I thought about trying to talk and play at the same time in my video, but I chickened out! Great vid, and great to collaborate with you, from one David B to another.
There’s a grand piano in the atrium at my local airport and is open for all to play. However, there’s a sign on it that says “anyone caught playing Chopsticks will have their flight cancelled” 😂
2:32 The duet 1:51 was probably designed exactly with this in mind: it's a way to let an absolute beginner play along with a relatively capable player, like a teacher or piano-playing family member.
When I was a kid, I was blown away by Liberaces rendition of Chopsticks. I just realized that he played the complete original composition (with his flair)!
My grandma knew the left hand part, and she used to accompany me when I played the right hand part. She wasn't a piano player. Most of the beginner duets I knew on the piano were taught to me by people who weren't piano players. I learned a couple from my Dad. I think he taught me heart and soul, and another popular one where you play the top part by rolling your fist over the black keys.
The flea waltz is used in Mexico by ice cream vans the way Green sleeves is used in the UK. It's always a recording from a very warped tape and it always sounded super creepy to me.
As soon as you played "the British Chopsticks" I immediately pictured and relived being in one of the practice rooms in the Music block of my school, half my life ago.
It’s kind of neat that even in 2024, there are still these timeless musical traditions that just keep getting passed down through the generations. Does provide a bit of a grounding between the old world and the new
These "beginner" songs have such deep resonance for a lot of us. I hope David will do a video on "Heart and Soul" / "I Love The Mountains" as well. EDIT: 9:26 Glob dammit!
Thank you for this video, David! The full story of Chopsticks is something I had never heard before, and never really expected to hear. It's one of those things that "goes without saying", which means it's considered so simple that no one ever talks about it. To me, those can be exactly the things we need to talk about, rather than assume that everyone knows. I'm really an amateur percussionist, and have been for over 50 years. I get a few small-time, low-paid gigs, perhaps two times per week in the peak season. A sense of rhythm is one of these things that goes without saying; people assume they have a sense of rhythm or don't. It's an incorrect assumption both ways. Anyone *can* have a sense of rhythm even if they think they can't, and anyone *can* have a better sense of rhythm, even if they think they already have it. It all depends on bringing the attention to the process, and as I'm sure you know, good, focused attention to the process results in a flow state. I didn't mean to get that far off-topic, but examining the little un-discussed things--like The Celebrated Chop Waltz--leads me to bigger thoughts that I might otherwise forget to think. I'd love to hear your analysis of Do-Re-Mi, which is the most charming and educational tune ever.
The way everyone in Sweden plays "The Flea Waltz" (We call it something completely different) has the middle part start on an A#, go to a B and then back to an A#. I've never heard it like this, without the third on the tonic and the 7th on the dominant. Interesting! Edit: in the sheet music you showed it's like we play it. I don't know why you played it differently.
I'm from the UK, and my mother taught me the way the sheet music was written too. I thought perhaps I'd been shown a variation, but thank you for pointing out the sheet music. I couldn't tell but I was also taught a "second verse" where you play with left hand over to the right to play ascending notes (instead of descending). Probably David's mother taught him her variation, and it just stuck with him that's "just how's it's played".
As a French speaking Belgian, I had never heard or heard of this "Chopstick Waltz" before watching the video of David Bruce. And then I came to yours here. But I know the "Flea Waltz" since I was a kid (but, obviously not under that name; it had no name for us, in fact). Funny :)
Should do a video on “Heart and Soul”. Little known about this song, it contains a bridge section where it actually breaks from the repeating chord progression that people know it for.
1:29 _note: it is unclear whether the first edition in 1877 had this illustration on the front cover, or if this was something added only on the c.1940 reprint_ I would surmise that the design of the entire cover is a design circa 1940 if only because the first known example of the so-called “chop suey” typeface (in which the words _Chop Waltz_ appear) was patented in 1883 by the Cleveland Type Foundry, i.e., five years _after_ the first edition appeared.* (Other parts of the text look like an Art Deco design.) In other words, if at least _part_ of the text portion of the 1940 edition _had_ to have been designed sometime after first edition, there’s no reason to think that _any_ part of design came from the original design. *h/t Linus Boman “The American origins of the Chinese takeout font”
You should do one of these for Heart and Soul too! I was taught it by my mom, who doesn't have a musical bone in her body. She, on the other hand, was taught it by her dad, who was a piano prodigy. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned most people play it with a I-iv-IV-V chord progression and not the I-iv-ii-V that I was taught. I assume that was just my grandpa having a little fun with the formula.
