“Maple Leaf Rag” is a multi-strain ragtime march with athletic bass lines and offbeat melodies. Each of the four parts features a recurring theme and a striding bass line with copious seventh chords. The piece may be considered the “archetypal rag” due to its influence on the genre; its structure was the basis for many other rags, including “Sensation” by Joseph Lamb.

It is more carefully constructed than almost all the previous rags. The syncopation, especially in the transition between the first and second strain, were novel at the time.

Generally, the piece is considered difficult; one must have very good coordination in the left hand to perform the piece successfully, particularly for the trio, which involves leaps of two octaves. When it was first published, it was considered significantly more difficult than the average Tin Pan Alley and early ragtime sheet music common at the time.

“Gladiolus Rag”, a later composition by Joplin, is a developed variant of the “Maple Leaf Rag” showcasing Joplin’s increasing musical sophistication, and is usually played at a somewhat slower tempo. In addition, the first strain of Joplin’s “The Cascades”, “Leola”, and “Sugar Cane” are modeled on the structure used in the composition.

The composition starts in the key of A-flat major and changes to D-flat major during the first part of the trio, then modulates back to A-flat major.

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