'. Bands with wind bands took up the style of the rag from 1900. Their pieces, such as 'Tiger Rag' or '12th Street Rag', did not yet possess the smooth elegance of the later swing style, but were oriented, especially in the musical form, on the marching music of the military bands. However, this - from today's perspective: old-fashioned - way of making music is still highly popular not only among nostalgics.

Lars Ericsen's 'Tiptoe Rag' revives the carefree cheerfulness of this rustic style of popular music. The title of the piece can be understood in two ways: On the one hand, it will be difficult for the listener to at least keep the tip of his toes quiet in the strongly rhythmic B major part. On the other hand, the trio-like E flat major part is much softer, like 'on tip toes'. If the drum set (optional) is used, you can even hear the drummer on the rim of the snare drum dancing a quiet tap dance like dancing on tiptoes ...

Note: The audio sample is the BRASS ENSEMBLE version from the POPS FOR BRASS series, not the wind band version!