I learned the Flea Waltz when I was about 5 (1970) in London. I never knew that was even its name! My dad was the pianist in my family, but oddly enough I seem to remember it was my mum who taught me this (under the name "chopsticks"). The version you played is slightly different, and the one I learned actually corresponds to the music you show at 6:13 with the more open voicings. I remember this as being the first thing I ever learned on the piano, pre-dating even the very first Howard Kaschau book ("Little Fingers").
We call the Flea waltz the Dog waltz for some reason. My mom once upon a time showed it to my daughter, and she, a small girl at the time, was practicing it 40 hours a day, if you get the reference. Since then this piece, in general quite lovely, kinda irritates me a lot :)
As I started watching your video, I was thinking about the tune my Dad taught me 50 years ago that I would play as a party trick over the years. I never heard this played by anyone else in Australia. Then you started playing it, turns out it was the Flea Waltz. My Dad was English, grew up in Newcastle before moving to Australia, so made sense he taught us this. I would also cross my left hand over my right hand and play the left hand part above the right hand, moving up the keys instead, as an added extra. 30 years ago I taught this to my, wifes young Niece, I caught up with her recently and she made a point of telling me she can still play this and does so whenever she finds herself near a piano. I only recently (2020) started playing piano more seriously, so better late than never eh? Thanks for the walk down memory lane...
I was taught that variation of the Flea Waltz too (by my mother - one of the first tunes I learned ... along with her showing me chopsticks). I was 10, it was 1972 ... so about the same time!
@@DavidBennettPiano wasn't meant as a criticism, I just find music theory so baffling, it was nice not to have to struggle and think for a change, and just enjoy!
I find it fascinating how often people misspell the Allan surname considering it's right there on the sheet music cover! So many sources use an 'e' instead of the 'a'
China. They use them to eat. The earliest known chopsticks were found in the ruins of Yin, the ancient Chinese capital, and date back to around 1200 BC. They were originally used as cooking tools, such as for stirring pots and transferring food, but by the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 22 AD) they had become eating utensils
Thank god you mentioned the British Chopsticks! I was starting to question 40 years of playing piano! I’ve never taken much notice of either piece, but that’s what I thought chopsticks was, and I was just wondering how on earth to Google that piece if it’s not called that! 😂 I was thinking “does that bit come later in the song?”, and all sorts!
Thank you for identifying the Flea Waltz! It was the first (and only, really) piece I've ever learned on the piano and I didn't know what it was called. Also, another legendary singer-songwriter, Margo Guryan, released an album of Chopstick variations.
That's so weird. I was exposed to to that second "chopsticks" (the one in F#) but I was thought a bit of a different voicing. The first chord has the A# and F# instead C# and F#. I think it's actually because the 3 is more important than the 5
When I was a kid both of these chopsticks songs were well known by Icelandic kids - if you were somewhere were there was a piano it wouldn't be long until some kid got to the piano and played one or both of these. - The later one is called "Allt í grænum sjó" in Iceland which means "All in green sea".
I play hammered dulcimer (for years I played in a dulcimer quartet) and I included a bit where I would talk about different kinds of hammers for the dulcimer -- and then I'd play Chopsticks with chopsticks instead of hammers.
Kind of frustrating that the original sheet music cover is seemingly unavailable online. Would be interesting to see how they marketed it back in the 1870s (with original typography, art and all)
Ha, I have honestly never heard the main song called “Chopsticks” here! To me, “Chopsticks” just means the flea waltz one that you say has this name in the UK (and which I’ve always known as the one song that only non-pianists know how to play). So I was quite baffled by the opening of this video until the confusion was explained later.
My theory of why the Flea Waltz is called a waltz is that it has a waltz-like quality to it because of the chords being played mostly on the last two beats of a bar, just as is often the case in a waltz.
Another instance where I can recall them using chopsticks in the song itself dates back to the 1960's when Hanna BarBarra used it as towards the end of their theme song for the Jetsons. Just after George drops off his wife Jane at the shopping center, and heads to work, you can hear chopsticks being played.
in my country this is also a famous song that "everyone" knows how to play on piano, but here the song was made famous by an old yougurt advertisment, so we know as "the song of [name of the product]"
The "british chopsticks" is known in spanish as "La Chocolatera" (The chocolate maker), i don't know why the title change! I also learned it as a little kid
Here in Belgium (and I think in the whole french-speaking world) the most played gimmick for non piano players is to play on the black keys with a closed fist those flattened notes : G A B D D - G A B D D - G A B D E D B A - B A G E E etc.. Don't know if anyone knows that gimmick.
I always thought the notes in Chopsticks were 8th notes (1+2+3+ rather than 123123). I don't think I've ever seen the sheet music or heard it with the accompaniment, so that's just how my brain interpreted it!
