Beginner Talk to me about learning duets

mizmar

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So this one online chap I use has started a series of Duets for leaning purposes. Nicely organised parts (separate or combined) for AA, TT or AT, demos, backings, -1s...

It's hugely fun and a bit of a bump up for me.
Obviously everything has to be quite tight - in tune and in time. I may even drag up my alto...

I'm not struggling particularly (more than normal), but

How do you go about learning something like that? Any tips and tricks?
 
Unlike melodies, duets can have sections that make no sense on their own, which makes them awkward to memorise in the short term. With enough repetition they begin to stick and maybe become an ear worm.
Just familiarise and read.
 
Indeed - chappie has given both parts solo and a "background" (nonsensical ) sections.
As well as unison (is that the right word? Same melody in both parts) sections - which are satisfying to "get".
And sections playing complementary melodies, trading and such.
 
So this one online chap I use has started a series of Duets for leaning purposes. Nicely organised parts (separate or combined) for AA, TT or AT, demos, backings, -1s...

It's hugely fun and a bit of a bump up for me.
Obviously everything has to be quite tight - in tune and in time. I may even drag up my alto...

I'm not struggling particularly (more than normal), but

How do you go about learning something like that? Any tips and tricks?

This is a good time to play along with a metronome. Time really matters when playing with an ensemble of any size greater than one.

It is useful to know both parts so you can "hear" the other part in your head while practicing.

Read through both parts to understand how parts are supposed to mesh.
 
Do you have a duet partner, or do you plan to play and record both parts yourself?

I find it useful to read down the duet early on so both players get a sense of what parts require critical attention to detail. It's also useful to talk about how to interpret phrasing and dynamics so you don't practice a part, get locked in on interpretation, then find out that your partner has a different idea about it.
 
Do you have a duet partner, or do you plan to play and record both parts yourself?
Just me. None the less I'm learning both parts. Chappie has provided -1s to play the other part with.

Absolutely, if my metronome wasn't digital,. I'd'v worn-out two by now!

Thanks for the thoughts.
 
Time really matters when playing with an ensemble of any size greater than one.
It matters when there’s only one, as well. Or even less than one…. time is everything, if it doesn’t groove the notes won’t matter so much.

I understand there is music which is not supposed to have steady time - but even there, ebb and flow is important. Time is everything - it’s the fourth dimension, after all!
 
You can play almost anything as long as you play in time. That does not mean you have to be on the metronome on every beat, rather you have to understand when you have to land on the beat again.

Playing in time is a conscious decision and the only way to get there is, indeed, the metronome.

An easy experiment is to record yourself and then play a duet with your own recording and I can almost guarantee you that after 5 minutes you will start to hate every deviation from the beat that the alter ego makes, as cute as it may seem when you first record it.

Then you do it again and again, until you feel yourself on the beat. And then you can think again about swinging.
 
Chad LB recently posted a video where he set his metronome to click once every 8 bars. Not beats, bars. The goal is to keep internal time well enough that he landed on the downbeat every 8 bars. He did pretty well, he showed a smidgeon of his Russian heritage, but managed to keep it in check.

I’m not sure I could do that, I’m sure I would show my deep appreciation for Game of Thrones. (Dragon…)
 
Chad LB recently posted a video where he set his metronome to click once every 8 bars. Not beats, bars. The goal is to keep internal time well enough that he landed on the downbeat every 8 bars. He did pretty well, he showed a smidgeon of his Russian heritage, but managed to keep it in check.

I’m not sure I could do that, I’m sure I would show my deep appreciation for Game of Thrones. (Dragon…)
One word: Vodka!
 
The joke is not original to me, my friend Tom Duckworth, the great drummer, had a small electronics company and manufactured a SMPTE timecode machine for use by tape recorders (remember those?). It was used by many studios. Called the Russian Dragon.
 
Uher Royal Deluxe, CR240... Alpage AL80 - and you could screw up everything when you got cheap Samsung tapes.

The Russian Dragon, really interesting with its reference clock and the deviation shown in incremental LEDs. No drag-on or speed off goes undetected.
I miss some of this stuff even though by today's standards it's hugely unpractical.
I am not familiar with Tom Duckworth, I am sure I have listened to him on some tracks but the name just doesn't ring a bell
 
If I understand correctly, your teacher has provided play alongside for both parts separately, and both together?

My teacher has done the same.

Rhythm 1st is his rule, the duets I'm working through are jazzy, so with a metronome get the rhythm & timing down, starting slowly, increasing the tempo.

Try playing with the recording of the part, eventually trying with 2nd part. Its good if you can record this and play it back then cringe.

I've still not managed to perfect one though 🤣
 
metronome to click once every 8 bars
Well, for some phrases I'm happy to end with the recording. But I'm aware that my internal beet timer isn't rock like, speeding up and slowing down. It's a problem I work on in a number of ways.
An easy experiment is to record yourself and then play a duet with your own recording and I can almost guarantee you that after 5 minutes you will start to hate every deviation from the beat that the alter ego makes, as cute as it may seem when you first record it.

I wasn't going to record anything till I fancied doing "A Recording". But...
I think I'll prioritise recording for precision timing checking...
 
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Duets are fantastic for musicality and “what am I doing now?”.

Great duet writing doesn’t have a clear 1st and 2nd part, but gives equal credit.

It is therefore essential that you know at all times whether the notes you are playing are of a “supporting role” or the melody, or a “secondary part”, but has movement whilst the melody is static.

“Natural dynamics “ come to the fore, whereby, informed by the above, you make sure that your part is heard.

The “You, Me, Us” ensemble is really gratifying.

Now the hard part.

Recording both parts yourself. It’s really hard to gauge what levels should be played when the other person isn’t there. You may find that you get much better results if you record part A, then B, then repeat both as you’ll improve each pass.
 
Yeah, dynamics is an interesting issue.
I can put the backing & -1 tracks on quieter or louder and lower my own volume. Worth adding in.
 
Yeah, dynamics is an interesting issue.
I can out the backing & -1 tracks on quieter or louder and lower my own volume. Worth adding in.
I love chamber music. Even though there is much musicality involved, in my mind it was much more obvious what the absolutes were - and what I was aiming for.
I miss that.
 
Just edited this simple duet last night. It's a one take improvisation. No metronome, no sheet music. When a tune is simple and predictable it's possible to play a duet as a countermelody, harmony or whatever you'd sing. Just pointing out that there are other approaches and that the second part can come from you.

This track was simple and predictable and already had the "give and take" of being backing and not always taking the lead.

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Just edited this simple duet last night. It's a one take improvisation. No metronome, no sheet music. When a tune is simple and predictable it's possible to play a duet as a countermelody, harmony or whatever you'd sing. Just pointing out that there are other approaches and that the second part can come from you.

This track was simple and predictable and already had the "give and take" of being backing and not always taking the lead.

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It asks me for my password ...
 

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