Millions know “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin as the ice cream truck song. It’s fun, it gets stuck in your head, and it reminds you of childhood summers! This song is so fun to play.
Make sure you download the sheet music and watch our free lesson on how to play this ragtime icon. And keep reading for playing tips. Note: our sheet music is an easy version designed to be accessible for beginners without losing the character of the original piece!
Table of Contents:
The fingering to this song can be tricky, and there are lots of big leaps. Pay attention to hand position changes and remember, there’s no shame in writing fingering down!
Also, practice hands separate before putting your hands together. Playing hands together will be much easier if your brain has already learned the fingering on each hand.
If the sheet music feels overwhelming to you but you’re familiar with chords, see if you can identify the chords the music is built on. Remember: everything is built on chords! Seeing the chords in your sheet music can be a shortcut to reading it faster.
🎹 WHAT IS RAGTIME? According to the Library of Congress, ragtime is: A genre of musical composition for the piano, generally in duple meter and containing a highly syncopated treble lead over a rhythmically steady bass. A ragtime composition is usually composed three or four contrasting sections or strains, each one being 16 or 32 measures in length.Always start a new piece slowly. (The original score even has “not fast” as the tempo marking!) Another tip is to look ahead at what’s coming up in the next measure.
It’s easy to fall into the habit of playing the fun, easy bits over and over. But you won’t progress that way. It’s harder work, but find the trickiest bits and practice those parts over and over. Your hard work will not go unrewarded!
Keep the vibes light and happy. Maybe reward yourself with some ice cream after practicing “The Entertainer.”🍦
The man behind the ice cream truck song was actually a very serious (and talented) composer named Scott Joplin.
Scott Joplin is nicknamed the King of Ragtime—ragtime being a piano-focused genre that is a direct ancestor of jazz. Joplin is probably the most famous ragtime composer of all time, but he wanted to be seen as a serious composer, which was challenging because he was born not too long after the Civil War. Joplin’s biggest musical achievement was probably Treemonisha, an opera about the importance of education and the struggles of Black Americans as they try to gain a foothold in mainstream American society.
Unfortunately, Scott Joplin never saw a full performance of his opera and Treemonisha would not officially début until the 1970s. Joplin died poor and was buried in an unmarked grave. Decades later, he was posthumously given the Pulitzer Prize for his achievements and a marker was finally placed on his burial spot. For a fascinating look at Scott Joplin’s life and career, check out Polyphonic’s 12-minute YouTube documentary on the composer’s legacy.
As a Pianote Member, you can access 1000+ accurate transcriptions of your favorite songs. You can also use our Practice-Along feature and submit recordings of your playing to real teachers for real feedback!
Sound exciting? Try Pianote for seven days, absolutely free.
Love our video tutorial? Your favorite song might be next! Subscribe to our newsletter for piano news, exclusive interviews, new tutorials, interesting articles, and more delivered to your inbox every week. Unsubscribe at any time.
Lisa Witt has been teaching piano for more than 20 years and in that time has helped hundreds of students learn to play the songs they love. Lisa received classical piano training through the Royal Conservatory of Music, but she has since embraced popular music and playing by ear in order to accompany herself and others. Learn more about Lisa.
/marketing/pianote/promos/april/banner-bg-m.webp)
/marketing/pianote/promos/april/trial-banner.png)
/marketing/pianote/promos/april/banner-title.webp)