Fun fact: the Flea Waltz is called 'Donkey's March' (Szamárinduló) in Hungary. Don't know how we ended up with that name, but I once heard, that it's called Donkey's March, because it's so easy, that even a donkey could play it.
I mentioned this in a previous video where you talked about Big, but I'll mention it again - the reason it sounds too high pitched is because you're using a PAL copy of the movie (everything released in Europe including the UK), where most theatrical films are sped up by about 4% to work on PAL TVs. They adjust both speed and pitch to make it sound less choppy, but any time there's music it'll be off key. If you use a high definition copy (e.g. Blu-ray) or an American DVD, it'll be the correct pitch. Just FYI, I know you didnt mention the pitch issue this time but you can clearly tell the notes are too high compared to what you played immediately prior.
Can you please include in a video the rhythm that is in many songs such as Waterloo, I wish it could be Christmas everyday, all I want for Christmas is you and many many many other sings. It’s six or seven of the same note repeated quickly. I can’t for the life of me find it so if you could discuss it in another video that would be great!
The British Chopsticks was taught to me as "The Java Jive", which is similar but also quite different. It took the basic chord structure of that song and made it into a jazz piece, and I'm not sure who was responsible for that, though I wanna say Al Hirt.
"It turned [Flohvals] into a jazz piece..." I've heard Java Jive before, but this is the first time I could hear the connection! But since I'm on the other side of the pond from him... I had never heard of _Flohvals_ in the first place!
I was taught "British Chopsticks" (I didn't know it had a name) and typical "Chopsticks" by my mum. However, on topic of "Java Jive", when I was 10 or so singing in my church choir, I'd made some comment about how people singing (ie acapella - which I'd only experienced in church) was fairly unoriginal and always the same sort of sound but I did like the human harmony sound, so my mum played my "Java Jive" by Manhattan Transfer: ua-cam.com/video/7RNxG2-0Q-U/v-deo.html I was blown away!
@ The “Java Jive” my mum taught me to play was basically a simplified version of the chorus background, which is what David is playing, with a few flourishes and a higher tempo. When arranged for vocals or a big band or something, it sounded much different, and the chord changes were much slower, but the bare bones were there. Thanks for linking me to this wonderful performance,
This musical piece was used for many years in commercials for the Danoninho product (little Danone) from the Danone brand, here in Brazil. Even today, a large part of the population knows at least part of the lyrics created for the advertisement. The name given to the media piece is "O Bifinho", as it refers to the slogan: "Those who use their heads prefer Danoninho. The one that is worth a little steak". I tried to comment by leaving two links, but I couldn't. Danoninho - "O Bifinho" - (Complete Single 1989) My Danoninho gives Give me Danoninho, Danoninho now Danoninho, can I? Danoninho gives All the protein that I'm going to need now, now Give me, give me, give me Give me Danoninho, Danoninho now Give me Danoninho, Danoninho, give me Calcium and vitamins for us to play, give me Lipids, carbohydrates, proteins Calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A Give me more health, more intelligence Give me Danoninho, Danoninho now, give me I hope you enjoy this curiosity. Congratulations and thank you for your videos. ================== Esta peça musical foi usada por muitos anos em comerciais do produto Danoninho (pequeno Danone) da marca Danone, aqui no Brasil. Ainda hoje, grande parte da população conheçe ao menos uma parte da letra criada para a propaganda. O nome dado à peça midiática é "O Bifinho", por fazer referência ao slogan: "Quem usa a cabeça, prefere Danoninho. Aquele que vale por um bifinho". Eu tentei comentar deixando dois links, mas não consegui. Danoninho - "O Bifinho" - (Compacto Completo 1989) Meu Danoninho dá Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho já Danoninho, dá? Danoninho dá Toda a proteína, que eu vou precisar já, já Me dá, me dá, me dá Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho já Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho, dá Cálcio e vitamina pra gente brincar, me dá Lipídios, glicídios, protídios Cálcio, ferro, fósforo, vitamina A Me dá mais saúde, mais inteligência Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho já, me dá Espero que goste da curiosidade. Parabéns e obrigado pelos seus vídeos.
Huh. I've never heard this tune before. Must not have reached the Netherlands! I did know the flea waltz though ('de vlooienmars' in Dutch, and mars (march) is actually much fitting than waltz)
Want something a bit different? Here's a synth bleepy version of Chopsticks I recorded on 7 Pocket Operators. It sort of disintegrates as it goes. ua-cam.com/video/rYmBIvdcQlg/v-deo.html I also did something similar to Heart and Soul ua-cam.com/video/m5firJsHKNk/v-deo.html I *MUST* do the Flea Waltz soon.
