Bowery Buck is a classic ragtime composition by Tom Turpin, reflecting the vibrant mid-western style of the 1890s. It stands out for its bold harmonic progressions and driving, percussive left-hand bass lines.
Focus on the precise execution of wide leaps in the left hand without losing the rhythmic pulse.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Bowery Buck is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
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 Bowery Buck lasts about 3 minutes.
Bowery Buck 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, 'S Wonderful by George Gershwin, Solfegetto in C minor, H 220 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.