Putting Together A Dueling Pianos Act
April 30, 2011Dueling pianos acts are a relic of the vaudeville age when everybody learned to play piano, sing, and dance. Today, they are not nearly as prevalent, but there are still many people skilled enough to pull it off. Even if you only want to perform in piano bars you’ve got to be prepared. Nobody simply sits down with a friend and acts funny while playing piano and gets away with it. The craft has to be practiced and well thought-out in order to work.
A show of this ilk needs two really good piano players. Nobody’s saying that you have to be the world’s two best, but you certainly must be good. Audience members make requests, and you need to be able to deliver. A lack of confidence will not get you very far.
A really nice combination for a duo would be two people who enjoy different genres of music. For example, if you were a classically-trained pianist, but your partner played piano in a folk band, that would make for an interesting combo.
Pick music you enjoy, but make sure it’s music other people will enjoy too. There’s nothing worse than two people on stage loving while everybody in the crowd is hating it. Go with universally appealing stuff, songs people will recognize, and don’t be afraid to sing.
You need to get some words together. Winging might sound like a noble and ‘artistic’ experience, but it’s not easy and chances are it won’t go over well. If neither of you is a comedy writer then enlisting someone to help write the script is imperative. If you don’t know anyone who can do that, find someone online. There are plenty of sites where writers for hire are waiting for work.
After you’ve gotten your script together, you’ve chosen the music and you’ve rehearsed the act there needs to be a premiere performance that is ‘safe’. Invite some friends to a small piano bar or club where people who love you will outnumber those who may boo you. Judge the effectiveness of the show based on the laughs you’re getting. Using this first performance your team can decide if the script should be altered or not.
Continue to put your show on at open mic nights, or reality TV show auditions. Heck, if you’re funny enough you should try out for ‘Last Comic Standing’. It will be a long process to get the show together, but once you do the pay-off will be gigs-a-plenty and a feeling of accomplishment.
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