@DavidBennettPiano Well, I grew up in Russia, and apparently Chopsticks didn't make it there. However, Flea Waltz is the first thing a kid plays on a piano there. It's know there as "Собачий Вальс" (Dog Waltz)
I had to look it up, but yes.. i have definitely heard this one many times too.. Howver, I never knew what it was called though. The flea/dog Waltz.. equally as stupid as chopsticks 😂
i've never heard of chopsticks until i encountered the english speaking internet. The cultural equivalent in german speaking europe is "alle meine Entlein".
I had quite a reaction when he played the Flea Waltz coz it sounded out of tune to me. I was taught to play the Db as Bb, as what was shown in the sheet music. Heart and Soul was taught to me by my dad when I was just starting to learn the piano, and he wasn't a piano player. Lol.
I learned Flea Waltz as a kid growing up in Sweden. But it was referred to as "Kalle Johansson" (which is a male name). I have no idea where that name comes from.
Fun fact: in Switzerland , we call "Kotlett-Waltzer" the piece you referred to as flea-waltz, which translates to "cutlett waltz". Quite confusing, eh? 😂
Funny, I played keys for decennia by now. Almost half a century even. And I haven't ever played this! In Dutch, the Flea Waltz is called "vlooienmars". So for us it's called a march, not a waltz.
I thought about trying to talk and play at the same time in my video, but I chickened out! Great vid, and great to collaborate with you, from one David B to another.
Always a pleasure David!!
So who's going to be David B #1 and who's David B #2?
@@chitlitlah wait till David B Goode joins the band.
@@chitlitlah Well, one can be "David B Piano" and the other "David B Composer". That'll solve the problem.
There’s a grand piano in the atrium at my local airport and is open for all to play. However, there’s a sign on it that says “anyone caught playing Chopsticks will have their flight cancelled” 😂
2:32 The duet 1:51 was probably designed exactly with this in mind: it's a way to let an absolute beginner play along with a relatively capable player, like a teacher or piano-playing family member.
When I was a kid, I was blown away by Liberaces rendition of Chopsticks. I just realized that he played the complete original composition (with his flair)!
My grandma knew the left hand part, and she used to accompany me when I played the right hand part. She wasn't a piano player. Most of the beginner duets I knew on the piano were taught to me by people who weren't piano players. I learned a couple from my Dad. I think he taught me heart and soul, and another popular one where you play the top part by rolling your fist over the black keys.
Q: What's better than David Bennett pleasing us with his piano playing?
A: Two David Bennetts. 🥰👍
The flea waltz is used in Mexico by ice cream vans the way Green sleeves is used in the UK. It's always a recording from a very warped tape and it always sounded super creepy to me.
Here in the US, ice cream trucks play "Do Your Ears Hang Low"
fleas have 6 legs. 4/4 is a waltz for them?
6/4 time
Well if legs and waltz time signatures were for some reason directly related, then fleas would be 6 legs --> 9 beats, so 9/8
As soon as you played "the British Chopsticks" I immediately pictured and relived being in one of the practice rooms in the Music block of my school, half my life ago.
It’s kind of neat that even in 2024, there are still these timeless musical traditions that just keep getting passed down through the generations. Does provide a bit of a grounding between the old world and the new
These "beginner" songs have such deep resonance for a lot of us. I hope David will do a video on "Heart and Soul" / "I Love The Mountains" as well.
EDIT: 9:26 Glob dammit!
I used to feel the first two notes for Chopsticks were a C suspended chord although now I accept it could be a G7.
my favorite video of the month maybe
Chopsticks is quoted and the theme song to the Hannah Barbaria cartoon "the Jetsons"
Thank you for this video, David! The full story of Chopsticks is something I had never heard before, and never really expected to hear. It's one of those things that "goes without saying", which means it's considered so simple that no one ever talks about it. To me, those can be exactly the things we need to talk about, rather than assume that everyone knows.
I'm really an amateur percussionist, and have been for over 50 years. I get a few small-time, low-paid gigs, perhaps two times per week in the peak season. A sense of rhythm is one of these things that goes without saying; people assume they have a sense of rhythm or don't. It's an incorrect assumption both ways. Anyone *can* have a sense of rhythm even if they think they can't, and anyone *can* have a better sense of rhythm, even if they think they already have it. It all depends on bringing the attention to the process, and as I'm sure you know, good, focused attention to the process results in a flow state.
I didn't mean to get that far off-topic, but examining the little un-discussed things--like The Celebrated Chop Waltz--leads me to bigger thoughts that I might otherwise forget to think.
