Right hand
The introduction: C D E D sharp E, G A G A B, the high C, then A G and C. The theme starts on B and slides down B B flat A to G, then climbs G sharp A A sharp B to F and G. The same pattern comes a step higher on C, then on D, and back.
Solace - Piano Sheet Music (Easy Version, Introduction and First Theme)
Scott Joplin (1868-1917) 1909 C major 2/4 Intermediate 0:33 Both hands
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Solace is Scott Joplin at his most tender: a slow, singing serenade over the swaying rhythm of a Cuban habanera, the piece many people know from the film The Sting. This easy version gives you the introduction and the first theme, bars 1 to 20 of the original, with the top line of the right hand and the bass of the left hand, in C major. The melody slides through chromatic notes, B, B flat, A, while the left hand keeps the swaying habanera pattern. It is marked very slow march time: take your time, and let every note sing.
How to play it
How to play Solace on the piano
Left hand
The habanera: a long note, a short one, then two equal notes, in every bar: D, G, B, D in the first theme bar, G, G, B, D sharp in the next. In the first bar of the introduction the left hand doubles the right hand an octave lower.
Tricky passages
The syncopation: the melody often holds a note across the beat while the left hand keeps its pattern. Practise the left hand alone until the habanera rhythm is automatic, then add the melody slowly.
Fingering
For the chromatic notes, use the chromatic scale fingering: 3 on black keys, 1 on white keys, 2 where two white keys meet, like B C or E F. It keeps the hand relaxed in the sliding phrases.
Notes
Solace piano notes
The right-hand melody of this version, bar by bar, in letter names and in Do Ré Mi. Sharps are written #, flats b; a note held across a bar line is written once.
Melody: C D E D# E G A G A B C D# E G# A A G C B Bb A G G# A …
| Bar | Notes | Do Ré Mi |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C D E D# E | Do Ré Mi Ré# Mi |
| 2 | G A G A B | Sol La Sol La Si |
| 3 | C D# E G# A | Do Ré# Mi Sol# La |
| 4 | A G C | La Sol Do |
| 5 | B Bb A G G# A A# | Si Sib La Sol Sol# La La# |
| 6 | B F G F G F B | Si Fa Sol Fa Sol Fa Si |
| 7 | C B A G G# A B | Do Si La Sol Sol# La Si |
| 8 | C G A G A G C# | Do Sol La Sol La Sol Do# |
| 9 | D F A D F E D | Ré Fa La Ré Fa Mi Ré |
| 10 | D Ab G D | Ré Lab Sol Ré |
| 11 | C E G C E D C | Do Mi Sol Do Mi Ré Do |
| 12 | C F# G C | Do Fa# Sol Do |
| 13 | B Bb A G G# A A# | Si Sib La Sol Sol# La La# |
| 14 | B F G F G F B | Si Fa Sol Fa Sol Fa Si |
| 15 | C B A G G# A B | Do Si La Sol Sol# La Si |
| 16 | C G A G A G Bb | Do Sol La Sol La Sol Sib |
| 17 | A A C B C D | La La Do Si Do Ré |
| 18 | Eb D Ab | Mib Ré Lab |
| 19 | G D E | Sol Ré Mi |
| 20 | C E D C | Do Mi Ré Do |
About the piece
About Solace
Joplin published Solace in 1909 with the subtitle A Mexican Serenade, though its rhythm is the habanera, the Cuban dance that had spread to Mexico, New Orleans and the whole of America. It is one of his few slow pieces, and one of the most personal.
Like The Entertainer, Solace was almost forgotten until the ragtime revival of the 1970s, when Marvin Hamlisch arranged it for the film The Sting (1973). It has been a favourite of pianists ever since.
This transcription: Joplin, Solace, A Mexican Serenade (1909), original edition: Mutopia Project no. 482, typeset by Magnus Lewis-Smith, placed in the public domain; bars 1-20, easy version by GOONS Studio with the top line of the right hand and the bass of the left hand. Transcribed by GOONS Studio from the original work, which is in the public domain.
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In the studio
Practise with your MIDI keyboard, record your take, export MIDI
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Questions
Solace on piano: frequently asked
Is Solace by Scott Joplin in The Sting?
Yes. Marvin Hamlisch arranged Solace for the 1973 film The Sting, together with The Entertainer and other Joplin rags. The original piano piece was published in 1909.
Is Joplin's Solace a rag?
Not exactly. Joplin called it A Mexican Serenade, and its left hand plays the habanera rhythm instead of the oom-pah of ragtime. It is slow and lyrical, marked very slow march time.
How hard is Solace on piano?
This easy version is level 3 of 5: one note per hand at a time, but chromatic notes and syncopations against the habanera rhythm. The original has full chords and is harder.