Composing

a ragtime piece:
1. Duple time. Either cut-common (2/2) or 2/4.
2. The chord progression. Simple, mostly primary chords with some secondary
and a possible tri-tone substitution of a dominant 7th chord, or a enharmonic
chord.
Here are some possibilities. In these progressions capitols represent major
chords and lower-case are minor chords. All enharmonic chords (chords form
other keys) such as bII7 & bVI7 are tri-tone substitutions of dominant 7th chords.

A section: I ; V7 ; V7 ; I ; IV ; I ; ii ; V7 (repeat)
B Section: IV ; I ; bII7 ; I ; IV ; I ; bVI7 ; V7 (repeat)
A section repeat but end on chord I:
I ; V7 ; V7 ; I ; IV ; I ; ii V7 ; I


A section: I ; IV ; I ; V7 ; I ; IV ; V7 ; I (repeat)
B Section: IV ; I ; V7 ; I ; ii ; vi ; II7 ; V7 (repeat)
A section repeat but end on chord I:
I ; IV; I ; V7 ; I ; IV ; V7 ; I

3. The accompaniment pattern. Establish a clear bass note followed by a chord

pattern, or, as in the case of Joplins Maple Leaf Rag, bass note followed by two
chords then another bass note.
The bass notes will almost always be the root of the chord followed by the 5th of
the chord, giving you a Oom pah, oom pah sound,

Or, (like Joplin again) the first bass note is the root of the chord, but the second
one is a semitone lower or higher than the root of the next chord.

So, by this point you should have a progression of chords that looks a bit like this.

Note that in this example I use both the different types of bass-chord
accompaniment patterns. Note also that in the last bar the bass notes move by
step from the D (the root of the D chord) back to the G (the first note of the first
bar), you dont have to do this. It is just what I chose to do.
4. Create a melody.
To write a ragtime melody you:

Use mostly notes from the chord (often arpeggios)

Use syncopation
You may also like to add some notes from the blues scale or
Add some notes from the pentatonic scale. But these last two are
optional.

Types of syncopation. Here are some possibilities of variations in syncopations

that could be used (cut-common time). You could choose and one of these or
even two.

Now place this syncopated rhythm into the melody part and give it some notes
from the chords. Add some blues and or pentatonic notes and you are almost
there.