I'd love to hear your analysis of Do-Re-Mi, which is the most charming and educational tune ever.
The way everyone in Sweden plays "The Flea Waltz" (We call it something completely different) has the middle part start on an A#, go to a B and then back to an A#. I've never heard it like this, without the third on the tonic and the 7th on the dominant. Interesting!
Edit: in the sheet music you showed it's like we play it. I don't know why you played it differently.
I'm from the UK, and my mother taught me the way the sheet music was written too.
I thought perhaps I'd been shown a variation, but thank you for pointing out the sheet music.
I couldn't tell but I was also taught a "second verse" where you play with left hand over to the right to play ascending notes (instead of descending).
Probably David's mother taught him her variation, and it just stuck with him that's "just how's it's played".
Excellent video again David!! Love how you got your twin brother to help out !!
As a French speaking Belgian, I had never heard or heard of this "Chopstick Waltz" before watching the video of David Bruce. And then I came to yours here. But I know the "Flea Waltz" since I was a kid (but, obviously not under that name; it had no name for us, in fact). Funny :)
In Dutch the Flea Waltz is called the Flea March (Vlooienmars)
Should do a video on “Heart and Soul”. Little known about this song, it contains a bridge section where it actually breaks from the repeating chord progression that people know it for.
9:18 🙄
Nice T-shirt!
The fleawalz is called the fleamarch in Dutch (vlooienmars)
And a march is in 4/4, so in dutch it is the correct name.
Dog Waltz in Russian 😂
Fun fact: in Germany, the Flea Waltz is the first piece that pretty much every piano player knows.
Same in The Netherlands, where it’s called de vlooienmars, which translates as the flea march
I am from Germany and have been musically educated since I can talk, but never did I realize that the Flohwalzer is actually not a waltz... 😮
Same in sweden, here it’s called Kalle Johansson
And it is “Dog waltz” in Russian speaking countries 🐶
1:29 _note: it is unclear whether the first edition in 1877 had this illustration on the front cover, or if this was something added only on the c.1940 reprint_
I would surmise that the design of the entire cover is a design circa 1940 if only because the first known example of the so-called “chop suey” typeface (in which the words _Chop Waltz_ appear) was patented in 1883 by the Cleveland Type Foundry, i.e., five years _after_ the first edition appeared.* (Other parts of the text look like an Art Deco design.) In other words, if at least _part_ of the text portion of the 1940 edition _had_ to have been designed sometime after first edition, there’s no reason to think that _any_ part of design came from the original design.
*h/t Linus Boman “The American origins of the Chinese takeout font”
Nicely researched!!
Thank you 😊
You should do one of these for Heart and Soul too! I was taught it by my mom, who doesn't have a musical bone in her body. She, on the other hand, was taught it by her dad, who was a piano prodigy. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned most people play it with a I-iv-IV-V chord progression and not the I-iv-ii-V that I was taught. I assume that was just my grandpa having a little fun with the formula.
I learned the Flea Waltz when I was about 5 (1970) in London. I never knew that was even its name! My dad was the pianist in my family, but oddly enough I seem to remember it was my mum who taught me this (under the name "chopsticks"). The version you played is slightly different, and the one I learned actually corresponds to the music you show at 6:13 with the more open voicings. I remember this as being the first thing I ever learned on the piano, pre-dating even the very first Howard Kaschau book ("Little Fingers").
I was shown the sheet music version too, not David's variation.
I guess that's what his mum showed him, so that's just what he plays?
@@BryTee Yes, I suspect you're right!
Liz Phair also has a wonderful song both based on and bearing the name Chopsticks. It’s the opening track from her 1994 album Whipsmart.
Do you like playing jacks?
@@txnmia8613well, I’m good til sixes but all hell breaks loose after that, likely because secretly I’m timid 😊
@@txnmia8613 I’m good to sixes but…oh no! All hell is breaking loose!
We call the Flea waltz the Dog waltz for some reason. My mom once upon a time showed it to my daughter, and she, a small girl at the time, was practicing it 40 hours a day, if you get the reference. Since then this piece, in general quite lovely, kinda irritates me a lot :)
As I started watching your video, I was thinking about the tune my Dad taught me 50 years ago that I would play as a party trick over the years. I never heard this played by anyone else in Australia. Then you started playing it, turns out it was the Flea Waltz. My Dad was English, grew up in Newcastle before moving to Australia, so made sense he taught us this. I would also cross my left hand over my right hand and play the left hand part above the right hand, moving up the keys instead, as an added extra. 30 years ago I taught this to my, wifes young Niece, I caught up with her recently and she made a point of telling me she can still play this and does so whenever she finds herself near a piano. I only recently (2020) started playing piano more seriously, so better late than never eh? Thanks for the walk down memory lane...
