--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don t play this piece fast. It is never…" description: "\"Don t play this piece fast. It is never right to play ragtime fast.\" — Scott Joplin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/scott-joplin-41831_jazz_don-t-play-this-piece-fast-it-is-never-r_1233090.jpg" --- # Don t play this piece fast. It is never right to play… ![“Don t play this piece fast. It is never right to play ragtime fast.” quote by Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/scott-joplin-41831_jazz_don-t-play-this-piece-fast-it-is-never-r_1233090.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/scott-joplin-41831_jazz_don-t-play-this-piece-fast-it-is-never-r_1233090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/scott-joplin-41831_jazz_don-t-play-this-piece-fast-it-is-never-r_1233090.jpg) > “Don t play this piece fast. It is never right to play ragtime fast.” [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ragtime should be played with deliberate tempo; speed undermines its character. **In simple terms:** Don't rush ragtime; keep its feel. Key Takeaway Play ragtime with appropriate pacing. Themes music performance tempo Mood educational technical Type instructional musical When to use this quote - concerts - practice sessions - teaching - recording Key Concepts musical expression genre authenticity Questions to Reflect On - Why does tempo matter for ragtime? - How does speed affect musical emotion? A Different Perspective Fast tempo may suit other styles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Piece Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece-fast-3821465/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-piece-3661918/) [Play Ragtime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-ragtime-2505551/) [Ragtime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ragtime/) [Ragtime Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ragtime-fast-2505550/) ## Related quotes > [It is never right to play ragtime fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/it-is-never-right-to-play-ragtime-fast/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [Marching onward, marching onward Marching to that lovely tune Marching onward, marching onward Happy as a bird in June Sliding onward, sliding onward Listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/marching-onward-marching-onward-marching-to-that-lovely-tune-marching/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [If I play you a piece of music, that's when you can truly look inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/if-i-play-you-a-piece-of-music-that-s-when-you-can-truly-look-inside/) [Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/) > [Syncopations are no indication of light or trashy music, and to shy bricks at 'hateful ragtime' no longer passes for musical culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/syncopations-are-no-indication-of-light-or-trashy-music-and-to-shy/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [One day the 'Maple Leaf' will make me King of Ragtime Composers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/one-day-the-maple-leaf-will-make-me-king-of-ragtime-composers/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [What is scurrilously called ragtime is an invention that is here to stay. That is now conceded by all classes of musicians... All publication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/what-is-scurrilously-called-ragtime-is-an-invention-that-is-here-to/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [Improvisation was the blood and bone of jazz, and in the classic, New Orleans jazz it was collective improvisation in which each performer, seemingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/improvisation-was-the-blood-and-bone-of-jazz-and-in-the-classic-new/) [Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/) > [New Orleans had a great tradition of celebration. Opera, military marching bands, folk music, the blues, different types of church music, ragtime, echoes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/new-orleans-had-a-great-tradition-of-celebration-opera-military/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [Ragtime has about the same amount of respect as comics. And in a way they're similar art forms. Ragtime is highly compositional, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ware/ragtime-has-about-the-same-amount-of-respect-as-comics-and-in-a-way/) [Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ware/) > [Ragtime was a fanfare for the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/ragtime-was-a-fanfare-for-the-20th-century/) [Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/) > [Ragtime was my lullaby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoagy-carmichael/ragtime-was-my-lullaby/) [Hoagy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoagy-carmichael/) > [Black musicians rhythmicized the contredanse, creating musical styles which evolved into the habanera (also known as the tango) and, later, ragtime, as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-sublette/black-musicians-rhythmicized-the-contredanse-creating-musical-styles/) [Ned Sublette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-sublette/) > [Whenever I sing blues from the '50s or the kind of blues that you might have heard Eric Clapton or Duane Allman emulate, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcdonald/whenever-i-sing-blues-from-the-50s-or-the-kind-of-blues-that-you/) [Michael McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcdonald/) > ['Kiss Me, Kate' was my 'Ragtime' Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stokes-mitchell/kiss-me-kate-was-my-ragtime-tony/) [Brian Stokes Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stokes-mitchell/) > [The ones that were relevant while I wrote my book were books like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, which is based on a historical fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/the-ones-that-were-relevant-while-i-wrote-my-book-were-books-like/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) ## More by Scott Joplin > [Let me see you do the 'rag time dance'... Turn left and do the 'Cake walk prance'... Turn the other way and do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/let-me-see-you-do-the-rag-time-dance-turn-left-and-do-the-cake-walk/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [What is scurrilously called ragtime is an invention that is here to stay. That is now conceded by all classes of musicians... All publication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/what-is-scurrilously-called-ragtime-is-an-invention-that-is-here-to/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [Marching onward, marching onward Marching to that lovely tune Marching onward, marching onward Happy as a bird in June Sliding onward, sliding onward Listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/marching-onward-marching-onward-marching-to-that-lovely-tune-marching/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [Syncopations are no indication of light or trashy music, and to shy bricks at 'hateful ragtime' no longer passes for musical culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/syncopations-are-no-indication-of-light-or-trashy-music-and-to-shy/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [One day the 'Maple Leaf' will make me King of Ragtime Composers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/one-day-the-maple-leaf-will-make-me-king-of-ragtime-composers/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [It is never right to play ragtime fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/it-is-never-right-to-play-ragtime-fast/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [Because it has such a ragged movement. It suggests something like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/because-it-has-such-a-ragged-movement-it-suggests-something-like-that/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [Panic in Wall Street, brokers feeling melancholy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/panic-in-wall-street-brokers-feeling-melancholy/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) > [When I'm dead twenty-five years, people are going to begin to recognize me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-joplin/when-i-m-dead-twenty-five-years-people-are-going-to-begin-to/) [Scott Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) [Explore all 10 Scott Joplin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-joplin/) ## More Jazz quotes > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) [Hubert Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-laws/) > [I wasn't into jazz so much - I preferred things raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/i-wasn-t-into-jazz-so-much-i-preferred-things-raw/) [Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. 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My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [It's bluesy, rocky jazz. I call it soul music, but it's not James Brown soul music. It comes from my soul. It comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsel-korey/it-s-bluesy-rocky-jazz-i-call-it-soul-music-but-it-s-not-james-brown/) [Tinsel Korey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsel-korey/) > [I listen to classical music very much. There's a lot of jazz that I don't enjoy listening to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-konitz/i-listen-to-classical-music-very-much-there-s-a-lot-of-jazz-that-i/) [Lee Konitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-konitz/) > [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/) [Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/) > [Trombone virtuoso and innovative composer, Papo combines the best of jazz and Latin music to create a genre that is unique and wild. He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brecker/trombone-virtuoso-and-innovative-composer-papo-combines-the-best-of/) [Michael Brecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-brecker/) > [My roots are in classical music and jazz, and I want the freedom of being able to improvise. This freedom is possible only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan-sami/my-roots-are-in-classical-music-and-jazz-and-i-want-the-freedom-of/) [Adnan Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan-sami/) [Browse all 3,027 Jazz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don t play this piece fast. 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