Dueling Instruments

       Dueling pianists. Oh yes. Dueling. Pianists. It's a thing. 
       While trying to build a list of “musical contacts” for a project I'm working on, I stumbled across a bar in my area that has dueling pianists performing every night. Intrigued by the thought, I went searching for a video, and found this.
       Now, with the idea of dueling pianists in my head, I went searching for other dueling instruments. I found dueling violins and dueling saxophonists, but I'm sure almost every instrument has "dueled".

       The first thought I had when I saw these dueling instruments was, “How cool! I want to do that!” Can't you just imagine that? Dueling violists. Pretty awesome, right? It is when I imagine it, at least. I see myself riding onto the stage on a motorcycle, flames erupting from the stage, and I'm wearing a pair of bad ass shades and a leather jacket. Although, I'm not really wearing a leather jacket, because that would restrict my mobility while I played. And, if I'm being honest, motorcycles terrify me, but! There will be flames! Oh yes...

       Alas, my vision of dueling instruments in very different from what they actually are. As explained in the first video I linked, dueling instruments don't so much battle each other as they compliment each other, and I noticed that in all the videos I watched. So what is the difference between dueling instruments and ensembles?

       I'd say it's primarily the connotation of the title. Dueling instruments, as I perceived them, sounds like an epic battle of music, while ensembles sound stuffy and boring. Dueling instruments and ensembles aren't actually all that different, though. Both blend instruments together to produce a better sound, whether it's just two cellos or a banjo and a bass.

       So does that mean I've been a dueling violist for the past five years of my life? I've played in large group ensembles and string quartets, always considering them a blend. But could they be a duel? I've never thought of them that way, and as epic as it sounds, I don't think I want to think of playing as a battle. Granted, fighting to play your two measures of melody over the screeching violins, who seem to be playing a background part for the very first time, is certainly a battle, but we're still blending as an orchestra. The word dueling may be awesomely appropriate for piano v. piano or violin v. violin, but when it comes to ensemble, we're a team.