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THE
FEBRUARY 22, 1919
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
9
most courageous even try for the next line,
with no better luck than before, and from then
Prominent Music Roll Manufacturer Cites Example Showing How the Music Roll Is Often Blamed on the thing does a solo, and goes blind stag-
gering and bucking, and back firing along on its
for Musical Defects Which Are Due to the Poor Condition of the Player-Piano
way to the end, everybody hoping it will smash,
It frequently happens that music roll manu- shoots out, 'Honor here asserts her sway,' as or something happen to put it out of its agony,
facturers receive strenuous "complaints" regard- though someone had pulled a cork and the whole and us out of ours also. If people only knew
ing their products from dealers, and investiga- line popped out at once. This time it is the what funny things like this happen in lodge
tion has often proven that the roll complained piano that is doing the solo, for you've used meetings they never again would pay out good
of was absolutely perfect, but that the player- up all your gas in your premature explosion. money to see a show."
piano used to interpret it was in poor condi- So you take in a deep breath and get-poised
The duplicate of the roll mentioned so "flat-
tion, or the operator had absolutely no knowl- like a sprinter ready for a twenty-yard dash teringly" in the above article was found to be
edge of the proper use of the instrument. The and mutter between your teeth, 'By heck, I'll absolutely perfect in every detail, and the music
executives of the leading music roll houses are get that next line..'
roll executive has written a lengthy letter to
keenly interested in the service that their rolls
"But again it doesn't come when you expect the dealer, advising him to have his player man
are rendering, and they encourage their deal- it. and you start the single line and then try inspect the lodge's player-piano immediately,
ers to tell them when the rolls are not measuring to hold it back, and can't, and it comes out in and keep it in presentable condition. If fol-
up to the proper standard.
a sort of half suppressed squeak. With twenty lowed this advice will be beneficial to all con-
It seems, however, that it would be to the ad- or thirty other desperate brothers doing pretty cerned, and every member of this lodge will
vantage of all dealers if they realized that the much the same thing, the result is not unlike a have to undergo a thorough course of education
player-piano is very often to blame for poor barnyard chorus, and 'All within our sacred bor- regarding the player-piano before he is con-
music roll interpretations, and that their service der' begin to wish like blazes they were out of it. vinced that the instrument used in his lodge is
departments should thoroughly investigate the
"Probably not more than two or three of the not a fair example of player-pianos in general.
source and cause of the complaints before at-
tributing it to imperfect music rolls. It is more
RUBINSTEIN'S AMPICO RECORDS
PATENTS TWO NEW DEVICES
than possible than an immovable tempo lever,
or leaky bellows or tubes may be responsible Noted Pianist Closes Arrangements Whereby Improved Tracker Connection and Sheet Con-
He Will Record for the Ampico Reproducing
trol Mechanism Patented by W. A. Watson
for unsatisfactory music, and the progressive
Piano—Delighted With This Instrument
and up-to-date dealer will have detailed infor-
mation at hand before telling a music roll manu-
WASHINGTON, D. C, February 17.—William A.
The American Piano Co., New York, an- Watson, Maiden, Mass., was last week granted
facturer that his rolls are below par.
To illustrate this condition the general man- nounced this week that arrangements have been Patent No. 1,290,436 for a tracker connection
ager for a well-known music roll manufacturer concluded whereby Arthur Rubinstein, the dis- for automatic musical instruments. This inven-
tion relates to pneumatically controlled mecha-
recently showed a representative of The Review
nisms and especially to the connections between
some interesting correspondence which reflected
the tracker bar of a self-playing musical instru-
a lack of proper understanding of player-piano
ment and the valve devices which control the
merchandising. It so happened in this case that
playing mechanism of the character described
two rolls were cut from the master stencil, and
ar-d illustrated in application 788,297, filed Sep-
the music roll executive was in a position to
tember 5, 1913, of which this is a division.
secure a twin of the roll complained of before
replying to the dealer.
