Dueling pianos have been a part of the entertainment landscape since at least the late nineteenth century. In the Victorian era, patrons would watch to see which of two piano players could play not only better, but also more quickly, than the other.
In the modern day, there are bars and clubs that are known specifically for this kind of act, but the spirit of it has changed since its origins. Instead of being competitive, it is usually more collaborative. The pianists now work together to entertain the crowd and create an upbeat atmosphere, often going so far as to invite the audience to sing along and be part of the show.
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.
Most of the songs are familiar popular numbers, and in the majority of dueling piano bars the audience can request their favorite hits. The players must be ready to perform a wide variety of contemporary pop and rock music songs, depending on what the patrons request. The repertoire of songs that people may want to hear is too large for most pianists to have learned completely by heart.
Many players will carry a book of sheet music which includes a lot of the songs they may be expected to be able to play. The performers will have practiced these songs in order to be able to play them, but they will not have necessarily memorized them all before a show, which is why the sheet music is helpful.
If you ask for a particular song, it is considered standard etiquette to tip the performers. There is usually an obvious tip jar in which to leave money for the artists. Request procedures vary from place to place, and can include anything from a formal system that has a list where you sign up to have a song played, to a casual situation where you write the song title on a napkin, or even just shout it out directly at the performer. Different kinds of piano bars will have different rules about how to make your song suggestion, but you can assume that tipping is universally expected.
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
In the modern day, there are bars and clubs that are known specifically for this kind of act, but the spirit of it has changed since its origins. Instead of being competitive, it is usually more collaborative. The pianists now work together to entertain the crowd and create an upbeat atmosphere, often going so far as to invite the audience to sing along and be part of the show.
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.
Most of the songs are familiar popular numbers, and in the majority of dueling piano bars the audience can request their favorite hits. The players must be ready to perform a wide variety of contemporary pop and rock music songs, depending on what the patrons request. The repertoire of songs that people may want to hear is too large for most pianists to have learned completely by heart.
Many players will carry a book of sheet music which includes a lot of the songs they may be expected to be able to play. The performers will have practiced these songs in order to be able to play them, but they will not have necessarily memorized them all before a show, which is why the sheet music is helpful.
If you ask for a particular song, it is considered standard etiquette to tip the performers. There is usually an obvious tip jar in which to leave money for the artists. Request procedures vary from place to place, and can include anything from a formal system that has a list where you sign up to have a song played, to a casual situation where you write the song title on a napkin, or even just shout it out directly at the performer. Different kinds of piano bars will have different rules about how to make your song suggestion, but you can assume that tipping is universally expected.
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
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