A spirited ragtime-influenced piano piece that emphasizes rhythmic precision and syncopation. It is distinctive for its driving, constant eighth-note left hand and bouncy, staccato melodic motifs.
The main technical hurdle is maintaining a rock-steady tempo in the left hand while executing the syncopated right-hand figures.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Beartop Rag is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 5.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of Beartop Rag lasts about 3 minutes.
Beartop Rag is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include 24th Street Rag by Cameron Lee Simpson, Bullseye Rag by Cameron Lee Simpson, Banana Pepper Rag by Cameron Lee Simpson — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.