RC Rag - Peter Lang - Tutorial + Tab

 


This is my version of the Peter Lang tune RC Rag. It is an instrumental piece and is very repetitive, having only one real main section that is just repeated. In diffferent versions, Lang puts in variations but I have just included the main section and played it twice. Like most ragtime music, this has a very fast tempo so you have to have nimble fingers to play it at the correct speed. 

It is in 4/4 time and it is played on a guitar in standard tuning but this is tuned down 3 half steps - (C# F# B E G# C#) You don't have to tune your guitar down but I think it gives it a better sound and it also reduces the tension on the strings making it easier to play at speed.

Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab.

RC Rag Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT
 
  • Quick Tempo - The music has a very quick tempo (over 200bpm) which is very common in rag music. It is really easy to lose the tempo and rhythm on this piece and to get the note timing wrong because of this. I would strongly recommend you learn to play this music slowly at first until you can play through it competently. After that, slowly increase the tempo until you are up to the correct speed.

  • The Big Pull-Off - In bars 5 and 23 of the music you have to do a 3 note pull-off, which is played as an 1/8th note triplet. Because of the fast tempo of the music, you will have to play this as a pull-off and wont be able to pick each individual note. It is really easy to get the timing of this wrong. Also, you will need to have a finger anchored on fret 3 of the lowest string so you can play the bass notes too, making it even trickier. For fingerings, I would recommend using your middle finger to play fret 3 on the lowest string, and keep it held there. Then do the pull off using the ring finger on fret 3 of the 3rd string and the index finger on fret 2 of the 3rd string. Also, you need to practise it very slowly at first to get the timing correct and make sure the notes in this triplet are played evenly.
  • Switching the Bass Note Pattern - Most of this music employs a travis picking pattern. However, bars 9 and 10, and bars 27 and 28 do not. they instead just play the bass notes on a single string. This helps change the character of the music in this section and helps adds variety to the overall sound of the piece. You could still play it with travis picking but you would have to fret an additional note, (fret 2 on the 3rd string) but I recommend you dont do this. The difficulty comes with changing this picking pattern at speed. Your thumb is almost on autopilot during this piece as you are picking so fast, so you have to make a conscious effort to alter your picking pattern. Again start slowly at first and build up the speed.
  • Variations - As I have said, this piece of music is very repetitive. Its 18 bars just repeated over and over. However, it is worth thinking about adding some variations in to add variety to the music. How you wish to do this is up to you. The majority of the music is played over a G chord shape so you may wish to add or remove some notes from this section. You may also choose to alter the picking pattern to add emphasis to certain sections i.e. perhaps leave out some bass notes. Or even alter the notes in the small single note runs near the end. It is really up to you but this piece certainly lends itself to some creative interpretations as you repeat the main section over and over.
 
This is about all I need to say about this piece. The fast tempo makes it tricky to play but is really required to give it that ragtime feel. Start slowly then build up the termpo and you should be able to get it.

Thanks for Reading,
Neil

 

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