I'm too timid when I play :o

Don't worry at all. I'm like that too, but the problem with me is this: I attended music school in my native Greece, where, at the time, we learned music from Bach to maybe Schumann, and that was about it. Our idea of modern was Rachmaninoff, and that was only because the curriculum required a "modern piece" for the final exams. Now, don't get me wrong, I worship Beethoven, even take flowers to his grave when I'm in Vienna, and have turned my piano room into a Beethoven shrine of four portraits and his life and death masks I got from his museum store in Bonn. But Beethoven was not the only musician inn the world. And I became rigid, literally. Jazz? Rags? Impossible. I love them, I enjoy tremendously watching others play them, but approach them with the reverence of a person who knows she will never, ever come even close to being 1/1000th as good as the masters themselves.

Well, guess what: I'm wrong, and I know I'm wrong. It's just a different genre, and being awesome at it is not a requirement. I don't know what your personal problem is because I don't know you, and I am only familiar with my problem. I am also not a professional musician (any more, I guess), certainly not specialized in that genre. I can only tell you how I would approach it empirically: I would watch some real professionals play rags. I would listen religiously, maybe 100 times to Joplin himself. And I would then let my brain take its course. Surely, something will rub off, right? Kidding. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should loosen up, sort of, and let the music take over. Something along the lines of "dance like no one's watching" kind of thing. Don't approach it academically so to speak. Don't think about technique. Just play as the people who created this music did. They didn't think anything other than the music and gave it what they got. Which is, of course, why they are great in my opinion.

Again, I'm not an expert, just throwing some opinions around. As far as rags are concerned, I'm an amateur at best. And maybe that's the problem. I'm thinking too much in terms of amateur and professional. Anyway, maybe this will help too. There was this really good TV procedural called Forever starring Ioan Gruffudd. In it, he stars as an 18th century doctor who somehow becomes immortal and now lives in the 21st century. In one of the episodes, he remembers how he was teaching his little son to play Chopin. One of their neighbors was a jazz musician who came over one night and showed the kid what to do with the Chopin piece to make it more exciting and jazzy. It was incredible, but what I kept from it was that the secret was to let go and just play.

Hope I helped a little and didn't make matters worse. Let me know what you think, I'm curious now. Good luck with your recital.

Wow, I think that's an amazing accomplishment.  I certainly understand timidity but I think you might really enjoy if you spend a lot of time just playing it for you.  Maybe just you be your audience for some time and when you're so impressed, let go to play for others.  I'm sure you will be amazing.

Sometimes timidity is a sign of not feeling totally secure with the notes and what you’re trying to convey. Suggest practicing more until you feel over-prepared with this piece, and I bet you won’t sound timid anymore.

I love ragtime -- I've been to festivals and heard Joplin's classics played with rollicking abandon from some and with quiet elegance from others. It's about how you feel about the music when you play it. Your personality will come out when you play it -- however you choose to interpret it.

It's a difficult piece -- so congratulations on learning it. I just looked in my collection Joplin rags -- the title page of Maple Leaf Rag says "Tempo di marcia" -- and most of his other instructions say "Not fast" or "Not too fast." Go with your heart.

I suggest practise the lh very boldly and see what happens, work on the accuracy as to where you land with the leaps. Maybe play with eyes shut!! Also perhaps you’re not confident with the rhythms and syncopation, or not sure, so you tense up. Do lots of tapping/singing of the rhythms until you ‘feel them’.

To share a few things that've helped me in the past:

Why is it that being more expressive leads to less playing accuracy?

It'd be helpful if it's the other way around: being more clear about your interpretation of the piece leads to *more* security.

Ideally, our interpretation of a piece informs the technique decisions. If we then make informed technical decisions, it will help us play more securely AND get the expression we want. (I've found that this kind of clarity will also help with memorization, as it adds another dimension for your memory to hook onto!)

How do you want it to sound? What does "not timid" mean to you? Any pointers from your teacher about a possible interpretation? (e.g. syncopation, a more detached vs. connected RH or LH, dynamics)

Another question is: are there specific areas where you feel less secure (e.g. navigating movements)? Maybe there are some small adjustments to movement can help. 

We might be able to discuss the above and come up with some things to try.

Just looked over my notes...here are some general tips based on what worked for me with the piece:

• In practice, pay attention and make sure that your movements are as correct as possible and notice exact areas of insecurity.
  • For example, when navigating the octaves, did your hand over-shoot and move past the octave and you had to move it back? If so, go back to slow practice, with that specific movement to make sure you ingrain a secure movement habit. You might need to break it down, practicing a very specific spot between 2 octaves and being very decisive about how you want to move.
• In performance, don't think about the above :)
  • For me, I can't just "think of nothing" Instead, I think of my interpretation. Sometimes, I hum in my head and nod (silently and not-so-silently) to the syncopation. Or, sometimes there's a specific technical prompt for a very specific spot, like "rotate my hands." That keeps me focused on the moment and helps me get away from unproductive thoughts like "Am I doing it right?" / "How will that other section go?" / "Better be careful!!!" / "Did I leave the oven on?" 
• Make sure you pick a tempo that works for you. IMO most people play it more quickly than necessary. One thing I had trouble with was unintentionally accelerating because I was getting carried away with the energy of the piece. 

