Topic by TheodorN

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Topic: Two pianos in one?

In the video below you can see a duo performing Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky, in a concert many years ago in Helsingborg, Sweden. It seems they are using a piano with two keybeds. First I thought they were using two pianos, and they were just positioned against each other, so the biggest part of the woman's piano was hidden from sight.

However, there is only one lid, so it seems to be just one piano. How do they do this? Are there two soundboards in the piano, or are they careful enough not to hit the same notes by dividing the piece in such a way, and there is only one soundboard? This puzzles me! You can see the whole piano at minute 4:57 in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWNQ_CH-8RY

Last edited by TheodorN (29-01-2023 20:14)

Reply by Beco

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Re: Two pianos in one?

TheodorN wrote:

In the video below you can see a duo performing Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky, in a concert many years ago in Helsingborg, Sweden. It seems they are using a piano with two keybeds. First I thought they were using two pianos, and they were just positioned against each other, so the biggest part of the woman's piano was hidden from sight.

However, there is only one lid, so it seems to be just one piano. How do they do this? Are there two soundboards in the piano, or are they careful enough not to hit the same notes by dividing the piece in such a way, and there is only one soundboard? This puzzles me! You can see the whole piano at minute 4:57 in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWNQ_CH-8RY


There are two piano TheodorN, this is a common practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPrkqqNclhM

Reply by Gaston

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Re: Two pianos in one?

TheodorN wrote:

In the video below you can see a duo performing Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky, in a concert many years ago in Helsingborg, Sweden. It seems they are using a piano with two keybeds. First I thought they were using two pianos, and they were just positioned against each other, so the biggest part of the woman's piano was hidden from sight.

However, there is only one lid, so it seems to be just one piano. How do they do this? Are there two soundboards in the piano, or are they careful enough not to hit the same notes by dividing the piece in such a way, and there is only one soundboard? This puzzles me! You can see the whole piano at minute 4:57 in the video.

No, there are really two pianos facing each other, and the lid of the lady's one has been removed.
This is a fairly common arrangement for a two-piano concert.

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Reply by Gaston

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Re: Two pianos in one?

Beco wrote:

There are two piano TheodorN, this is a common practice.

The Tango, a masterpiece by Stravinsky !

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Reply by TheodorN

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Re: Two pianos in one?

Thanks for the explanations, now I can sleep well, without having to scratch my head all night. I'll take a look / listen at/to that Tango.

Reply by Antonio M

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Re: Two pianos in one?

TheodorN wrote:

[...]now I can sleep well[...]

Not so fast... there is at least one piano made as you thought - I'll try to find it:

here double piano:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dveqri-sK4Q

here double keybead - this one sounds bad to me, you can't voice the octaves correctly...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXxyf6NHXmw

Reply by TheodorN

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Re: Two pianos in one?

Interesting, the riddle is not as easily solved as it appeared to be in the start. It never was for me, but with the valuable knowledge from those who have provided me with answers, we're at least closer.