Highway 52 Rag

Here’s another composition that I’ve put together for students, in order to introduce some typical elements of Ragtime fiddle. Thinking about the history of this music, it is interesting to imagine Ragtime making its way into fiddle repertoire, since the style started on the piano, becoming something of a craze in the 1890’s. Apparently they would even take famous classical melodies and “rag” them by syncopating the rhythms. Fiddlers wanted to join in the fun, playing the hot new sound of the time, and found ways to adapt it to their instrument (see Back up and Push). When I first learned rags, I did not think of them as a relatively new addition to the fiddle repertoire compared to many of the other tune types like hoedowns, but they actually are. It is a similar story, by the way, with the blues which also seeped into fiddle playing in the 20th century (especially Bluegrass). The way I think of it, no style exists in complete isolation, and musicians are always absorbing what they hear around them…so all the sub-cultures interact from time to time and it forms something of a melting pot.

You can learn it from the sheet music or by ear with the instructional video.

Here is a score with backup parts (chords or bass line) you can also learn:

And here is a video to practice playing along with melody or backup parts:

Click here to view the score, if you want to learn the chords and bass line.

Next Steps

If you want to learn more in this style, try Maybelle Rag (which is a little harder than this one).