Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1916 Vol. 63 N. 27

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
9
An Opportunity and an Excuse to Get Away from Tradition in the Arrange-
ment of the Tracker-Box and Parts on Player-Pianos Offered by the
Development of the Word-Roll—Possibilities of a New Vertical Position
Because a thing is traditional it is not neces-
sarily good. Truly, in the world of historical
research, it is often found that "tradition has an
awkward way of turning out to be true"; but in
the world of mechanics what is traditional is
quite as often what is decidedly not true. We
are everlastingly doing things in a certain way
because some one else did them that way. The
repetitions grow in number till a vested interest
has arrived; and the would-be-pioneer is gravely
informed that to lay hands on the sacred idol is
an impiety that will surely be punished by the
great twin gods, Apathy and Self-Satisfaction.
The new song roll, for instance, is particu-
larly interesting because of what it suggests
rather than for any other reason. It does sug-
gest the idea of operating the music roll more
sanely. For instance, suppose that the tracker-
bar were turned up on edge vertically with the
take up spool to its left also vertical and the
music-roll chucks to its right. In short, im-
agine the present spool box taken off, given
half a turn to the right and then set down again.
Now, arrange the transmission gear accordingly
and you have an arrangement whereby the
tracker-bar stands vertical with its bass perfora-
tions towards the top and those of the
treble towards the bottom. If the roll passes
over this from right to left, the eye will natural-
ly take any words as they come along, and if
it is desired to read ahead, the reading will be
done naturally from left to right. Moreover
with such a scheme as this, why could not a
roll be made up with the staff of musical nota-
tion engraved or stencilled over the perfora-
tions so that each one could be read right off
exactly like music? There would be some slight
technical peculiarities, due to the impossibility
of writing in key-signatures, as the position
of a perforation is fixed, whether it is A flat or
G sharp. But this could be obviated by omitting
the key-signatures and treating the staff chro-
matically, as containing twelve semi-tones to
the octave. A six-line staff for treble and a
six-line staff for bass, with auxiliary lines to
join the two would take care of three octaves
nicely, and the remainder would be above and
below the staff.
There are in fact several old patents on this
general idea, ( most of which however are now
expired. The idea has never been put to prac-
tical use, but educationally it would be a wonder-
ful improvement over all methods of teaching-
music yet devised and might in time lead to
the supplementing of the present hash of mus-
ical notation by a simple equal temperament
system; thus putting the theory of music on
the same basis with its practice.
That the method hitherto adopted, of a trans-
verse horizontal tracker-bar crossed by a down-
wardly winding roll, is purely traditional, may
be seen at once in comparing the earliest illus-
trations of self-playing organs, with those of
the most modern player-pianos. In the early
reed-organ players, such as those of MacTam-
many, and in the later organs of the Aeolian
Co., Wilcox & White and Melville Clark, the
tracker-bar was settled in its horizontal position
above the keys, mainly because that was the
most convenient place to put it and the most
convenient position in that place. The question
of whether it were best for the musician was
never considered. Having once been found con-
venient, the horizontal position was continued,
and nothing more was thought of it.
About the Horizontal Tracker-Bar
Nevertheless, upon examination it will be
observed that to put the tracker-bar parallel
instead of perpendicular to the line of the key-
board is a very serious technical error. The
music-roll, whatever may have been said of it at
an earlier date, is now universally recognized as
a form of written musical notation. The hand-
played roll—not to mention the complete repro-
ducing sheet with entire automatic expression—
may be regarded as beyond this pale; but the
fact remains that the mass of music-rolls are still
the straight-cut and that the great libraries of
standard music already arranged and published
are entirely of this latter type; straight-cut rolls
which are in effect .written music.
Now, the horizontal tracker-bar has grave
technical disadvantages. In the first place it
upsets the customary method of reading music,
where the bass notes are below and the treble
notes above in regular succession. In the second
place it gains nothing important by doing this,
from the mechanical point of view. The point is
that if the roll were made to travel from right to
left vertically, and if a sheet of etched glass were
laid over or in front of it, the notation of the
musical stave, reduced to a chromatic basis with
two six-line divisions, could be used perfectly to
render the roll readable, and readable in the nat-
ural way. It would be much easier to note the
crossing of the perforations over the tracker-bar
and easier to put an indicating line on the glass
to show the division of the expression devices.
