The precision in that stride is phenomenal! Such a fluid and lightning-fast right hand! I'm in awe and profoundly envious at the same time! Love your style, Sir!
Bravo! That's some really outstanding stride playing! After listening to this version of the song, I went back to listen to Art Tatum's 1934 rendition of the tune. If Jonny May's rendition is worthy of a standing ovation (which it is) then there are no words to describe Tatum's pyrotechnic playing of that tune. That's when you come to understand the distinction between a masterful piano player like May, and a rare virtuoso, a genius, like Art Tatum. They say many an aspiring pianist gave up dreams of becoming professional piano players after encountering Tatum (the guitarist Les Paul being one of them). If Jonny May ever comes across Tatum's version of "Chinatown", I hope he doesn't become one of those aspirants that gets too intimidated by Tatum to continue their course of pursuit. Jonny has definitely got the chops...but Art Tatum was one-of-a-kind and beyond the reach of most mortals.
Love it! You play so fast, very impressive. Always good to watch your videos, you are obviously having a lot of fun playing in every single one. Keep it up!
I really like it! Keep going! I learned already many styles just while watching your videos! I follow you since your Roar and Eye of the Tiger Video and i am still impressed, how fast you learn all those piano arragements. Thanks, Felix
Wow I just listened to this performance again and love it even more than the first time I heard it. I know you have been classically trained but do they teach the cross hand technique you sometimes use, (very effectively I must say). Best wishes, Phill 🎹
Thanks Phil! I actually learned the cross-hand technique from Disneyland Ragtime pianist Johnny Hodges. I've formally studied classical, ragtime, stride, jazz, and blues so I incorporate lots of different styles in my playing. Glad you like it!
Thank you Jonny, the speed of that left hand stride is awesome! How the hell do you ever get it that fast? I know the answer really, Hundreds of thousands of hours of hours of hard practice. Best wishes, Phill.🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹
Dear Jonny, I've been watching you for some time now and have seen you play at Disney irl. I'm obsessed with Ragtime. My relatives could play it well but I never learned as a kid cause piano wasn't my interest. I'm now 19 and realize I want more than ever to recreate the beautiful sound. Everyone tells me to become classically trained but I want so bad to make that stride if you know what I mean (the playing style). All these songs rattle in my head daily and I just want to bang it out on the keys. What can a guy like me do to get down the style and play like Eubie Blake or Fats Waller? I'm guessing you'll just say "practice", but I'd like to know from you what it takes to be a ragtime master.
Très facile à jouer ! moi j'arrive a le faire en 30 ans de piano intensément ! bien sûr je plaisante, je voulais dire 150 ans ! Root beer rag is possible ???
Hey Jonny, I recently discovered you while trying to explain what 'ragtime' music is to one of my friends, and then I just did a search on youtube and listened to some of your music. Really remarkable and inspiring! I also play ragtime music (all genres, really) and I was wondering if you have any tips for a musician such as myself who is just starting up a youtube channel. Sometimes it's quite difficult to create something "unique" and "original" when you see that someone, somewhere has already done what you can do. What would you suggest is the best way to start up (when creating music that is "different")? Keep up the great music! You just got another subscriber :)
Thanks Nathanael! My best advice is to just start putting stuff on RUclips. Make it a habit, and even if the music is not perfect, that is OK. As for creating different music, I think the key is experimentation. Whenever I sit at the piano, I try new things - I look for different chords I've never played or a different groove or melody... Whatever you do, don't get in the habit of playing the same thing. Always keep trying something new and challenging yourself. As you do this, you'll discover your sound. And MOST importantly, do not give up, no matter how discouraged you get. Keep up the great work bud.
