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Today was my lesson, and teacher and I took our first crack at our shiny new Malaguena piece we're hoping to play in June. It is for two pianos, and she has the primo part. I have the easier part.

It did not go well.

First, we started out going over the rhythm of my part, which is syncopated. My part is embarrassingly easy. I play a G sharp and a C sharp together on one hand for several measures. Then I play one chord on one hand and another on the other hand, just alternating them, while she counts and then comes in with the melody.

The problem was when we tried to play it together. Having someone else playing while I was playing kept throwing me off! I couldn't hear her; I couldn't hear me. I would lose my place in the music. I didn't know whether to lead or to follow or what. I didn't know what I should be listening to, even.

So. Are there any tips anyone has for doing two-piano duets that might help me short of earplugs?

I did a few simple duets with my daughters years ago, but there's something about doing two pianos that makes it really different.

I was just about to suggest earplugs when I looked up and saw:

So. Are there any tips anyone has for doing two-piano duets that might help me short of earplugs?

:-P

I've played 3 2-piano pieces but I have no problem with them. Just lucky, I guess. :george of the jungle graemlin:

My teacher sometimes writes in with pencil difficult parts of her primo part, particularly when she plays a string of notes, onto my music. Then I can listen and read along before it is time for my part to join in.

She is also big into using arm weight and exaggerates the movements so I can see her out of the corner of my eye and know my cue. Must have worked as we played a few selections from Ravel's Mother Goose Suite well enough to play for her music club...Yikes!

Two pianos are loads of fun! The sound is so much richer than one.

You might take a look at the Pozzoli duets. Easy primo parts as both hands play the same notes an octave or two apart. (Music Minus One has them on CD) But they are so romantic and lovely...We like to play them to warm up or use a few minutes before the end of lessons.

Another help was I had my teacher record her part on tape so I could practice along at home!

Once you get the hang of it, it is lots of fun! Good Luck, Cindy!

metronome

Oooh - I HATE metronomes!

Counting

Count LOUD, right Adagiolady?

Louder than your duet partner so that you can't hear their playing...
Seriously, you have to count, first out loud with and without your partner on the bench, and eventually to yourself.

Hey Adagio Lady - Go watch the download video on the Piano Forum. The thread is Watch this download from Yonner Mark. The pianist is amazing.

Yes, metronome, metronome, metronome. You have to play at tempo, correctly, and you can't stop and correct things. You must continue or you'll leave your partner out dangling in the wind.

That's the hardest part, IMO... if you make a mistake, don't correct it! If you're not sure of all the notes, don't play all the notes. If you have to just play "thunk-thunk" with your left hand, that's better than stopping or going back.

Good luck! Once it clicks, it's a blast!

metronomes are a blast.

I just bought a good one... a Dr. Beat 66. After breaking 2 cheapo ones, I decided I was worth it... plus my daughter can use it, too.

The final decision was made when I realized that I needed to hold the switch down with one hand in order to get my old metronome to click. That kind of reduces its user-friendliness.

Tick tick tick tick...

Perhaps, you don't see the 2 parts of the piece as a whole. You're playing your part but hear the teacher's part to be an "outside" sound. Try concentrating on blending the sound from the teacher's piano with your piano or try singing the tune.

Metronomes help a lot with counting/rhythm, but ensemble and chamber music playing is a lot more than that. Listening to the other player(s) is very important, and experience helps.

Being a misanthrope who hates metronomes, I prefer to play solo, sempre solo!

Yep, it's all about the listening and getting outside of your own head while you're playing.

There are two kinds of concentration I see in people. One tries to increase focus by shutting the world out, the other increases focus by allowing a complete awareness of the sound, body, and surroundings. The second of these is the more desirable. People who know only the first are the ones who don't like metronomes - the clicker intrudes on the concentration. But for those who attain the second, the metronome becomes much more friendly - a link to the outside world where chamber partners and audience members dwell.

I started piano lessons about a year ago after having not played very actively for 20 years. The first thing my teacher wanted to do was duets. At first it was very difficult. I kept losing my place and stopping. It seemed impossible not to get confused between the two parts. Finally I learned that the most important thing is to keep your place. If I miss notes or even whole bars I just start in again at the correct place. Sometimes I can only play the top hand for a while, but I just keep going. Sometimes every note is wrong for a few chords, but I just keep going. This really helps your sightreading ability. A helpful thing for me was learning to keep the count by reading the base clef. Also, I use the metronome much of the time. I use it for practicing everything. If there’s a particularly hard place, I slow the metronome down and play those bars over and over gradually speeding up the metronome. Duets are really fun once you get over the initial oddness.

Kreisler:

Yes, but I've worked *so* hard at concentrating as a means of overcoming nerves. Trying to shut out the audience. Thinking about nothing other than dynamics. Chasing stray thoughts out of my head. Hanging onto laser-like concentration with a death grip.

And now I'm suppose to forge a *link* to all those staring pairs of eyeballs?

Oh, no!

Cindy -- who would completely come unhinged if she had to use a metronome on a duet in front of an audience

And don't forget to smile.

and playing solo has what to do with needing metronomes? Tims is always important.


Cindy - by Malaguena, are you generically referring to "a spanish dance" or to the piece entitled Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuena? I'm learning that right now, it's defintely not for two pianos. I wonder if a transcription has been made to that piece, of it's just "another malaguena" (generically speaking)

Good luck! I agree, use a metronome.. you both need to be rock solid with your timing.. Once you are, you can work together to fluctuate from that, but in the beginning, especially with syncopated rhythms, a metronome is an invaluable practice tool.

-paul