Introduction

            Arthur Smith’s Dueling Banjos “musical inspiration” for this piece “was the Bluegrass sound of Appalachia” (Dueling Banjos by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell Songfacts). Dueling Banjos is “a musical piece which emphasizes conflict and confrontation” as the two instruments in the piece, a guitar and banjo, challenge each other throughout the piece (Rosenberg).

            Johann Sebastian Bach’s Invention No. 8 is a classical piece that was originally composed for “the musical education of [Bach’s] young pupils” (The Inventions and Sinfonias). This exercise written in F major showcases the ability of a pianist to maintain two separate melodies that mirror one another. Bach achieves this by using motifs “for development and elaboration” of the piece (Sherman).