Jonny May Thanks for replying! I think the biggest issue for me, is that I tend to be a perfectionist and I get super picky with even the slightest mishap in performance and sound quality. This in turn delays my upload frequency and I find myself uploading videos less often (which isn't good). At the same time, I wouldn't want to upload a video just for the sake of putting it online when it needs more practise, if you know what I mean. It's hard to find that compromise between the two. However I must admit that I do love to jam around and experiment with different styles and sounds. I'll definitely keep that in mind and perhaps I need to go easier on myself and just keep pouring content out whenever possible. Thanks for the inspiring words :) PS I'm gonna be putting up a compilation of my favourite ragtime pieces called "Insane Ragtime Medley". It would be great if you could check it out! Feedback is welcome. Thanks again!
That was fun to watch Jonny Thanks for making me smile...you are awesome!!! BTW have you listen the new album of Regina Spektor, very cool piano compositions maybe you can pull some music sheet for easy piano students like me 😊
Jonny May thx. my first stride piece I got rhythm (the common version) im almost finished but still cant get perfection with my LH when I play at speed and my hands get so tired. i dont know how to get better..
Chinatown, my Chinatown Where the lights are low Hearts that know no other land Drifting to and fro Dreamy dreamy Chinatown Almond eyes of brown Hearts seems light and life seems bright In dreamy Chinatown
I could listen to this guy playing ragtime forever.
Thanks!
Jonny May i like this element
ScuffyThe Dog This is stride, not ragtime.
Yeah I think if he keeps it up he’ll be quite good.
😉🤣
Great stride!!!
Awesome!
Bravo😍👏
Bravo. Such velocity and precision. Bravo
The precision in that stride is phenomenal! Such a fluid and lightning-fast right hand! I'm in awe and profoundly envious at the same time! Love your style, Sir!
Szczęśliwy Jonny May gra znakomicie. Dobrze się to odbiera. Dzięki za te chwile.
Bravo! That's some really outstanding stride playing! After listening to this version of the song, I went back to listen to Art Tatum's 1934 rendition of the tune. If Jonny May's rendition is worthy of a standing ovation (which it is) then there are no words to describe Tatum's pyrotechnic playing of that tune. That's when you come to understand the distinction between a masterful piano player like May, and a rare virtuoso, a genius, like Art Tatum.
They say many an aspiring pianist gave up dreams of becoming professional piano players after encountering Tatum (the guitarist Les Paul being one of them). If Jonny May ever comes across Tatum's version of "Chinatown", I hope he doesn't become one of those aspirants that gets too intimidated by Tatum to continue their course of pursuit. Jonny has definitely got the chops...but Art Tatum was one-of-a-kind and beyond the reach of most mortals.
This music makes me happy 😊
You are fantastic Jonny
Incredible! OH MY GOSH!!!
Wowwwwwwwww! amazing! My dad played like that. I've never seen anyone else play like that.....Very very good!!!!!!
Fantastic!
Five fingered fire!
Thanks for making the world a better place.
Wow - thanks Pauline :)
This is why I am subscribed to you!
Thanks Mason!
Wow those trills are endless :0
Wow... just perfect!
Great left hand my friend ! Practice makes perfect !
Just about to go to bed then I see you have a new video. I feel genuine joy and excitement when you post a new song. Love it!
This Hill!
It's absolutely amazing
This was great Jonny, big thumbs up!
love the chinese style fragments very well blended with the rest of the song !
oh gosh, you are terribly good, Amazing!!!!
Always enjoy your videos! You're very inspiring! Keep it up!!
Thanks Amanda!
excellent ! ! ! !
Two thumbs up, as always Mr. May. Superb.
Amazing just amazing
Thanks!
one of my favorite song ^^ I love your rag time style:) dziekuje !
Thanks Robert!
Amazing as always 😊
Thanks Jonathan!
great!!!!!!
You are SO GOOD!!!
You're just amazing, keet it on MASTER !!!
Absolutely superb!
Thanks Ben!
Absolutely Amazing! :D
I'm korean. in seoul many people like your piano play . keep going rag & be enjoy !
