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My "Awful" YAMS Rag

When I started playing around with "You Are My Sunshine" as a ragtime piece, I nicknamed it my "YAMS Rag." With Scott Joplin’s Pineapple Rag still fresh in my mind, "YAMS Rag" makes me think of a sweet potato casserole with pineapple. I can almost smell the casserole when I play this.

Hmm, maybe I should call it my YUMS rag ...

Anyway, I've dabbled with the idea of the YAMS rag for years, but this weekend I decided to look at it more seriously--more like an arranger. I'm using what I've been learning at Piano With Jonny--rag rolls, slides, turns, and other techniques. It's still early, but I got excited and recorded a quick video to share on the PWJ Facebook group. I knew it wasn't polished--it was literally my first day working on it--but I thought it would be fun to show where I'm at.

Then someone commented, "Awful." Just that one word. At first, it was kind of funny--who leaves a comment like that on a rough draft? But as the day went on, it started to bother me more than I expected. I ended up deleting the post, not because I think the piece is awful, but because I didn’t want the negativity hanging over me. A few other people left nice comments, saying it had potential or they were curious to hear how it develops, which felt good.

I listened to the video again today, and it’s definitely not awful. It’s rough, sure, but it’s supposed to be--it’s a brand-new idea I’m experimenting with. Here are some of my favorite parts so far:

  • 0:19 - Descending 6ths in the right hand
  • 0:30 - Arpeggios in the right hand, same descending 6ths in the left hand, finishing an octave up
  • 0:34 - G# slide to A
  • 0:42 - Fun little augmented fourths resolving to thirds

Even though it’s halting and tentative and nowhere close to perfect yet, I’m sharing it here for anyone who wants to check it out. It’s a work in progress, so please don't write "Awful" in the comments!

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