The Hanon Rag was composed while I was working on my music degree at Fort Lewis College in Durango,

Colorado, for composition class. I got an A for my effort, in case you were wondering. It is based on a collection
of the pieces found in C.L. Hanons Piano Exercises, both a boon and a bane to developing pianists for over a
century. While the exercises are intended to boost both finger dexterity and evenness of note placement, they in
fact tend to foster tedium with the repetitious patterns. Each pattern of eight or so notes is repeated up a one or
two octave scale on every note of the scale, and is then intended to be played as such in every key. Imagine, if
you will, the first four measures of Scott Joplins The Entertainer played in the same manner for some ten
minutes at a time.

This piece was composed not only to fulfill my obligation, but as a musical joke as well. As it turns out, it is
quite a challenging exercise in itself. The truly Hanon-based passages contain little or no syncopation, but they
play into riffs that are syncopated in the manner of piano ragtime. Note also that the repeat of the A section after
B contains a variation on the first Hanon theme. In retrospect as a more seasoned pianist, I recommend obtaining
a copy of the original Hanon exercises and learning some of them, then taking another look at this rag and see if
it makes more sense.
The cover is a play on the classic Schirmer Library of pieces, which have sported this familiar look since as far
back as 1912. Note the Maple Leafs on either side of the top title header, and another tip of the hat to Scott
Joplin with the Pineapple logo near the bottom. Since Im rather rusty on my Latin, I choose to enter my own
slogan in English, words to live by: Playeth Ragtime Welleth! Need I say more?

Other Rags by Perfessor Bill:

Bucks Banjo
The Piano Tuners Nightmare (by Thumbs Malone)
A Ragtime Nocturne
Blood on the Keys
Better with Age
Pride of the Prairie
Lovely Laughing Lucille
The Ragtime Pamela
Chinese Checkers
The Necromancer A Mystic Syncopation
Wiener Schnitzel Rag
Ragapples (with Marty Mincer)

The Tuxedo Cat Rag

The Radios Gone Silent
For more info on Ragtime and these pieces please visit me on the web at http://www.perfessorbill.com.
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