# You're starting a duo, what instrument does the other person play?



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Hypothetical:

You are starting a duo. You play guitar, and you and/or the other musician sing. What instrument does the other person play? Another guitar, keys, bass, percussion, or something else?

I'm still mulling this one over myself, but I'll chime in once I reach my decision.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

With acoustic guitar? Bass, harmonica, mandolin.

If it has to be two guitars, then one strummer and one picker.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Drums.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2019)

I will play the cowbell.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I play guitar and the other person usually female, sings. That's a duo for me.


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## danielSunn0))) (Dec 28, 2015)

I'm in a two-piece band with my best pal and it works well. I do guitars/bass/vocals, and my bud does drums/vocals... I use a 6-string guitar with separate guitar and bass rigs with an amp selector pedal, using a POG running through the bass side. Works very well! 
Shameless self-promo, check out a song here. I recorded the bass and guitars the very same way I play live, so I think it's a good representation...


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2019)

Do you really need a partner?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I have a fiddle/guitar duo, an anglo concertina/guitar duo, and a very recent, very tentative guitar/bass duo. I sing in the guitar/bass duo but there are no vocals with the other duos because we're (almost, meaning I think I've sung once or twice) entirely instrumental.

Hands down my favourite is the fiddle/guitar duo. Fiddler sight reads at an extremely high level and doesn't tell me what to do, she's also very easy to work with, doesn't have any baggage, and is as chill as anyone I've known. Swing, old time, celtic, whatever.


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

Piano would be my choice


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Mooh said:


> I have a fiddle/guitar duo, an anglo concertina/guitar duo, and a very recent, very tentative guitar/bass duo. I sing in the guitar/bass duo but there are no vocals with the other duos because we're (almost, meaning I think I've sung once or twice) entirely instrumental.
> 
> Hands down my favourite is the fiddle/guitar duo. Fiddler sight reads at an extremely high level and doesn't tell me what to do, she's also very easy to work with, doesn't have any baggage, and is as chill as anyone I've known. Swing, old time, celtic, whatever.


Got a picture of your Fiddler?


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

I would humbly suggest depends entirely on the music you want to play.
Country blues, def. harmonica/some kind of percussion
Country,fiddle
70's stuff keyboards or another guitar would be very handy
just as examples, keep in mind I'm no musician.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

These days, I suspect the "partner" would be a looper pedal.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)




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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Electraglide said:


> Got a picture of your Fiddler?


In your dreams.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

No instrument. She sings.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Mooh said:


> In your dreams.


That's why I need the picture.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Better still...


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Sneaky said:


> Better still...


Is this photo from Studio Bell?

My son-in-law interviewed the team when they were working on "TONTO" shortly after they bought/acquired it in preparation to put it it a separate dedicated display area. IIRC, he wrote an article about the interview. 

I toured Studio Bell for several hours while he was busy with the interviews.
What an absolutely amazing place! Calgary must be so extremely proud! 
Homepage | Studio Bell


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)




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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

It’s hard to go wrong with a didgeridoo and a K&K pickup.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I'm thinking bass, or possibly percussion. Maybe banjo, if it was suited to the syle of music that we are playing.

Of course musical style enters into it, and I am having trouble separating the instruments from the people I know who play them. For example, it's hard for me to eliminate keyboard, because one of the most musically literate, versatile, and just plain reliable people I know plays piano. And of course if I were to start a duo in real life, personality would be more important to me than the actual instrument played.

I hadn't considered an instrumental duo (ironic in that many of my gigs are instrumental), but I think that the bass would definitely be my first choice in that case.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

the Katzenklavier


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

The person, not what instrument they play, would be my first criteria. If you don't mesh it doesn't really matter what they play. If you do mesh it doesn't really matter what they play.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

bw66 said:


> I'm thinking bass, or possibly percussion. Maybe banjo, if it was suited to the syle of music that we are playing.
> 
> Of course musical style enters into it, and I am having trouble separating the instruments from the people I know who play them. For example, it's hard for me to eliminate keyboard, because one of the most musically literate, versatile, and just plain reliable people I know plays piano. And of course if I were to start a duo in real life, personality would be more important to me than the actual instrument played.
> 
> I hadn't considered an instrumental duo (ironic in that many of my gigs are instrumental), but I think that the bass would definitely be my first choice in that case.


How about a female multi-instrumentalists that can sing. With your voice (I think you posted a video awhile back and your very good) and a good female player/singer, you could play anything. From Patsy Cline to the Pretenders and everything in between.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Guitar101 said:


> How about a female multi-instrumentalists that can sing. With your voice (I think you posted a video awhile back and your very good) and a good female player/singer, you could play anything. From Patsy Cline to the Pretenders and everything in between.


Yes, if I were really going to take on another musical project, a grounded, singing, female, multi-instrumentalist would really fit the bill. A unicorn would be nice too!

(And thanks for the nice words!)


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

bw66 said:


> Yes, if I were really going to take on another musical project, a grounded, singing, female, multi-instrumentalist would really fit the bill. A unicorn would be nice too!
> 
> (And thanks for the nice words!)


Just put an add up on Kijiji "Wanted - a grounded, singing, female, multi-instrumentalist" Easy Peasy.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Electric kazoo into an overdriven 5W tube amp


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Based on people I would be most likely to do that with, I picked guitar--but mandolin would be cool.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Years ago I joined a singer/guitarist/mandolinist to form a folkie duo. I played guitar/bass/vocals and sometimes mandolin. It was as flexible and versatile a duo as you’re likely to find. Had we remained a duo there would have been keys as well as we both play. We did a few gigs but quickly added a drummer who had a degree in classical piano, and eventually sax (and sometimes other brass). We should have gone back to being a duo once in a while but didn’t have the foresight. It was fun while it lasted.

Anyway, multi-instrumentalists, if they’re competent, are a good bet.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

A washboard.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I played alto recorder when I was in a duo. It sounded beautiful with the accompaniment of the piano.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Ok so yesterday I played a 3 hr show with acoustic and singer (my buddy who’s a pro) and me on piano / bass and singing. It’s was killer. Very full sounding yet still pretty rocking. It was my first piano live gig since I was around 18 yrs old. And it was my first ever “pop” music gig on the piano. 

Lucky me it was a Heintzman grand that I got them to tune the same day. 

Anyway I recorded a lot of the show. If some of it turns out good, I’ll share. 

The fullness of a piano is hard to replicate.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Sneaky said:


>


That's the sorta thing that makes you think "You know, a menu screen and a coupla buttons to go through submenu items might not be so bad".
I'm a fool for more buttons, knobs, and switches, but eventually you reach a point of diminishing returns.

Not unless the rows of red, white and green are Skittles stuck to the front, to keep up your strength while you hunt for the right switches to push/lift.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

@mhammer you’re right about the diminishing returns. 

I got the line 6 single pedal that replicated so many others. I’m so impatient these days, I can’t even be bothered to set it up properly. 

Like my strings: nice guitar man. Plays well. How old are the strings? 
My answer: which one?


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

@sambonee hear ya there. The singer changed strings last week. Like going from a $500 acoustic to a $1500 acoustic. He had trouble getting it away from me.


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