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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Three Practical Men in the Persons of Messrs. Stetzel, Ronzheimer
and F. E. Kaeser Who Care for the Player Interests of Noted Concerns
Make Some Valuable Suggestions in Reply to Pertinent Enquiries.
It has sometimes been asserted, more in sorrow than in anger, that Public Service corporations think of
everybody but the public, and that when we pass laws to govern people's conduct we consult everybody except
those whose manner of conducting themselves is the reason for our legislation, it is safe to say that the story
of Faust told from the point of view of Mephistopheles would be distinctly illuminating, and we should undoubt-
edly get a new light on the character of Boethius, if we only had Theodoric's story. Similarly, but rather more
painfully, the player business might—nay ought—to be considered sometimes from the viewpoint of the con-
sumer. What a good thing it would be if we could only get the story as seen by paterfamilias! In a trade
newspaper, the probability is that we cannot do anything of the sort, but at least we can do the next best thing.
We can get the story from the viewpoint of the man in the trade who gets nearest, after all, to the consumer; to
wit, the tuner. Strange, it is not, that no one has thought of this simple idea before?
The gentlemen whose ideas are set forth below have been asked to answer three questions. Each is perti-
nent, and the answers thereto are in the highest degree instructive to the manufacturer and dealer. They ought to
be read, and read carefully, because they represent the convictions of practical men, of men who get close to the
meat of the matter, of men who see the home as it is and who hear the opinions of the public without frills on
them. The man who gets to the front door at 9 in the morning on a complaint job that has been postponed from
the previous day, and who is greeted by Madame in curl-papers (or is it in breakfast cap) gets an angle of view
afforded to nobody else.
These three gentlemen care for the outside player interests of three large manufacturing and retailing
houses. They speak with authority, and their views are worthy of deep attention. The following questions
have been asked them:
1. AS A TUNER, CAN YOU SUGGEST ANY DIRECTIONS IN WHICH THE PLAYER CAN BE IMPROVED, FROM YOUR POINT
OF VIEW IN A MECHANICAL WAY?
2. AS A TUNER, WHAT STRIKES YOU MOST FORCIBLY AS ILLUSTRATING T H E ATTITUDE OF THE PEOPLE IN T H E
HOME TOWARD THE PLAYER-PIANO?
3. WHAT SUGGESTIONS WOULD YOU MAKE FOR THE BETTER EDUCATION OF THE TUNER IN THE TECHNICS OF
THE PLAYER MECHANISM?
men do not, and cannot, specialize on repair-work
and, moreover, are not capable of explaining prin-
What James Stitzel, Chief Retail Player Expert for the Gable Company,
ciples ; at least, not usually. A school Is the right
Chicago, Says :
plan ; provided it be run rightly. BTiit'such a school
I am glad to answer your questions as well as 1 player-pianos. Another thing is that public taste must be run like a hospital. There must be the
can, for there are many ways in which one can
in music is steadily improving. The man who starts clinical department, in which are gathered together
the actual "cases" on which the visiting surgeon
look at them. Speaking purely from the viewpoint
in with the vaudeville stuff graduates out of it in a
of the man who has to few months and wants light classics. From them lectures to the students, and then there must be the
keep in order the player he goes to operatic selections and finally lands with operating theater in which the cases are actually
in the home, I would say the great masters. This, again, should be encour- operated on. Lastly, with this there must be the
that the three essentials aged, and I should like to see everybody follow the lecture room, in which the broad principles are laid
. of a good player are ac- good example already started by some, and furnish down. Theoretical and practica! work must go to-
cessibility, simplicity and each customer with instructive literature as to play- gether. Moreover, such a school should contain
tightness.
Accessibility ing the player and with the services from time to specimens of every make of player; and the chief
instructor should be a man who has no partiality
stands first, because the time of expert demonstrators. I fully believe that
repair man or t u n e r the public will—and do—appreciate any effort thus or bias in any direction. With such a system the
tuners could be taught rightly. But if the school
wants something he can made in their behalf, and I cannot see fhat one can
get at easily, and wants do too much for them. Such prejudice as exist; were not run on lines such as I have suggested, i^
to be able to tune the against the player is more than anything else due would do more harm than good. In such a case
James Stitzel.
piano without t a k i n g
to the bad work which people have to hear from 1 would rather teach men individually.
The factory, however, might do one thing;
everything apart. Simplicity is required because unmusical owners. Everything that is done to im-
namely, maintain a special instruction department
tea many so-called repairmen are not well trained prove this situation is good for all the trade.
Certainly tuners should be taught the,essentials for the use of the tuners from their own retail
and are liable to get mixed .up too easily. Tight-
ness is required because a leaky player is the of player mechanism. They need all the knowledge agents; in other words, for the benefit of those
they can get—and then some. Too many tuners who have a legitimate right to that particular in-
worst nuisance in the world. So when you speak
throw up their hands and surrender the moment struction. If every factory maintained such a de-
of the directions in which mechanical improvement
partment for "its own people"—so to speak—the
they see a player-piano. Others go fooling around
should be sought, I can only say that if manufac-
with much enthusiasm and much ignorance, so problem would soon be solved of itself. And if,
turers will pay more attention to the wishes of
after doing this, manufacturers saw to it that the
that they do more harm than good. Let us teach
their own experts and listen to what the practical
retailers' men actually did come and get the in-
them by all means. But I do not: think the factory
men say we shall soon have all players better in
is the right place for that sort of work. Factory struction, it would be better still.
these vitally important respects.
As for the public, you can take it from me that
The Views of Wm. H. Ronzheimer, Head Tuner and Player Repairman for
their respect for the player is continually on the
the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., Chicago.
increase. I see examples of this all the time.
People are getting so that they really want to
I agree with you that the tuner is generally the the mechanical point of view and as a tuner, the
know how to play their players well, and they are
only too glad in most cases to listen to what t 1 e last man to be consulted when it comes to opinions one most needed improvement in piano players gen-
expert has to say. I believe that this should be about the player. And yet the tuner knows as erally is greater accessibility. Every player ought
encouraged and that the retailers should give the much as anybody, because he sees things under to be built so that it can be tuned without re :
(Continued on pggc 7.)
home conditions. I should say that, speaking from
most systematic sort of service to all owners of