String Duet Competition: What It Is, Where It's Run and How It's Judged

Two string players, such as two violinists or a violin and a cello, perform one piece together and are judged as a pair on intonation, balance and shared phrasing.

A string duet class puts two players of bowed instruments on the stage together. The usual pairings are two violins, violin and viola, violin and cello or two cellos, and the music is written as a true duet, with each part carrying real material rather than one player simply accompanying the other. The adjudicator should hear one piece performed by two musicians who breathe together, not two soloists who start at the same moment.

A round is short. The pair is called in, tunes quickly to each other, settles and plays the piece, from the music or from memory depending on the event rules. The adjudicator listens first for intonation between the two instruments, because small differences in pitch are very audible when two strings play in thirds or sixths. After that come matching bow strokes, shared dynamics and clean entries after rests.

On paper an entry is one duet that fits the time limit for the age band. Good choices let both players lead in turn: a part that only repeats an accompaniment figure wastes half the pair. Many entrants are two pupils of the same teacher, siblings or friends from a school orchestra, and organisers like the class because it teaches listening skills that a solo class cannot.

On the eTalenter template listed here String Duet is a team entry, open to boys and girls together, with six age bands from 7 and under to 18 and under. The limit is 4 minutes for the three youngest bands, 5 minutes for 13 and under, 6 minutes for 15 and under and 8 minutes for 18 and under, and every round is marked out of 100. The syllabus behind that template prints its duet ceilings from 11 and under upwards, so check your own event rules before copying the two youngest bands.

Where String Duet is run

String Duet appears on one eTalenter template, a British music, speech and drama eisteddfod, where it sits in the instrumental section beside the solo string classes. Duet classes for strings and other instruments are common at competitive music festivals, but this page records only the template listed here.

• United Kingdom

Key facts

• Team entry of two players, open to boys and girls together
• Six age bands on the British template, from 7 and under up to 18 and under
• Time limit is 4 minutes for the three youngest bands, 5 for 13 and under, 6 for 15 and under and 8 for 18 and under
• Marked out of 100; the template prints no separate criteria
• The syllabus does not allow an entrant to enter the same class twice, so each pair needs two different players
• Pieces need not come from an exam list on that template

On eTalenter, String Duet is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, String Duet is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 4–8 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in String Duet

What a String Duet panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Intonation between the two instruments: unisons, thirds and sixths are tuned to each other, not just to a tuner
• Ensemble balance: neither part covers the other, and the lead passes cleanly between the players
• Togetherness: bows start, change and lift together, and entries after rests are exact
• Tone and bow control: matching articulation and bow speed make the two instruments blend
• Dynamics and phrasing: the shape of each line is agreed in rehearsal and sounds like one musical idea
• Technical security and stagecraft: the piece suits both players, and tuning, seating and leaving the stage are calm and tidy

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for String Duet under Scoring Setup, or start from how judge scoring and tabulation works in eTalenter.

How to prepare for String Duet

How entrants and their teachers usually get String Duet right on the day:

• Choose a duet that gives both players interesting music and suits the weaker player technically
• Practise each part alone with a metronome, then slowly together, so rehearsal time goes on listening
• Tune to each other, not just to a tuner, before the first note and again after any long rest if the room is warm
• Agree who gives the entry nod, where the breaths fall and how to signal a slowing down or a final chord
• Mark bowings in both parts so the bow strokes match, especially at phrase endings
• Record a rehearsal and listen for balance, since players rarely hear which part is too loud
• Time the piece against the limit for your age band and cut repeats if it runs over

Frequently asked questions

Is String Duet judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What is a string duet class in a music festival?

It is a class where two players of bowed string instruments perform one piece together and are judged as a pair on intonation, balance and shared phrasing as well as individual technique.

How long is a string duet in competition?

It depends on the event. On the British eisteddfod template listed here the limit is 4 minutes for the three youngest age bands, 5 minutes for 13 and under, 6 minutes for 15 and under and 8 minutes for 18 and under.

Can two different string instruments enter together?

Many festivals allow any pairing of string instruments, such as violin and cello, but check your own syllabus because rules differ by event.

Can I play from the music?

Rules differ by event. Many festivals allow the music on the stand for instrumental classes, so check your syllabus before deciding to play from memory.

Want the full judging picture? Read how judge scoring and tabulation works in eTalenter, or browse every music competition item.

Try String Duet in eTalenter

See every ready-made template that runs String Duet, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.

See where String Duet is used