“Elite Syncopations” is another well known ragtime piece by Scott Joplin whose remastered piano rolls are a good source of understanding of how this style of music should be performed. A tempo of 78 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended in this arrangement for clarinet in Bb accompanied by piano. The sounding key is Eb although the solo instrument part is appended to the full music score with the appropriate transposition. The same ragtime piece is often heard played at varying tempos but the best advice is not to play too fast. It does need to be played consistently and with simplicity even though some of the sections are technically quite challenging. Some of the repeat sections have the option of playing the melody up an octave but this may prove to be too challenging for some instrumentalists. This score reviewed in early 2026 with a realisation added in which the repeats are not played. Accompaniments have also been added playing at bpm. There is a 4 bar count in featuring the sound of the woodblock.
