Jun 11, 2014

The Joy of Duets

by Nancy Rost

Duets can be a great way to spice up your keyboard repertoire. Players of all abilities and tastes can enjoy the camaraderie, variety and learning that comes with an extra set of hands. Let’s take a look at some piano duets in fun, casual settings.

The five-tone scale of the black keys and the flowing rhythm make an accessible starting point for pre-reading beginners. You can find similar duets in method books, or even improvise your own -- in pajamas, if you want.

Going Home - Yukie Smith

Practice feels more like a game when the goal is to stay in time with a duet partner. Doubling the right-hand part is an easy way to turn a solo piece into a duet. The humor in this piece is the icing on the cake.

Spinning Song - Albert Ellmenreich

This four-handed piano jam allows both players to improvise within a blues form. Watch how they listen and respond to one another, switch between comping and soloing, and trade places without missing a beat.

Four-hand blues improvisation

Yes, it is possible to play power metal -- and other less-explored genres -- on the piano. Multi-layered pieces, whether band- or orchestra-based, lend themselves to four-hands adaptations. Working up to the fast tempo is great for duet partners who want to challenge themselves and each other.

Through the Fire and Flames - Dragonforce

Okay, this isn’t a casual setting. It’s not a duet either. But it’s a great illustration of the playfulness and showmanship possible with piano ensemble music.

Marche a 12 - Albert Lavignac/Christopher Sischka

As with all ensemble music, learning piano duets will improve your musicianship --- and playing music you enjoy with others is its own reward!

NANCY ROST

Nancy Rost took piano lessons back in the 1960s and '70s, but her more formative education came in the 1980s when she began sitting in at piano bars and busking with a blues band. Inspired by her hands-on experience and independent study of music theory, in 1988 she developed an "Instant Piano" course for adults. She specializes in teaching students to play by ear and improvise, whether playing solo, accompanying their voice, or playing with others. An award-winning and prolific songwriter in jazz, pop/rock and folk genres, Nancy strives to share a creative, fun approach to learning piano.

Nancy currently records as a session player and performs as a solo singer-songwriter, with the acoustic trio Two Johns & A Nancy, and with the Madison Area Ukulele Initiative. Her students have gone on to study music in college, to compose, perform and record, and to share music with their grandchildren.

Nancy teaches Piano, Music Theory, and Songwriting.

www.nancyrost.com

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