Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
PLAYER SEGTON
NEW
-«flV-
YORK, MARCH 31, 1917
=fflJTQB?^Bf5fl?f3K?^Bf5iB?151if?a^
The Foot-Driven Player and IfS-PoWer-Driven Rival—Two Widely Divergent
Views on the Future of the Player, Which Sum Up the Principal Points in the
Discussion as to Which Type of Instrument Will Eventually Be Supreme
ested in learnings to play the player well, and
" T h e r e is, of course, a big field for the high-
What are we going to do about the foot-
in cultivating music through it. T h e attempt
class electric of the reproducing kind. T h e peo-
driven player-piano? Are we going to lose in-
ple who have culture and can appreciate the
was a failure all around and the player-piano
terest in it? Are we going to conclude that its
best in music ought to have the finest there is;
day is done? Or if not, what relation is it to
never has been well played by the people and
and so far as I can see they are likely to get
bear to its newer and now so prominent rival,
never will be satisfactory to them as long as
it. T h e r e will be no trouble in selling as many
the power-driven player?
they have to work it themselves.
" I t would be different if t h e majority of our . tQl trie fine reproducing players as can be turfl£d_^
These are not questions concerning which one
out by manufacturers.
people were musical.
Buf everybody knows
should adopt a dogmatic attitude.
It is quite
"But I think that the moderate-priced elec-
easy to take snap judgments in such matters,
they are not- They like music, but they want
t r k is, at least, equally important, and I be-
but snap judgments are worth simply nothing. to have some one play and « h ^ f o r them. T h e y
1 ^ P that the future of the player business rests
We need careful discussion and clear under-
don't want to*4«
Of course, I
largely with it." •
standing. For if one thing is more certain than
do not*mean thaj; no one wants to play the piano
another, it is that the player business is ap-
or the violin, 3 | | t o sing. T h e r e are thousands
proaching an important and possibly critical
of teachers of my^ic and tens of t h o u i S i d s of
epoch in its career.
students; .but these all together make up only
By a Manufacturer
The importance of the questions at issue be-
a very small proportion of the whole people.
"Ever since the electric player, so-called, came
tween the foot-power and the electric-power
T h e mass of the people are not interested in the
out, we have been watching its progress to see
players does not depend upon any appar
kind of music they have to make by themselves.
what would become of it, and what effect it
citement throughout the trade.
Despif
uic
That is m y point.
was to have on the trade. So far, I cannot see
4
cgj|^eded merits of various types of r e p r c "
"Now, when we can come to the people, with
that the straight player business has been at
pianos, there is no evidence that the trade is
a player-piano that they can play by the mere all hurt; wliile I do think that the whole player
<\fRr"^*'
dvisability of throwing the foot-
turning of a switch, we. have something that can
business has been benefited.
T h e r e are two
-
"
^i board. But there is much evi- be called popularr^M^at'-p'^ople these days are
ways of viewing the proposition, and both are
iig to show that retailers are confused
in touch with ele&tr. • .. ,-tnt, and virtually all
important. I n the first place, you have got to
rival claims and are uncertain as to the of them in the citie*? aje fixed so that they can
consider th.at the player-piano has been in ex-
-
arse they should pursue in the immediate fu-
use an electric player if they hav
:ie. If we
istence now for something like twenty years in
ture.
can give them an electric self-pla>iiig piano that
one form or anothe», and has worked itself up
i
The Review believes that the pla-"-
~ade
will rattle off the latest stuff without any bother,
to a point where more than one-third of the
must take its normal course of developn
at
then we can catch many thousands who will not
annual output of pianos is equipped with the
it cannot be forced into any unnatural
^
bite half so readily at some instrument they
player action. During all this time, the demand
without disaster, and that it remains for those
have to pump and work a t ; especially as t h e i|as been for improvements of all kinds, but I
who are capable of forming good judgtfTents to
not yet discovered any special demand for
hand-played roll and the expression control of.
decide for themselves what direction they h a d " the electric make a pretty good musical result f fubstitute for the treadles. Of course, there
better take.
are always m a n y people w h o will not take the
quite sure, without any trouble.
trouble to do anything if they can press a but-
But it is proper to do what can be done to » "I don't think the foot-driven player is dead
ton; but they are not all the people, and I do
assist in the formation of correct judgments;, yet, of course, for we still sell them and many
not think they are in a majority.
and to the end we have secured two impersonal
people prefer them.
B«t I think that as the
expressions of opinion, which between them ap-
use of electric current becomes more and more
"So far as we are concerned, I can say to you
pear to sum up the two sides of the-case quite 'nearly universal, the people will t a k ^ more and
that we have not yet had a single serious in-
completely. T h e result of readnrtfe-What follows raore to the,electric and Less and less to the foot-
quiry either by letter or in dealers' conversa-
should be to fender the formation of a fair
driven instrument. T h e fact is that the player-
tion with our travelers, for a line of electric
judgment much easier^ - j ^ o ajzaftquWtthis serv-
piano exists for entertainment and not for edu-
driven player-pianos. All our dealers are sell-
ice, ratt^c^fiiaBi^ictf^^Sfauze, is the object of
cation. W i t h some gratifying exceptions, the
ing the same player action in our pianos that
the present "review":
... .-^.n.>•«••-/* •
-people don't, want to be educated and will not
we gave them seven years a g o ; and our orders
thank you for educating them, or trying to do
are way ahead of our capacity to supply them.
so. T h e y want to be amused and that is all.
H the demand came for electric motors in place
of foot-power, I suppose we should have to fill
"So Ir think I want to see a moderate priced
By an Eastern Dealer
it. But it has not come yet.
electric
player
on
the
market,
that
is
not
full
"You can sum up the whole argument about
" I believe this is due to the fact that the talk-
of special features, but can be sold to anybody
the future of the player-piano, in my judgment,
ing
machine is filling all the demand there is
on
the
same
terms
as
the
ordinary
foot-pumper.
by saying that the electric player with or with-
for a moderate-priced instrument of the turn-
I wa/ut i\ to be Feliable and simple, not easy to
out reproducing features, is destined to sweep
the-switch type.
People w h o are pumping a
get out of order, and above all not too expen-
the board within a few years. * The American
player-piano are doing something anyhow t o -
sive. I don't care for v the very high-class elec-
people have been pretty badly fooled on the
wards producing their own music, and the more
tric as a proposition for the mass of the peo-
player-piano. Fifteen years ago, when we still
they practice at it, the more control they can
ple.
T h a t is all right for the cultured.
But
had the old-fashioned cabinet player attach-
exercise.' In this there is a sort of fascination
the plain people are not cultured. Yet they do
ment, a big and costly attempt was made by
{Continued on page 5)
want amusement; and want it without, trouble.
several manufacturers to get the people inter-
FUTURE OF FOOT=PUMPED PLAYER
THE
THE ELECTRIC