I was taught that variation of the Flea Waltz too (by my mother - one of the first tunes I learned ... along with her showing me chopsticks).
I was 10, it was 1972 ... so about the same time!
So nice for us non-muscisians, to have a week off music theory, and something we can just enjoy!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@DavidBennettPiano wasn't meant as a criticism, I just find music theory so baffling, it was nice not to have to struggle and think for a change, and just enjoy!
I find it fascinating how often people misspell the Allan surname considering it's right there on the sheet music cover! So many sources use an 'e' instead of the 'a'
Maniac by Michael Sembello also references Chopsticks, in the bridge section right before the guitar solo
China. They use them to eat. The earliest known chopsticks were found in the ruins of Yin, the ancient Chinese capital, and date back to around 1200 BC. They were originally used as cooking tools, such as for stirring pots and transferring food, but by the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 22 AD) they had become eating utensils
😂😂
WHOOSH!
@@DMSProduktionsno.
@@DMSProduktions Yes, the sound of the joke going right over YOUR head 😅
@@saltiestsiren No, I got the joke!
Never would I ever thought that Chopsticks was in any way connected to Alexander Borodin.
Thank god you mentioned the British Chopsticks! I was starting to question 40 years of playing piano! I’ve never taken much notice of either piece, but that’s what I thought chopsticks was, and I was just wondering how on earth to Google that piece if it’s not called that! 😂 I was thinking “does that bit come later in the song?”, and all sorts!
Thank you for identifying the Flea Waltz! It was the first (and only, really) piece I've ever learned on the piano and I didn't know what it was called. Also, another legendary singer-songwriter, Margo Guryan, released an album of Chopstick variations.
That's so weird. I was exposed to to that second "chopsticks" (the one in F#) but I was thought a bit of a different voicing. The first chord has the A# and F# instead C# and F#. I think it's actually because the 3 is more important than the 5
Same here!
Agreed.
But look at the sheet music - it's what we play - David is playing a variation (probably what his mum knew)
When I was a kid both of these chopsticks songs were well known by Icelandic kids - if you were somewhere were there was a piano it wouldn't be long until some kid got to the piano and played one or both of these. - The later one is called "Allt í grænum sjó" in Iceland which means "All in green sea".
The Flea Waltz is the song the ice-cream van plays where I live in central Mexico.
Nice! Is it also a beginner's piano piece there? And more importantly: Do they serve Tequila shots at the ice-cream van?
Sounds (if he'd been able to detune it and slow it down) like something from an ice cream truck!
i love your tee and elliott smith !!
Thanks 😊
I play hammered dulcimer (for years I played in a dulcimer quartet) and I included a bit where I would talk about different kinds of hammers for the dulcimer -- and then I'd play Chopsticks with chopsticks instead of hammers.
Kind of frustrating that the original sheet music cover is seemingly unavailable online. Would be interesting to see how they marketed it back in the 1870s (with original typography, art and all)
The Flea Waltz is the song that people learn in Chile, called "La polca de los perros", Dogs' Polka. More accurate than Waltz y guess.
And in Russian speaking countries they call it “Dog waltz”
Flea Waltz is called Dog Waltz where I live)))
Interesting! Where is that?
@@DavidBennettPiano Belarus
@ interesting!!
In Sweden it's called Kalle Johansson. Which is a name you just repeat over and over while playing.
It's called "I stepped on a cat" in Japan
Ha, I have honestly never heard the main song called “Chopsticks” here! To me, “Chopsticks” just means the flea waltz one that you say has this name in the UK (and which I’ve always known as the one song that only non-pianists know how to play). So I was quite baffled by the opening of this video until the confusion was explained later.
My theory of why the Flea Waltz is called a waltz is that it has a waltz-like quality to it because of the chords being played mostly on the last two beats of a bar, just as is often the case in a waltz.
Funny, in the Netherlands, the Flea Waltz is actually called Flea March! The rhythmics of the Flea Waltz actually represents a march.
6:22 I love German humour!
Here in Brazil this song was used on a tv ad for a petit suisse called “danoninho”. Every kid from the 80s know this
Another instance where I can recall them using chopsticks in the song itself dates back to the 1960's when Hanna BarBarra used it as towards the end of their theme song for the Jetsons. Just after George drops off his wife Jane at the shopping center, and heads to work, you can hear chopsticks being played.
yes i have actually always wondered this
In Poland classic beginners piano music is "Wlazł kotek", play by one finger.