One of the objects of the present invention
is to provide means whereby the parts can be
According to this correspondence this dealer,
readily removed from the musical instrument,
who has been associated with the piano in-
said means being accessible without first re-
dustry for many years, requested the manufac-
moving other parts of the tracker mechanism.
turer to furnish him with a special roll featuring
A further object is to provide improved means
the opening ode incidental to the large meetings
for supporting the tracker box and the tubes
oi one of the leading fraternal organizations in
which connect the tracker bar with the valve
his city which could be utilized as an accom-
mechanism.
panist to the vocal exercise. He had recently
sold this organization a player-piano, and should,
Mr. Watson is also the inventor of a note-
of course, have been cognizant of the fact that
sheet-control mechanism, Patent No. 1,290,437.
the instrument would be used only two or three
A particular object of this invention is to pro-
times a month.
vide an improved self-contained tracker bar
which not only can be utilized to reliably effect
Tn a few days the roll was forwarded to the
transposing, but also insures a dependable or
dealer, and nothing further was heard regard-
fixed line of travel for one edge of the note
ing the transaction until the manufacturer re-
sheet.
ceived a marked copy of a house organ issued
b\ the fraternal organization for the use of its
members. In this issue the roll was made the
CONTROL DEVICE FOR PNEUMATICS
sr.bject of irony and humor as follows:
WASHINGTON, D. C, February 17.—Frank Carna-
"Bro. Harry Martin has been trying to tell
han, South Boston, Mass., was last week granted
us that the way that our player-piano plays the
Patent No. 1,289,391 for a control device for
opening ode is the way it should be sung, but
pneumatics, which he has assigned to the Emer-
if that be correct music—'give us liberty or give
son Piano Co., Boston, Mass.
Arthur Rubinstein
us death.
The object of this invention is to provide a
"The way it usually works out is about as tinguished Polish pianist, who arrived in New
follows: First, Harry begins to work his feet York recently after a long sojourn in Spain, novel control device, which may be operated,
and you get your mouth all fixed ready to start, will make records for the Ampico reproducing manually or automatically from the tracker
but for several seconds nothing comes but a lit- piano. This prominent artist achieved signal board, and which will instantaneously place in
tle scratching of the paper on the cylinder. fame abroad, and his playing won the sincere communication with the suction apparatus of
Then, without any signal or warning, it shoots commendation of the musicians and critics.
the player a relatively large passage communi-
out: 'Brothers of our Friendly Order' in
Immediately upon arriving in New York Mr. cating with the pneumatic to be actuated so as
speeder up—hurry—oh—so time, and then sticks. Rubinstein visited the warerooms of Wm. Knabe to secure an instantaneous actuation of the lat-
You weren't expecting it just then, and chances & Co., where he listened to the Ampico. After ter, while at the same time preventing the pos-
are that you don't get in on more than the last hearing several selections he said: "There is sibility of whistling or other noises, which fre-
two words, if at all. But now that you've got but one word to express my pleasure in hearing quently result from the passage of a relatively
under way you think you'll have good straight this instrument, and that is, I am enchanted with large body of air through relatively small aper-
running and you come along good and lusty its wonderful performance."
tures.
with, 'Honor here asserts her'—only to find
The first Ampico records played by Arthur
that the instrument isn't with you and you've Rubinstein will be announced shortly, and his
H. M. Walker, Wahoo, Neb., has just been
been doing a solo, and feel like 30 cents. Then, addition to the long list of artists playing for released from the navy, and will reopen his
before you know what's happened the thing the Ampico is good news for Ampico dealers.
music store on Broadway, that city.
ROLL MANUFACTURER'S VIEWS ON UNJUST COMPLAINTS
A NATURAL PACT OF EVEftV PIANO DEALERS TPAX>E
THEATRE
PIANOS
k OPGANS
ZJCAJDJ33 iM THE AUTOMATIC
J. P
5EEHUHG
FIELD
PIANO COMPANY • . . CHICAGO ILLINOIS