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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
T H E P O I N T OF VIEW—(Continued from page 5).
mobile a man stepped up to the salesman and said
that he was the owner of a 1910 model of this car,
which had never been satisfactory. The salesman
said he would get the manager, who happened to
be there. The manager was told by this owner
that his automobile had never been satisfactory and,
although he had had it three years—three years of
dissatisfaction, mind you—he thought it ought to
be made right. The manager suggested that he
make an exchange for a new car. This seemed to
please the complaining owner until he asked upon
what basis. When he heard that his allowance
would be something less than 25 per cent, of what
he had paid, he was at first, remembering his three
years of dissatisfaction, by no means disposed to
make the deal. He argued a good deal and talked
about the injustice of the deal; yet, in spite of all
this, he finally bought the new car. That's what I
call forbearance. Now suppose this man had
owned a player-piano in similar circumstances. I
doubt whether the dealer who had sold him would
ever have had the chance even to talk to him; yet
that dealer would probably have spent many dol-
lars in trying to please this man during those three
years. Had the automobile dealer or manufac-
turer spent any money on the above dissatisfied
owner? No! That was the burden of his com-
plaint, in fact; that he had not had any attention
nor any help.
Why will a man buy a new automobile, and then
if he thinks it is not right buy a number of dif-
fi r• "' (•• 1 v>u:"i''.crs in an endeavor to improve it?
That's the way some carburetor companies get their
business. This owner doesn't condemn the whole
car if one part be faulty. But did you ever hear
of the owner of a player-piano, whose motor per-
haps was sticking, trying a new motor of his own
volition? No! He condemns the whole outfit, and
if you should talk to him he would tell you all
about how poor it is from the castors up.
And that reminds me of another curious thing.
I have known owners of automobiles who have
had trouble with nearly every element in their
car; whose expense for up-keep has been heavy;
who have been offended by inattention on the part
of the dealer, and yet who, in some sort of pride,
which I don't understand, will lie about their car
and tell their friends (even though some may be
intending purchasers) that it is all that it ought to
be, and more. They are so afraid of being known
as owning a car that is not right or so afraid of
admitting a poor purchase, that their pride causes
the pendulum to swing to the other side, and they
talk in favor of their car as much as they really
should talk against it. The lying automobile owner
is a species well understood and not at all rare.
Vet I have never heard of a man lying in favor
of his player-piano.
The modern automobile, with all of its acces-
sories, is an extremely complicated mechanism with
many parts. The modern player-piano, judged
from the same standard, having more parts than
an automobile, should be a more complicated
mechanism: yet, the very fact that the player-piano
gives much less trouble indicates its greater per-
fection ; whereas, its apparent greater complexity
should cause it to be considered less 'reliable.
So I come back to the original text: Why is it
that the owner of a player-piano is intolerant?
The answer is that the fault lies mostly within our
own trade—in the agreeable attitude of the manu-
facturer and his willingness to do anything to
satisfy his trade, and in the attitude of some deal-
ers who always seem to say: "God forgive me
for selling you a player." The time has come
to dwell and insist upon the reliability of player-
pianos, in spite of their apparent complexity.
Frequently people complain about their players,
but when you ask them what the trouble is they
will say they don't know because they play them
very little. After the matter is sifted it often hap-
pens that the customer brags about not having
played his player for two or three years. His
reasoning is that if he hasn't played it for two or
three years, it has had less wear and should be in
good condition, whereas the fact is that the most
harmful thing is to have a player remain idle.
The Views of Harold A. Hirsh, of Chicago, on the Hand Played or Record
Music Roll as "The Last Word"
as some say, is not intended to interfere with the
interpretation of the artist, I answer that the per-
former is perfectly justified in wanting a personal
interpretation and that anything which makes this
difficult for him is simply an obstacle in the way
of the right expansion of the player trade. The
player-piano must be recognized as a legitimate
musical instrument, and this cannot be unless it is
an instrument which permits, nay encourages, per-
sonal interpretation.