5:40 a waltz has to be in 3/4, unless you're tchaikovsky, and then you can write it in 5/4 if you want
That's kinda weird. The "Big" piano is showing their feet are playing in the key of C, but it's sounding in the key of Db. 🤔🎶
3:44 David playing G7 and not resolving to C bro decided to drive us all insane 😭😭 how can you be so evil
I have never heard this tune before
Hmm, I’ve only ever seen chopsticks played as a duet.
in my country this is also a famous song that "everyone" knows how to play on piano, but here the song was made famous by an old yougurt advertisment, so we know as "the song of [name of the product]"
Being German I thought this was gonna be about the Flea Waltz. I was then surprised twice.
The Russian piece is The Porkchop Polka
LOL
The "british chopsticks" is known in spanish as "La Chocolatera" (The chocolate maker), i don't know why the title change! I also learned it as a little kid
Here in Belgium (and I think in the whole french-speaking world) the most played gimmick for non piano players is to play on the black keys with a closed fist those flattened notes : G A B D D - G A B D D - G A B D E D B A - B A G E E etc..
Don't know if anyone knows that gimmick.
I always thought the notes in Chopsticks were 8th notes (1+2+3+ rather than 123123). I don't think I've ever seen the sheet music or heard it with the accompaniment, so that's just how my brain interpreted it!
I had- I just learned it fast enough to feel it in 6/8 as well!
Fun fact: the Flea Waltz is called 'Donkey's March' (Szamárinduló) in Hungary. Don't know how we ended up with that name, but I once heard, that it's called Donkey's March, because it's so easy, that even a donkey could play it.
Love the shirt
In Argentina our chopstick is fur Elise. Everyone start on that one.
I mentioned this in a previous video where you talked about Big, but I'll mention it again - the reason it sounds too high pitched is because you're using a PAL copy of the movie (everything released in Europe including the UK), where most theatrical films are sped up by about 4% to work on PAL TVs. They adjust both speed and pitch to make it sound less choppy, but any time there's music it'll be off key.
If you use a high definition copy (e.g. Blu-ray) or an American DVD, it'll be the correct pitch. Just FYI, I know you didnt mention the pitch issue this time but you can clearly tell the notes are too high compared to what you played immediately prior.
Can you please include in a video the rhythm that is in many songs such as Waterloo, I wish it could be Christmas everyday, all I want for Christmas is you and many many many other sings. It’s six or seven of the same note repeated quickly. I can’t for the life of me find it so if you could discuss it in another video that would be great!
The British Chopsticks was taught to me as "The Java Jive", which is similar but also quite different. It took the basic chord structure of that song and made it into a jazz piece, and I'm not sure who was responsible for that, though I wanna say Al Hirt.
"It turned [Flohvals] into a jazz piece..." I've heard Java Jive before, but this is the first time I could hear the connection! But since I'm on the other side of the pond from him... I had never heard of _Flohvals_ in the first place!
I was taught "British Chopsticks" (I didn't know it had a name) and typical "Chopsticks" by my mum.
However, on topic of "Java Jive", when I was 10 or so singing in my church choir, I'd made some comment about how people singing (ie acapella - which I'd only experienced in church) was fairly unoriginal and always the same sort of sound but I did like the human harmony sound, so my mum played my "Java Jive" by Manhattan Transfer: ua-cam.com/video/7RNxG2-0Q-U/v-deo.html
I was blown away!
@ The “Java Jive” my mum taught me to play was basically a simplified version of the chorus background, which is what David is playing, with a few flourishes and a higher tempo. When arranged for vocals or a big band or something, it sounded much different, and the chord changes were much slower, but the bare bones were there. Thanks for linking me to this wonderful performance,
First one I learned
Thought you were going start singing `I keep my beer in the sideboard here` when you were playing British chopsticks!
Why do you call the chord at 4:17 a G, as opposed to a G7?
It could be a G7, but because we don't have the "F" note anymore, it isn't necessarily a G7
I wondered where Gilbert O'Sullivan got his keyboard technique from.
This musical piece was used for many years in commercials for the Danoninho product (little Danone) from the Danone brand, here in Brazil. Even today, a large part of the population knows at least part of the lyrics created for the advertisement. The name given to the media piece is "O Bifinho", as it refers to the slogan: "Those who use their heads prefer Danoninho. The one that is worth a little steak". I tried to comment by leaving two links, but I couldn't.
Danoninho - "O Bifinho" - (Complete Single 1989)
My Danoninho gives
Give me Danoninho, Danoninho now
Danoninho, can I?
