Basically I'm wondering if the parts can just be split and turned into a piano duo. Will it sound any different? Does this change if talking about four hands pieces for guitar rather than piano?
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That just reminded me of this - Walk off the Earth, Somebody That I Used to Know 5 peeps, 1 guitar. Personally I think this cover is better than the original.– TetsujinCommented Dec 13, 2020 at 11:12
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Now I want to invent a piano with two (separated) keyboards so these two performers can work more freely while still actuating the same set of strings. This is an extremely difficult mechanical design :-)– Carl WitthoftCommented Dec 14, 2020 at 15:57
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3 Answers
Providing the two pianos are pretty well identical in sound, there will be little if no difference.
The problem that arises is pedalling. Generally it's down to the secundo player to operate the sustain pedal - it's slightly easier to stretch out one's right leg than to cross over the legs for the player on the right - even worse to get used to operating the pedal with the left foot.
Whatever pedalling that is marked will affect both parts of the music, so the primo will have to synchronise their pedalling with the secundo, and not use any other, for it all to sound the same as it would on one piano.
Obviously, this particular issue isn't applicable on guitar!
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6Sympathetic resonance and stereo effect/reverb are also interesting subtle effects that would differ Commented Dec 13, 2020 at 14:07
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3The resonance from unstruck strings will be different on the piano.– ttwCommented Dec 13, 2020 at 14:51
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Thanks! The effect on pedalling didn't even occur to me..I was mostly just considering the resonance effects due to sharing the soundboard in case of 1 piano.– ManavMCommented Dec 14, 2020 at 14:15
Tim's answer alludes to the main way that piano duo versions of piano 4 hands music sounds different from piano 4 hands music: the syncing differences produced when two players now need to operate what only one player used to.
Another difference is the stereo effect (and the panning) produced from music playing from two instruments far enough away from each other (especially when you're somewhat close to both instruments). Whether the instrument is a piano or a guitar doesn't matter in this case.
answered Dec 13, 2020 at 14:41
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For this sort of playing, I guess most often, there would be two grands, 'intertwined', so the players have eye contact at least.– TimCommented Dec 13, 2020 at 14:56
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The most common piano duo arrangements I've seen are two grand pianos facing each other (so the two pianists can technically make eye contact but have to get through several feet of piano and lifted piano lids in order to do so) and two upright pianos in a haphazard arrangement (I watch too much ragtime, and the pianos are usually arranged such that the two players cannot make eye contact with each other without facing away from the keyboard). Commented Dec 13, 2020 at 15:06
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1That's just where glass or perspex lids really come into their own. Or take 'em off completely...– TimCommented Dec 13, 2020 at 15:55
There have to be significant differences in how the notes interact.
When you strike keys in a piano, and the pedal is held, then you get some sympathetic vibrations from other strings. This doesn't go to zero with two (adjacent) pianos, but it would be significantly attenuated.
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That's why I included my 3rd paragraph. Any use of pedal when using one piano would need to be copied on both when using two. There could be a perceivable increase in volume, if that's what you mean.– TimCommented Dec 14, 2020 at 8:48
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@PeterT - apart rom the very high pitched strings, sympatheti resonance becomes apparent when the damper pedal lifts the dampers. Hence the sympathetic vibrations would be the same, or very similar, whether one or two pianos were being played, - providing the pedalling was the same on the two pianos - as in my answer.– TimCommented Dec 14, 2020 at 15:07