Thanks!
please ~ play Easy Winners
Great! you look enjoy playing the piano👍👍
Thanks!
Excellent! Congrats!
Thanks Marcio!
Love it! You play so fast, very impressive. Always good to watch your videos, you are obviously having a lot of fun playing in every single one. Keep it up!
Thanks!
like a pro... big wow! keep up the good videos
Thanks William!
man, you are the first youtuber that replies me! I appreciate that man, keep up the good work, you have my back
You are fantastic , keep it up John :)
Thanks!
I really like it! Keep going! I learned already many styles just while watching your videos! I follow you since your Roar and Eye of the Tiger Video and i am still impressed, how fast you learn all those piano arragements.
Thanks, Felix
Awesome Felix! Thanks for following my videos :)
Awesome, i learnt your Rock'Roll tutorial and i'm able to play the Rock'Roll of your other Videos :)
Woohoo! Way to go Tino :) Put up a video of it and send me a link.
Jonny May I'll do it in a few weeks, because i get my GoPro than
Epic!
Alex!!!! What's up buddy!?
wowwww Amazing
Incredible ragtime left hand, Jonny! :)
Thanks!
Parabéns vc toca muito👏👏👏
Mafia - city of lost heaven ❤️
Greetings from Czech Republic!
One of the best games out there.
NICE👍🏼
Please more videos😍😍😍😍😍
Thanks! Going as fast as I can!
Wow I just listened to this performance again and love it even more than the first time I heard it.
I know you have been classically trained but do they teach the cross hand technique you sometimes use, (very effectively I must say).
Best wishes,
Phill 🎹
Thanks Phil! I actually learned the cross-hand technique from Disneyland Ragtime pianist Johnny Hodges. I've formally studied classical, ragtime, stride, jazz, and blues so I incorporate lots of different styles in my playing. Glad you like it!
Thank you Jonny, the speed of that left hand stride is awesome!
How the hell do you ever get it that fast?
I know the answer really,
Hundreds of thousands of hours of hours of hard practice.
Best wishes,
Phill.🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹
Thanks Phill!! Probably more like thousands of hours, but yes a lot of hard work and determination to get there!
최고
Dear Jonny,
I've been watching you for some time now and have seen you play at Disney irl. I'm obsessed with Ragtime. My relatives could play it well but I never learned as a kid cause piano wasn't my interest. I'm now 19 and realize I want more than ever to recreate the beautiful sound. Everyone tells me to become classically trained but I want so bad to make that stride if you know what I mean (the playing style). All these songs rattle in my head daily and I just want to bang it out on the keys. What can a guy like me do to get down the style and play like Eubie Blake or Fats Waller? I'm guessing you'll just say "practice", but I'd like to know from you what it takes to be a ragtime master.
Très facile à jouer ! moi j'arrive a le faire en 30 ans de piano intensément ! bien sûr je plaisante, je voulais dire 150 ans ! Root beer rag is possible ???
It's very fast Sir, bravo,
Wicked Jonny May :D
Well, it is Halloween ;)
Jonny May Haha. You've made a zombie out of me!
Hey Jonny, I recently discovered you while trying to explain what 'ragtime' music is to one of my friends, and then I just did a search on youtube and listened to some of your music. Really remarkable and inspiring! I also play ragtime music (all genres, really) and I was wondering if you have any tips for a musician such as myself who is just starting up a youtube channel. Sometimes it's quite difficult to create something "unique" and "original" when you see that someone, somewhere has already done what you can do. What would you suggest is the best way to start up (when creating music that is "different")? Keep up the great music! You just got another subscriber :)
Thanks Nathanael! My best advice is to just start putting stuff on RUclips. Make it a habit, and even if the music is not perfect, that is OK. As for creating different music, I think the key is experimentation. Whenever I sit at the piano, I try new things - I look for different chords I've never played or a different groove or melody... Whatever you do, don't get in the habit of playing the same thing. Always keep trying something new and challenging yourself. As you do this, you'll discover your sound. And MOST importantly, do not give up, no matter how discouraged you get. Keep up the great work bud.
