Heliotrope Bouquet

Today I accomplished the last big goal I had for the summer:  recording Heliotrope Bouquet, the 1907 ragtime classical piano piece by Scott Joplin and Louis Chauvin.  The movements are a little jerky because of my lack of practice with the classical style and use of a steel string instead of a much preferred nylon stringed instrument.

I came across the piece while checking out daddystovepipe's YouTube channel.  He is an avid guitar player, collector, and teacher of blues and ragtime.  His rendition of this song is just beautiful along with the picturesque background of what I am guessing is the backyard of his Belgian home.

Practicing classical guitar makes you appreciate the complexities of that style even more.  Rhythm playing, power chords, and most pop rock solos are a cinch compared to the fancy fretwork required for an accurate, professional classical guitar piece.  In fact, I neglected the second half of Heliotrope because it was just too darn hard!!  The first part was difficult enough for me.  I feel bad for my roommate because he's had to listen to me practice for the last few months!