Hope this helps!

I can relate - I always have problems with „letting go“ and sometimes I think too much. And always concerned about quality of sound, because I hate when it sounds harsh. But sometimes that blocks me …. I have a new teacher and he always lets me practice excessively the left hand, until it’s totally memorized. He compares it to the foundation of a building; it has to be built strong , otherwise the house will break down eventually. With security in notes now I reach another level- and I feel I can slowly but surely let my feelings take over and not worry so much about the accuracy of notes, because I train that on a much deeper level… it gives me so much more security. Before that I was taken away by the beauty of music- and would always stumble on those difficult places…basically because I didn’t confront myself with the exact difficulty. Best wishes and good luck  

Great piece, especially cheerful as winter approaches…..have a party with it! Swing the 8th notes.  Play it really soft, then loud, then with crescendos and decrescendos.  Schmaltz it up.  Grab anyone you can find and play it for them!  Twice….

By all means, have FUN with it. I remember when this piece became popular -- that was a while ago, after the movie "The Sting" came out and Joplin's The Entertainer was on everyone's playlist. I made The Maple Leaf Rag my own and play it at varying tempos. I start it out slower and deliberate for the first round of the melody, break briefly, then speed up for the rest of the piece. I always envision having that straw barbershop quartet hat on and being somewhat comical in my heart when I play it. Sometimes not just in my heart. Works for me. 

By the way, that movie with Robert Redford and Paul Neuman came out in 1973. I'm pretty sure the theme song was played at a musical program in 1975 or 1976. That's when Joplin music became the rave for a new era of musicians.

Everyone's advice is great!

One small thing to add: I'd suggest picking specific parts of the piece where you'll intentionally smile a little, even when practicing. You could even write it into the score (if you're using it). I'm convinced that the most subtle of smiles will help tell your brain to loosen up when you're playing. Or doing anything, for that matter.

It doesn't have to be a super extravagant facial expression--like Fazil Say, here. I'd lean more towards the Cziffra smirk in the attached video (I made a short of it for demonstration purposes...haha). I'm only a piano hobbyist, but I do find a little smirk here and there helps me when I'm trying to record something. :)

Also...a teacher of mine told me the same thing, that I was too timid. He then instructed me to yell as loud as I could. "Aaaahhhh!", I said. He said, "NO, YELL LOUDER." "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!". After a few rounds of back-and-forth, he was satisfied (or, maybe he just gave up). Basically, he was having me break a social inhibition I had...I was simply unwilling to let loose in front of someone else. I still remember that lesson some 15 years later!

Listen to Sviatoslav Richter's performance of Pictures At An Exhibition in his Sofia recital from 1958.  He flubbed a note very early in the piece, then went on to present an absolutely brilliant performance.   Arthur Rubinstein had a fantastic career despite not being entirely accurate.  My take-away is that, for the audience,  the overall performance more important than having every note perfect. 

Anyway, this is FUN music!   Have fun with it!  I doubt that Scott Joplin played it the same way twice - he was a jazz performer, not a museum curator, and when you play the piece, the same applies to you.  I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I much prefer to listen to someone who is having fun and misses a few notes than someone who is score-perfect but antiseptic. 

And after you accept that you're going to make mistakes when you play for an audience, practice the piece until you're sick of it. :-)

A couple of thoughts that might help—is your tempo maybe a bit too fast? Joplin said, it is never right to play ragtime fast, and I often hear people play this at a pretty breakneck speed. Yes it’s a march but it’s not a sprint.
 

And are you finding that you’re slipping off the black keys? If so can you practice the jumps so you land dead center of the key with the ball of your finger every time? I do this with a metronome, starting at whatever tempo I can do it successfully and increasing speed one click at a time until I’m at tempo. 
 

good luck with your performance!

Did you try to record yourself? I don’t do that usually, but it is always recommended and it is a good way to really understand what is happening, since when we are playing we are worried with many things and we have an illusion that what we are playing is sounding in one way, when it is not. You have to be able to listen and see what is the problem the teacher is pointing to begin. Also listen to good recordings of the music you are playing and try - when you are studying - to bring small pieces of what you listen / see in the recordings and think could be better from what you are doing currently in the direction of what the teacher is asking from you. If you notice something, but you can’t make, tell your teacher.

Also, for note security, I think it is good to try to learn by heart, even if you are going to read the music when playing. Playing from memory makes it very easy to see what parts need more practice when studying and this will make you feel less insecure when playing (it is important when you memorize the music to still be able to read when playing with the music sheet and not use only the memory though).