How to Play The Entertainer (Joplin) in Letter Notes

Few tunes are as instantly cheerful as The Entertainer. It's the sound of the ice‑cream van, the silent‑movie era, and one of the most famous piano rags ever written. It's a step up from a true beginner piece — but with letter notes and slow practice, it's well within reach of a determined learner.

What The Entertainer really is

It's a classic piano rag by Scott Joplin, subtitled "A Rag Time Two Step," copyrighted in December 1902. (Wikipedia))
Largely forgotten for decades, it roared back in 1973 when Marvin Hamlisch's adaptation for the film The Sting reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won an Academy Award. (Wikipedia))
The RIAA later placed it tenth on its "Songs of the Century" list. (Wikipedia))

An honest word about difficulty

Ragtime has a particular challenge: the left hand keeps a steady beat while the right hand plays "off" it (that's the syncopation that makes rag sound so bouncy). Coordinating the two takes practice, so The Entertainer sits at an intermediate level. But letter notes remove the note‑reading barrier, and slow practice lets you build the coordination one bar at a time.

How to learn it on DoReDog

Listen first so the rhythm is in your ear: The Entertainer on DoReDog.
Right hand alone, slowly. The catchy tune is all in the right hand. Learn a short phrase at a time from the letter notes.
Left hand alone. The left hand keeps a steady "boom‑chick" pulse. Get it even and automatic on its own.
Combine hands very slowly. This is the real work of ragtime — go far below performance speed so the two hands lock together cleanly. (See Hands‑Separate Practice.)
Loop the seam. Use the A–B loop on the exact bar where the hands feel awkward, and repeat it until it's automatic.
Raise the tempo only when it's clean. The bounce comes from accuracy, not speed.

A tip that makes it click

Get the left‑hand pulse rock‑solid first. Once your left hand can keep a steady beat without you thinking about it, the syncopated right‑hand tune has something firm to bounce against — and that's when The Entertainer starts to swing.

▶ Play it now: The Entertainer — colour‑coded letter notes