Duos – Scales of Collaboration

Duos abound. For some reason, I’ve suddenly got a bunch of gigs where two of us are making the music.

Duos Rock

Maybe it’s because the pandemic is waning. Or maybe it’s because I’m bored of hearing only my own “voice” in the music I’ve been making. But for reasons that I can’t fathom, I’m now working on three duos.

Though I’m not ready to give away all the details, the other members of these duos are a saxophonist, a violinist, and a singer. Each of these duets offers some of the joys and challenges of working with someone else on a creative project. The joys consistently outweigh everything else.

Two To Tango

At the same time, the logistics of being in a duo require attention. Scheduling rehearsals, determining who will do which part(s), agreeing on musical and practical choices, and a host of other matters are quite different from when I’m flying solo.

Since I know this going into the creative project, I can be ready to deal with these logistics and negotiations. I know it will be worth it. After all, this is not my first duet nor my first collaboration.

Duos were much more difficult during the height of the pandemic. The concerns for the safety of each member of the duet was more important that trying to make it work. And Zoom just doesn’t cut it as a musical collaboration tool. Fortunately, even with these health considerations, there are ways to work together.

Duo Heaven

I’m confident that these upcoming duets will be rewarding. As long as I set my perfectionism on the shelf, duos are wonderful. And I experience them as more than the “sum of parts”. Meaning that the results of the duo will be greater than if each of us did a solo creative project.

My hope for both you and me is that our duos might be beautiful. May we find new and meaningful ways to collaborate and cooperate with each other.