It would render the roll real music, it would
entirely do away with the objection made by
musicians to the roll, by rendering it possible to
use it in connection with regular sheet-music.
And one could read it without trouble.
The musical advantages of such a reform
being so obvious, it remains to be seen whether
there are any technical reasons really important
enough for discussion, which might be urged
against its adoption.
The only really important objection, it would
seem, would have to do with the gearing be-
twen spools and motor. It would be necessary,
if the motor were left in its present position, to
have an additional gear wheel between the motor
and the driving pinion of the spool.
This
would not in itself be very serious, surely.
Arranging for Automatic Tracking
There is of course the further objection that
the automatic tracking arrangement would be
unusable in its present condition because of the
weight of the music-roll, when resting on the
lower chucks. In this case, it would be neces-
sary, no doubt, to work the automatic tracking
device directly on the tracker-bar itself—which
is already done by some—or to abandon it
altogether in favor of a manual control of the
movement of the tracker-bar, which is fast
becoming a general practice.
(Continued on page 10)
tntub?
Wishes You
A Happy and Most Prosperous New Year
AND
Assures Dealers of a Confident Belief That
THE YEAR 1917 WILL EXCEL THE WON-
DERFUL STRAUBE RECORDS OF 1916
Your participation in the profits of the coming year is invited
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
H>
PNEUMATICS
(Continued from
IMPROVED VALVE=CHEST
NEW SHEET=ADJUSTING DEVICE
9)
Patent Recently Granted on Compact Ar- Means for Securing Accurate Tracking of Music
Rolls Provided in Recent Patent
rangement for Player-Piano Pneumatics
Space would not enter into the discussion at
all, for the spool-box is so nearly a square that
WASHINGTON, 1). C, December 27.— Patent No.
WASHINGTON, I). C, December 26.—The Na-
little difference would be made whether it were
set up on edge or left where it is. Precisely sim- tional Pneumatic Action Co., Inc., New York, 1,208,840 was granted last week to Marie Sam-
ilar criticism may be made in answer to the are the owners through assignment by Ernest pere Pausas, New York, for a sheet-adjusting
possible objection that the rubber or metal tub- G. Anderson, Westfield, N. J., of Patent No. apparatus which has been assigned to the A. C.
ing could not be rightly housed on a vertical 1,208,723 for an automatic musical instrument Cheney Piano Co., piano manufacturers of Cas-
tracker-bar. The answer is of course that there which pertains to player-pianos, and resides tleton, N. Y.
more particularly (1) in a novel •organization
The apparatus consists of a pneumatic, a spool
would be no difference at all.
and arrangement of the valve-chest, pneumatics, bearing, a spool and sheet thereupon, a cam
The Technical Points Involved
One does not underestimate the technical conduits and co-acting parts of a player-piano operatively connected between the bar and said
points involved in carrying a live as well as a whereby a simplified, compact and highly ef- pneumatic, a tracker over which said sheet
dead weight on the music-roll chucks. With ficient instrument capable of ready application passes, and connections between said bearing
the horizontal tracker the roll rests, of course, to a piano case is produced, and (2) in a spe- and said pneumatic and parallel with said spool
evenly between the two chucks, which bear its cial construction of the valve features of the which are adapted to shift parallel with said
weight between them equally with the position valve-chest whereby the bridges and wires com- spool and adjust said bearing when said pneu-
changed. The roll will rest its weight upon the monly used for guiding the valves are dispensed matic is operated, said spool provided with re-
lower chuck, which of course must be designed with, a uniform throw of the valves is assured silient means to oppose longitudinal movement
to take the thrust without developing friction and the construction of this part of player- and said connection provided at one end with
or a tendency to jam. The same statement may pianos is, as a whole, simplified and rendered means adapted to be operated upon by said
be made in reference to the take-up spool, which uniformly efficient by reason of the special fea- cam actuated by the pneumatic referred to in
tlie foregoing description.
is itself quite heavy and must be made to rotate tures which the patent contains.
without friction on a bearing which carries its
entire downward thrust.
