A contemporary ragtime composition that explores syncopated rhythms characteristic of the genre. Its distinctiveness lies in the juxtaposition of traditional ragtime stride patterns with modern harmonic inflections.
Focus on crisp articulation and steady rhythmic pulse in the left hand to support the syncopated melodic lines.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Bell Pepper 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 Bell Pepper Rag lasts about 3 minutes.
Bell Pepper 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.