The dueling pianos phenomenon was first invented in the Victorian era. At the end of the nineteenth century, two pianists would compete against each other to see who could play not only with more skill and dexterity, but with more speed.
Nowadays, the field has changed. Instead of battling, the two musicians are more likely to work with each other in a collaborative spirit as they try to engage and amuse the audience, sometimes even inviting the crowd to sing with them in order to create a lively feeling for the performance. There are now clubs and bars that specialize in this kind of entertainment.
In addition to a playing style that includes a lot of showy gestures and flourishes, there is often verbal banter as well. The musicians will tell jokes, sing humorous lyrics to the tunes of the songs they are playing, or have funny improvised exchanges. Some pairs of pianists will work together frequently, like a comedy duo, whereas other times two solo artists will be put together onstage in a random pairing and will have to create their act in the heat of the moment, discovering their unique chemistry in front of a live audience.
One of the features of this kind of show is that the patrons can usually ask the musicians to play specific songs. That means the pianists must be familiar with and able to play a greater number of pop and rock music pieces than it is likely for them to be able to memorize completely, even though most of the songs are popular and familiar tunes.
Most of the time, sheet music is required to pull off the request. Piano players who work in this field usually carry a songbook with them, which includes the music for hits that they think are likely to be requested, and will have practiced enough to be able to play well, but will not have memorized the way they would for a pre-planned concert program.
There are different ways that bars allow patrons to request songs, from signing up on a list to simply calling out a song title, or passing a napkin to the performers with the song's title written on it. Whether it is a casual or formal atmosphere, and regardless of the specific request procedure, it is expected that audience members who make a request will tip the musicians out of gratitude. There will almost always be an obvious receptacle for leaving a cash tip.
A dueling piano performance lets pianists from a variety of backgrounds, whether classical or rock and roll, use their skills to entertain patrons in a lively setting, and provide a fun night for the crowd. With more than a hundred years of history, it's not likely that this kind of performance will vanish in the near future.
dueling pianos
Nowadays, the field has changed. Instead of battling, the two musicians are more likely to work with each other in a collaborative spirit as they try to engage and amuse the audience, sometimes even inviting the crowd to sing with them in order to create a lively feeling for the performance. There are now clubs and bars that specialize in this kind of entertainment.
In addition to a playing style that includes a lot of showy gestures and flourishes, there is often verbal banter as well. The musicians will tell jokes, sing humorous lyrics to the tunes of the songs they are playing, or have funny improvised exchanges. Some pairs of pianists will work together frequently, like a comedy duo, whereas other times two solo artists will be put together onstage in a random pairing and will have to create their act in the heat of the moment, discovering their unique chemistry in front of a live audience.
One of the features of this kind of show is that the patrons can usually ask the musicians to play specific songs. That means the pianists must be familiar with and able to play a greater number of pop and rock music pieces than it is likely for them to be able to memorize completely, even though most of the songs are popular and familiar tunes.
Most of the time, sheet music is required to pull off the request. Piano players who work in this field usually carry a songbook with them, which includes the music for hits that they think are likely to be requested, and will have practiced enough to be able to play well, but will not have memorized the way they would for a pre-planned concert program.
There are different ways that bars allow patrons to request songs, from signing up on a list to simply calling out a song title, or passing a napkin to the performers with the song's title written on it. Whether it is a casual or formal atmosphere, and regardless of the specific request procedure, it is expected that audience members who make a request will tip the musicians out of gratitude. There will almost always be an obvious receptacle for leaving a cash tip.
A dueling piano performance lets pianists from a variety of backgrounds, whether classical or rock and roll, use their skills to entertain patrons in a lively setting, and provide a fun night for the crowd. With more than a hundred years of history, it's not likely that this kind of performance will vanish in the near future.
dueling pianos