You are the partner in this duet.
You have played longer then I have; you have the ability that comes from years of practice and experience. I am new, but I have raw talent for the shaping, and a sense for the music.
When we both pick up our instruments, you ask me to count off, and I look to you to make sure the tempo is right before I start. You know the gesture I use the beat before, and we come in together.
Sometimes one of us goes too quickly or slows down, but the other will be consistent there, to reign the other in or tug them ahead. I'll adjust to your pitch, you'll lead the volume, and we'll both follow the flow of the music.
Harmony or melody, we both love what we play. The beauty of song soars in both of us; we acknowledge the skill of our partner, and our own skill, but for the moment only the notes on the page and the sound of beautiful notes vibrating through the instrument matter. The melody shifts between us, each changing it slightly but always a form of the original. And the harmony supports whoever plays the melody, blending and caressing and complimenting the theme, making something good by itself become something wonderful, something alive.
Together, you and I play a duet. It is an old song, with a theme even older; it is a variation on music that many people scorn, but that even the best are lulled by. Together, we play a duet, and it is called Love.
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