A seminal ragtime composition that bridges the gap between traditional ragtime and stride piano. It is defined by its infectious syncopation and driving, athletic left-hand patterns.
The main challenge is maintaining a steady 'stride' in the left hand while executing the syncopated melodies.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Bugle Call Rag is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 5 — meaning you can already play level 4–5 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 Bugle Call Rag lasts about 3 minutes.
Bugle Call 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 12 Variations on "Ah vous dirais-je, Maman" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Alexander's Ragtime Band by Irving Berlin, Waltz in D-flat major, No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.