Keyboard camaraderie

Though there are huge glories and advantages to studying and playing the piano, there is no question that the process of practising can be off-putting for many. The piano has a lonely, isolationist image that can be extremely daunting and appear dispiriting to many students, especially if they are young children. String and wind players move quickly (relatively) from their first beginner lessons into group activities and ensemble rehearsals. Singers commonly start off in choirs before even thinking about refining and honing their vocal skills via solitary practice and one-to-one lessons. How sad, then, that many pianists only occasionally have the opportunity to try out keyboard duets, if their tutor is game for sharing the keyboard with them – secondo and primo – for at least a few phrases during their weekly lessons. It is all too easy for a developing pianist to feel that, away from lessons, they are destined always to play, work and think alone. This is especially true for under-18-year-old learners who come from families in which they are the only instrumentalist.