Contest Winners for Two, Book 5: Piano Duet (1 Piano, 4 Hands) Book

The collection swings from the rhythmic snap of jazz and ragtime to the elegant sweep of waltzes, punctuated by contemporary minimalist textures. Each piece rewards careful voicing and shared musicality while remaining fresh enough that neither player feels relegated to accompaniment.

Late intermediate piano students ready to develop ensemble listening and collaborative performance skills. This book works equally well for pair students of similar ability, for private studio incentive programs, and for pianists preparing festival or contest repertoire.

• Balance the primo and secondo parts by listening across the room rather than just within your own hands; the acoustic of a live duet requires both players to hear the whole sonority, not just their own line.
• Work out hand coordination for shared passages before attempting tempo; late intermediate duets often require close synchronization, and rushing into speed creates mutual frustration.
• Record yourselves early and listen back; duet playing exposes timing issues that feel seamless in the moment, and hearing a playback forces honest assessment of ensemble precision.
• Establish a clear gesture or count-off system for transitions between sections, especially in pieces with stylistic shifts like the jazz duets and waltzes.

Program individual selections for studio recitals or student competitions, or use the entire book as a year-long exploration of duet writing across styles. The range of difficulty within the volume allows advanced intermediate students to start earlier pieces while late intermediate students tackle the full sequence.

• Listening and responding to a partner's tempo and phrasing in real time
• Balancing melody and accompaniment across two players at one keyboard
• Ensemble communication through visual and aural cues
• Performing in multiple stylistic contexts (jazz, ragtime, waltz, contemporary)
• Sight-reading coordination in four-hand texture
• Festival and competition performance readiness