This is a rare ragtime piece by Hal G. Nichols that follows the traditional multi-strain structure of the genre. It is distinguished by its catchy, rhythmic syncopations characteristic of late 19th-century American popular piano music.
Students must focus on steady rhythmic precision and crisp staccato articulation in the left hand.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Black and Blue Rag is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 4.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 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 Black and Blue Rag lasts about 3 minutes.
Black and Blue 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 Alexander's Ragtime Band by Irving Berlin, Waltz in D-flat major, No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin, 12 Variations on 'Ah vous dirai-je, Maman' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.