Live Duelling Pianos Shows for wedding band entertainment, corporate events, private parties and more! Serving London, Surrey, Berkshire, the Home Counties and abroad. New Orleans, during the height of ragtime in the 1890s, was the birthplace of duelling pianos. Two piano players, back to back, played fast and loose and the crowd was asked to judge who was the best. It was so popular that it soon spread to major cities across America like New York, Chicago and Las Vegas.