I cheerfully allow that, at first sight, or hearing,
the record roll is an attractive proposition, and very
likely may often assist the dealer to make sales.
So far, so good. I have no objection whatever to
this. But when it comes to saying that this same
roll, because it enables the novice to play better
than he could otherwise, is therefore the last word,
I beg to think differently. The novice is to be-
come the expert in course of time; or at least that
is the hope of every intelligent novice. When he
has become at all expert he will want his own in-
terpretations.
It will further be said that, granting all the above
to be perfectly true, the record roll enables one to
get effects which are not possible otherwise. To
this I reply that the only possible effects that can be
had exclusively with the record roll are effects en-
tirely due to the limitations of the human hand. If
it be right to perpetuate these, well and good; but
is it?
The record roll gives effects peculiar to hand
playing, but it has not yet been proved that hand
playing is better than pneumatic playing when ar-
tists of equal ability are engaged in each. The
Harold A. Hirsh.
assumption that hand playing is necessarily better
that this great advantage, which is admitted, is set is an assumption resting solely on the fact that
off against other features not less disadvantageous, hand playing is at present usual and the other at
in my opinion anyhow.
present not quite so usual. Once get artists at
For one thing, the record roll is always strikingly work on the player and we shall see vastly dif-
individual. Whether through self-consciousness, or
ferent results.
through the desire to become known as a dis-
The cry for the hand-played roll would be less
tinctly individual personality, the artist usually vehement if people really respected the player. If
contrives to make an interpretation in which his the dealer took a more intelligent attitude, insisted
own peculiarities are exaggerated. The moment, on better demonstration and studied the player he
therefore, that the player-pianist, endeavoring to would have little cause to cry after every novelty
free himself from the monotony of a fixed inter- that comes down the road. I am no enemy of the
pretation, begins to vary the tempo, the rhythm of
hand-played roll. I recognize its value as a record
the whole piece is sure to seem broken and the of interpretation and as an educator in musical
general effect quite bad.
taste. But it is not, in my opinion, by any means
If it is argued that the performer, or operator, the last word.
Your question is interesting, particularly because
it is not usually answered in the manner I feel
bound to adopt. For, to be perfectly candid, I am
not one of those who believe that the hand-played
roll is a perfect solution of all the difficulties in
the player trade, or even of all the difficulties that
surround the playing of music through the medium
of the player-piano. Let us examine the facts.
The record or hand-played roll is the reproduc-
tion of the playing of some pianist, and conse-
quently is a photograph, as it were, of his interpre-
tation. Naturally, therefore, it reproduces, as the
\ery least, a musicianly phrasing, and if the artist
carefully edits it, adding the necessary dynamic in-
dications, the player-pianist gets a good reproduc-
tion of one man's interpretation of a piece as it
was at one given time. But it is to be observed
THE
ONE
SU
WAY
f and the
Quick Way
to cure silent notes caused
by clogged airways, bleed-
holes, etc., is "Kure Silent
Notes,"
t h e patented
tracker pump that gives a
perfect air-tight connec-
tion against the face of
the tracker bar and liter-
ally sucks the dirt out—
does not blow it in. Can
be used by anyone on any
player, saves a lot of the
repairman's t i m e a n d
lungs and will sell itself
to the player owner at a
good profit.
Does Not Require the Removal of a Screw,
Panel or Part.
Every dealer, tuner and owner owes it
to himself to own a "Kure Silent Notes."
It is just as essential to the player piano
as an oil can is to the sewing machine.
SMITH
Large size, Mahogany
finish, nickel-plated
m o u t h p i e c e and
metal binding . . . $2.50
Smaller model, fin-
i s h e d in b l a c k
enamel
$1.00
Sent prepaid anywhere
on receipt of check, money
order or stamps.
Send $3.00 and we will
send one of each kind to
introduce.
& K I D D . 335 Plymouth Ct., CHICAGO