Playing the piano is one thing, but playing a duet with someone else brings an entirely new dynamic to the piano experience, often creating a truly magical and memorable way to play that brings people closer together under a shared musical endeavour.
Where piano is typically a solitary pursuit, playing with a duet partner is something truly special that we encourage everyone to try at least once. The typical issue with duets is having two people of different playing standards where one is more skilled than the other, that is why today we have pieced together a quick list of simple and easy piano duets to try with someone special, be it a relative, friend, child or even a total stranger!
So if you are looking to get started with piano duets and are up for the challenge, look no further!
If you can't quite find what you are looking for on this list, we'd also highly recommend checking out our friends at Presto Music, who have a fantastic selection of duet books for all ages and abilities!
Heart And Soul
Perhaps one of the most iconic and easily recognisable duets out there, as Tom Hanks brilliantly demonstrated in the film ‘Big’, Heart and Soul is a fun and beginner friendly tune that is simplistic enough for anyone to be able to pick up, but satisfying enough to sound like you are playing a real piece of music opposed just a few random notes. The pianist handling the top notes will play the familiar melody based on the C major scale whilst the lower pianist bounces effortlessly between a few simple chords. Ideal for beginners and younger players.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
A perfect one for young learners as they’ll already know the tune, but this relaxing lullaby is just as rewarding when playing as a duet, the pianist playing the lower notes need only turn the typical single notes into some basic third chords and even that adds a whole new dynamic to the piece. This is a great one not only to try out as a parent or tutor, but also if you have two young learners looking to play something together, this is a great place to begin!
Turkish March - Mozart
Perhaps one of his most famous pieces, Mozart’s Turkish March doubles up well as a duet that requires little to no editing, allowing one player to play the right hand, and one the left. For the pianist playing the left-hand part, they can actually use two hands. One hand can form the chords while the other takes care of the bass notes.
This is also a good example of how technically any solo piece can become a duet by just splitting out the hands, if both pianists are a little more seasoned, this is also a great exercise in allowing you both to learn some complex pieces that you might not have been able to master easily, four hands is better than two after all!
Ideal for those looking to play together with perhaps a friend just getting started or are classically interested.
Bouncin’ Boogie
A popular one that many teachers like to try on their students due to it’s fun bouncy bassline and melody that work together beautifully as a duet, but just as rewarding for two fellow jazzers to try together to shake things up.
Typically the bass line is adopted by the more experienced player as it does run through the whole song and is a little fast paced for the beginners to keep up with, but so long as the player has a little basic experience, this can be a fantastic piece to learn together for those who are looking for a little more of a beginner to intermediate challenge.
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Perfect for the moden player and those looking for a challenge on two instruments, Bohemian Rhapsody does make for a great duet as it has two very contrasting sections, keeping it interesting for both players. The main issue here is typically that there are a lot of stop-start timings to consider as you play, so perhaps this one is better suited for those with a little more experience than a total newcomer to piano, but does still make for a straightforward enough duet for those who do already play to a basic standard.
Have you ever learned a piano duet? If so, what was it and how did you find the experience? We would love to hear about it on our social media channels! And again, don't forget to explore Presto Music's exceptional range of piano duet books here!
Want to learn more about upgrading your piano to something you can duet on or pianos to help you get started? contact our experts or visit our showroom today!
If you are just getting started on your piano journey, be sure to also take a look over our other blog articles for plenty more tips and tricks to help encourage your learning. Alternatively, have you explored our Kickstart rental Scheme yet?