These technical objections are worth consid-
eration, but they are not insuperable. To con-
sider them is well, but we need not consider
them as vastly important, for this they are not.
The only question remaining is as to whether
direct advantage could be had from changing
the position of the tracker-bar and spool-box.
We answer in the affirmative. The musical
advantage outweighs all others. It is not a ques-
During the year now closing the record previously
tion of what we should like to do but of what we
ought to do. The music-roll must sooner or
achieved by us in the production of player-pianos was
later either be thrown on the dust-heap or ele-
altogether shattered.
vated to its rightful place as a real type of
music-record. The player piano, not alone
The increase in production has been not only the normal
by the technical improvement of its own
mechanism, but by the musical labors of such
increase of the year but an absolute increase due to more
pioneers as Edward Schaaf, is being developed
nearly universal recognition of the peculiar merits of the
as a musical instrument of tremendous and
wonderful
unique power. Up to the present time, player
men have spared neither time nor labor in devel-
oping the other parts of the instrument, but they
have apparently thought that the tracker-bar
might rest very comfortably where it had been
put. Such an attitude is not right. . It is not
conservatism, but foolishness. It indicates too
self-complacent a state of mind. And we have
little reason in this industry to be self-
complacent.
' The Player Whose Record Has Never Been Equalled *
We venture to urge this small matter upon
the attention of the technical engineers of the
These merits are all of the class that appeals to the purchaser,
player industry, in the hope that they will
makes sales easy for the dealer and satisfies the user permanently.
recognize our desire to promote intelligent
Some of them are described herewith:
thought along lines less considered than they
should be. Whatever assists the player-piano
to take its rightful place as a great and unique
The Piano Part of the Instrument
The Pumping is Much
Lighter
musical instrument of unparalleled power for
is the Famous Satisfying Schulz
than in any other. Hence, women
good, should be carefully considered, not con-
which means that a quarter-century
like it and their usual opposition to
temptuously thrown aside as impracticable until
of good making and selling to 120,000
players disappears in view of it.
its merits have been duly and with an open
satisfied owners backs it up.
mind canvassed. There is traditionalism in the
The Aclion is Permanently Air-
experimental rooms as well as in the warerooms
The Mechanism is Virtually Fool-
Tight which means reliability, dura-
and it is not well for technical men to cling too
Proof, thus reducing your main-
bility and no complaints.
fast to tradition; for tradition has also "an awk-
tainenance to nominal figures.
ward way" of letting one down; in mechanics if
The P r i c e s are Moderate, both
The Guarantee is Unreserved and
not in history.
1916:—A Great Player
Year Ended
M. Schulz Company
Player-Piano
PATENT FOR PLAYER=PIANOS
wholesale and retail; and satisfy both
customer and dealer.
the prospect has no mental reserva-
tions as to durability.
Granted on Device for Controlling the Accent
Through Pressure on the Pedals
You owe it to yourself, Mr. Dealer, to get acquainted, during
1917, with the Iivest thing in the player-piano industry
WASHINGTON, D. C, December 26.—The Kroeger
Piano Co., Stamford, Conn., are the owners
through assignment by George H. Parsons, same
place, of Patent No. 1,209,199 for an accenting
device for player-pianos, which will enable the
performer to place any desired accent upon any
note or notes by means of the pedals. In other
words the.player produces the required accent
by regulating the degree and quickness of the
pressure of the feet on the pedals.
Ask Us to Send You Our FREE Player Book
It is a Great Little Information Giver
Francis A. Blackmer has opened a piano store
on Highland avenue, Somerville, Mass.
M. SCHULZ COMPANY
OTTO SCHULZ, Pre.ident
3 FACTORIES IN CHICAGO
General Offices
711 Milwaukee Avenue
CHICAGO
Southern Wholesale Branch
730 Candler Bldg.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA

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