ɪnðə kˈɑːntɛsts, ˈɔfən wˈʌn pˈiənɪst bɪɡˈæn ɐ tˈuːn; ðˈɛn ˈʌðɚz tˈʊk tˈɜːnz "kˈʌɾɪŋ ˈɪn", ˌɪntɹədˈuːsɪŋ ɪŋkɹˈiːsɪŋli mˈoːɹ kˈɑːmplɛks aɪdˈiəz, tʃˈeɪndʒɪŋ ðə kˈiː ænd slˈæʃ ɔːɹ tˈɛmpoʊ, ænd ˈʌðɚwˌaɪz tɹˈaɪɪŋ tʊ aʊtplˈeɪ ænd ˈaʊtstˈaɪl ðə pɹˈiːviəs mjuːzˈɪʃən ˈɛs.
In the contests, often one pianist began a tune; then others took turns "cutting in", introducing increasingly more complex ideas, changing the key and/or tempo, and otherwise trying to outplay and out-style the previous musician(s).