Music has a way of bringing people together. It’s a universal language that gives us the ability to express ourselves without words. Love, anger, frustration, contentment, and passion are just a few of the emotions that we have come to associate with famous instrumental pieces. Sometimes, words are unnecessary and only get in the way. So it is fortunate that one can have an entire conversation with someone simply by playing an instrument together. Join me in listening in on some of the best conversations out there that can only be achieved through piano duets.
“If music be the food of love, play on.” – Shakespeare
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Love at Your Fingertips – A List of Piano Duets in Film & TV
(In no particular order)
#1: Ye Xiang Lun & Lu Xiao Yu – A Playful Duet
Film (Taiwan): Secret (2007)
Music: Four Hands Duet – Jay Chou
This glorious scene will have you smiling throughout. Written, directed, composed and acted in by Jay Chou, this Taiwanese masterpiece has no shortage of musical talent.
Watch this scene here.
#2: Victor & The Bride – A Reconciliation
Film: Corpse Bride (2005)
Music: The Piano Duet – Danny Elfman
When words fail to do the trick, trust music to help you breeze past that nasty argument. Evidently, it works just as well on the dead as on the living.
Watch this scene here.
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#3 & #4: Chiaki & Nodame – That First Spark of Something Special
J-Drama: Nodame Cantabile (2006)
Music: Sonata for 2 Pianos in D major – Mozart & Piano Concerto No. 2 – Rachmaninoff
Falling in love can be a gradual process, a large part of which is the appreciation and respect of the other person’s talent and potential. That is the case for Nodame and Chiaki: Magic happens whenever they play the piano together. They enter a world of their own and people around them blink out of existence for that moment in time.
Watch the piano duets here: 1st Duet and 2nd Duet
#5: Ron & Hermione – Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You
Film: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Music: Für Elise – Beethoven
Watch a love-struck, adorable Ron get hypnotized by the mere presence of Hermione in this short and sweet scene.
Watch this scene here.
#6: Kurosaki & Yu – The Baring of One’s Soul
Film (Japan): I’m Not Just Going To Do What Kurosaki-kun Says / Kurosaki-kun no linari ni nante naranai (2016)
Music: Gymnopédie No.1 – Erik Satie
For people who have difficulties expressing themselves through words or whose words are often misunderstood, playing an instrument is the best way of showing one’s true emotions.
I could not find a clip of this scene, but you can get this popular teen romantic dramedy on DVD.
#7: Hong Seol & Baek In-ho – Rediscovering the Fun of Playing the Piano
K-Drama: Cheese in the Trap (2016)
Music: Je Te Veux – Erik Satie & Chopsticks
Friends can also find playing the piano together an excellent emotional outlet. It’s an art that can be enjoyed by all.
Watch this scene here.
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#8: Yoon Yoo-seul & Jung Cha-sik – An Expression of Joy
K-Drama Special: Page Turner (2016)
Music: Ode to Joy – Beethoven, Chopsticks
This scene is truly an Ode to Joy, life, love, and friendship. Setting aside some time to play for fun is very important, as we find out here. It helps breathe life back into the craft and one’s everyday life.
Watch the trailer for this drama here.
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#9: Charles & India – A Suspicious Seduction
Film: Stoker (2013)
Music: Duet – Philip Glass
A piano duet can also be full of mistrust and suspicion just like a normal conversation between two people. In the right (or perhaps wrong?) hands, playing an instrument can be used as a tool of seduction with great effectiveness.
Watch this scene here.
#10: Nathan & Rebecca – Math and Music
Film: A Brilliant Young Mind (2014)
Music: Ave Maria – Bach/ Gounod
“Beautiful sounds are about frequency ratios. All music is Math, really.”
Nathan has always struggled to understand people and connect with them. The language he speaks is the language of numbers and formulas, so these words are the perfect introduction to the beautiful world of music for him.
Watch this scene here.
Now that you have had a chance to explore these scenes, do you have a personal favourite? Can you think of any piano duets that I missed? Share your thoughts with the Silver Petticoat team and fellow readers below!
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N.B. Correction: “Maria Wasikowska” should actually be “Mia Wasikowska”.
One of the episodes of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries have Phryne and Jack playing piano and singing together. Also, I know it’s not a duet scene, but one of my favorite romantic scenes in any movie is in The Holiday when Jack Black’s character plays the melody he wrote for Kate Winslet’s character. It makes me swoon every time!
“Let’s misbehave…” I love that scene! You’re right, it’s not a piano duet, but I’m having a hard time thinking of what to call it too. Maybe something along the lines of … singing with accompaniment? I don’t know if you’ve watched “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” yet, but there are quite a few of those scenes there and the feel is similar to Miss Fisher albeit without the crime fighting.
I love Miss Pettigrew!