Power duo is a name sometimes given to two-piece rock

Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

 bands consisting of just an electric guitar

Electric guitar

An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

ist and a drummer

Drum kit

A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

, particularly those who follow a similar blues rock style to a traditional power trio

Power trio

A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...

, for example the White Stripes

The White Stripes

The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...

, the Black Keys

The Black Keys

The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....

, and originally the Flat Duo Jets

Flat Duo Jets

Flat Duo Jets was a rockabilly band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia. They were a major influence on several bands of the 1990s and 2000s, including The White Stripes. In interviews, Jack White has often acknowledged Dexter Romweber's influence...

.

A power duo can be described as "a power trio without the bassist

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

". This can be overcome by the use of octave dividers and pitch shifters, as Jack White

Jack White (musician)

Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...

 of The White Stripes

The White Stripes

The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...

 and Joe Ziemba of The Like Young

The Like Young

The Like Young were an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois.The Like Young were Amanda and Joe Ziemba, married in 2002 and playing music together in various bands since 1997 . The couple formed the band in the spring of 2002 and went on to release their first album, a five-track EP entitled...

 have done. However, most of these effects are monophonic and will not work on chords, limiting their usefulness in live situations; Scott Lucas

Scott Lucas

Scott Lucas is the name of:*Scott W. Lucas , U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader from Illinois*Scott Lucas , Australian footballer*Scott Lucas , founding member of Local H...

 of Local H

Local H

Local H is an American rock duo, formed by Joe Daniels and Scott Lucas in Zion, Illinois in 1987. Local H's 1996 album, As Good as Dead, includes the top 10 hit "Bound for the Floor" Author, rock critic and Rolling Stone contributor Greg Kot and the Chicago Tribune named the band its 2008 Chicago...

 created a workaround by installing one half of a split bass pickup under the lower strings of his guitar and running the signal from it to an octave pedal and a bass amplifier, creating the illusion of a bass player while maintaining a full guitar sound. Yet another means is to split the guitar signal between multiple guitar amps (generally one for clean and another for effects), and a bass amp; Japandroids

Japandroids

Japandroids is a Canadian rock duo from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group consists of Brian King and David Prowse . Formed in 2006, Japandroids rose to prominence in 2009 following the release of their debut album Post-Nothing...

 and No Age

No Age

No Age is a two-person American indie rock group consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles and is currently signed to Sub Pop records...

 follow this approach. Rarer is the use of synthesizer

Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

 technology to fill in the gaps; examples include Wye Oak

Wye Oak

The Wye Oak was the honorary state tree of Maryland, and the largest white oak tree in the United States. Located in the town of Wye Mills, Talbot County, Maryland, the Wye Oak was believed to be over 460 years old at the time of its destruction during a severe thunderstorm on June 6, 2002, and...

 and Giant Drag

Giant Drag

Giant Drag is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formerly a duo, the band was founded in 2003 by Annie Hardy who continues to be the band's sole singer and songwriter....

, whose drummers simultaneously play synth.

A power duo is not limited to the guitar/drums format; Death From Above 1979

Death from Above 1979

Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...

were an example of a bass/drums power duo, also employing synth.