Danoninho gives
All the protein that I'm going to need now, now
Give me, give me, give me
Give me Danoninho, Danoninho now
Give me Danoninho, Danoninho, give me
Calcium and vitamins for us to play, give me
Lipids, carbohydrates, proteins
Calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A
Give me more health, more intelligence
Give me Danoninho, Danoninho now, give me
I hope you enjoy this curiosity. Congratulations and thank you for your videos.
==================
Esta peça musical foi usada por muitos anos em comerciais do produto Danoninho (pequeno Danone) da marca Danone, aqui no Brasil. Ainda hoje, grande parte da população conheçe ao menos uma parte da letra criada para a propaganda.
O nome dado à peça midiática é "O Bifinho", por fazer referência ao slogan: "Quem usa a cabeça, prefere Danoninho. Aquele que vale por um bifinho". Eu tentei comentar deixando dois links, mas não consegui.
Danoninho - "O Bifinho" - (Compacto Completo 1989)
Meu Danoninho dá
Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho já
Danoninho, dá?
Danoninho dá
Toda a proteína, que eu vou precisar já, já
Me dá, me dá, me dá
Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho já
Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho, dá
Cálcio e vitamina pra gente brincar, me dá
Lipídios, glicídios, protídios
Cálcio, ferro, fósforo, vitamina A
Me dá mais saúde, mais inteligência
Me dá Danoninho, Danoninho já, me dá
Espero que goste da curiosidade. Parabéns e obrigado pelos seus vídeos.
I always thought CHOP SUEY was rooted in this.
The flea waltz kinda sounds like that black key knuckle song, idk if it has a name or anyone else knows it
So I'm from Austria and I've never heard of a song like this wth. But the flea waltz sounds like the Radetzky March to me
We know it as the Flea March
Where?
@@stoatystoat174 Netherlands
elliott smith mentioned
Flohwaltzer is known in my country as "The dog's polka"
Huh. I've never heard this tune before. Must not have reached the Netherlands!
I did know the flea waltz though ('de vlooienmars' in Dutch, and mars (march) is actually much fitting than waltz)
Yeah the British chopsticks is the one I know, although my mum must have taught it to me in a different key.
6:13 Khai Chin could at least have had the common courtesy to spell the C flats correctly.
Want something a bit different? Here's a synth bleepy version of Chopsticks I recorded on 7 Pocket Operators. It sort of disintegrates as it goes. ua-cam.com/video/rYmBIvdcQlg/v-deo.html
I also did something similar to Heart and Soul ua-cam.com/video/m5firJsHKNk/v-deo.html
I *MUST* do the Flea Waltz soon.
I love the K-pop version by NiziU. What a bunch of cutie-pies!
"If there's one song you know on the piano" - says bro and plays a melody that I hear for the first time in my life, lol
😮😮😮
@DavidBennettPiano Well, I grew up in Russia, and apparently Chopsticks didn't make it there. However, Flea Waltz is the first thing a kid plays on a piano there. It's know there as "Собачий Вальс" (Dog Waltz)
I had to look it up, but yes.. i have definitely heard this one many times too.. Howver, I never knew what it was called though. The flea/dog Waltz.. equally as stupid as chopsticks 😂
i've never heard of chopsticks until i encountered the english speaking internet. The cultural equivalent in german speaking europe is "alle meine Entlein".
I had quite a reaction when he played the Flea Waltz coz it sounded out of tune to me. I was taught to play the Db as Bb, as what was shown in the sheet music. Heart and Soul was taught to me by my dad when I was just starting to learn the piano, and he wasn't a piano player. Lol.
hey plese do a video on Geordie Greep New Sound
I wonder where the black key rolled knuckles piano bit came from.
Love the Elliott Smith shirt.
Thanks ❤
"Meet George Jetson... his boy Elroy... daughter Judy.... Jane, his wife! (cue Chopsticks)"
I learned Flea Waltz as a kid growing up in Sweden. But it was referred to as "Kalle Johansson" (which is a male name). I have no idea where that name comes from.
After doing a bit of research myself turns out the name is explained here. :-) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flohwalzer
Fun fact: in Switzerland , we call "Kotlett-Waltzer" the piece you referred to as flea-waltz, which translates to "cutlett waltz". Quite confusing, eh? 😂
Definitely some shared DNA there!!
so this is how i find out that the entertainer is actually called heart and soul huh
I always thought the piano part from Bob Marley's "one love" resembled thebb section of chopsticks.
piano power chords
I've been playing keyboards for about 20 years, I'm now a church organist, and I've never played it ever. Don't think I'll bother now.
Funny, I played keys for decennia by now. Almost half a century even. And I haven't ever played this!
In Dutch, the Flea Waltz is called "vlooienmars". So for us it's called a march, not a waltz.