Jonny May Thanks for replying! I think the biggest issue for me, is that I tend to be a perfectionist and I get super picky with even the slightest mishap in performance and sound quality. This in turn delays my upload frequency and I find myself uploading videos less often (which isn't good). At the same time, I wouldn't want to upload a video just for the sake of putting it online when it needs more practise, if you know what I mean. It's hard to find that compromise between the two. However I must admit that I do love to jam around and experiment with different styles and sounds. I'll definitely keep that in mind and perhaps I need to go easier on myself and just keep pouring content out whenever possible. Thanks for the inspiring words :) PS I'm gonna be putting up a compilation of my favourite ragtime pieces called "Insane Ragtime Medley". It would be great if you could check it out! Feedback is welcome. Thanks again!
you're good
Dreaming to be able to play like you😢
Amazing! What piano are you using?
Thanks Connor! This is the Yamaha CP4.
That was fun to watch Jonny
Thanks for making me smile...you are awesome!!!
BTW have you listen the new album of Regina Spektor, very cool piano compositions maybe you can pull some music sheet for easy piano students like me 😊
Do you ever have meet ups or something? It would be so cool to meet the Jonny may
Thanks! I'll probably do some live streams in the near future where we can get to know each other!
Sweet!
woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow
❤❤❤
how are you not famous yet
Amazing!! Do you work still to Disneyland?
Not currently :)
I'm starting this Keyboard/Piano channel and I look up to you as a role model, any suggestions?
thats sick. whats the secret of playing at that speed in LH? is it auto pilot?
It's very much automated - there is so much to think about that you want to engrain it in your muscle memory.
Jonny May thx. my first stride piece I got rhythm (the common version) im almost finished but still cant get perfection with my LH when I play at speed and my hands get so tired. i dont know how to get better..
Like a pro, cause you are a pro!
You do you John Cena!
Thanks!
Can you please play 'silent night, holy night'?
Wow! Like Cheeko Marks
Not bad. 😱😱😱
jonny can u do the cantina song from Star Wars?
probably sound great in extreme ragtime.
Great suggestion!
Chinatown, my Chinatown
Where the lights are low
Hearts that know no other land
Drifting to and fro
Dreamy dreamy Chinatown
Almond eyes of brown
Hearts seems light and life seems bright
In dreamy Chinatown
THATS STRIDE HAND!!!!
damn
super strider
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😀 quiero tocar como tu veo muchos de tus vidos eres genial....
faster Jonny faster !
I'll just say it I am so jealous I can't stand it. Now I have to go practice and listen to myself. THANKS!
Thanks Ric!
there are times that I have to look at his face to reassure myself that the video isn't speeding up because his hands are moving so fast 😂
You should have a competition with Tom Brier once he get's out of hospital!
Tom Brier is a genius. I'd love to.
Please, make a ragtime cover for the russian folksong Kalinka!
Thanks Andrei!
Jonny May I've learned 2 of your arrangements already and i Love them! Keep your work up, you are amazing!
My god I envy you Jonny...
Thanks!
How about "The Root Beer Rag"
Супер! А где ваш кот?
So fast!
Thanks!
Where's the fire!
His left hand is probably connected to the piano via Bluetooth and I thing a mechanical arm is also attached to it thru MIDI !!!!
I just bought this piece and another 2 from the website, the other 2 downloaded just fine but this one just gave me the 404 error message.
Hey Raul, shoot us a message at yandjmusic@gmail.com and we'll help you out!
This was not a dog whistle, it was a K9 symphony.
I'm late 20's do you think its too late to learn piano ?
Absolutely not! I have students in their 70s and 80s just starting.
ХХХ
Jeez. I quit.
Fantastic!!!
excellent !!!