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PLAYER SECT ON
NEW YORK, APRIL 29, 1922
A Competition for
Player-Pianists
A Suggestion Is Hereby Offered Regarding Formulating Plans Whereby a National Competition for Player-pianists
Be Arranged Which Would Be of Immense Value in Stimulating Interest in the Player-piano and Proving
Its Worth as a Genuinely Musical Instrument Rather Than a Mere Mechanical Device
A great many ideas are being set forth at the
present time calculated to assist the player in-
dustry in producing a revival of interest in the
player-piano. Not that the player-piano is dead,
but rather that, in the process of recovery from
the late season of depression which has prevailed
all over the economic world, the player-piano
seems to be rather unnecessarily lagging. What
follows will be irritating, no doubt, to some, and
will cause others promptly to take places in the
seats of the scornful; but it is presented in the
hope of stimulating some thought along lines not
commonly considered to be pertinent or practical.
About Minorities
in a great country like the United States there
is room for every imaginable sort or kind of per-
son. It is almost impossible to exhaust the list
of types that can be discovered by those who are
looking for them. Thus, whenever hard and fast
rules are laid down purporting to cover any great
condition of opinion, or sentiment, or custom, or
habit, it is soon found that the exceptions are
uncomfortably numerous. We can shut our eyes,
if we like, to the existence of these minorities,
but they do exist and are always getting in the
way whenever we try to base our calculations by
ignoring them. Politicians are always talking
about, for instance, the labor vote; but no one
has yet delivered that vote, and probably no one
ever will.
Men in our industry are always talking about
the common people and their wants and needs in
respect of player-pianos and music rolls. They
have organized within their minds a set of hard
and fast rules as to what the people do or do not
want. Now one of the rules is that the people do
not want to learn to play the player-piano artis-
tically, that they prefer to make a loud noise and
nothing else. In consequence, the idea of there
really being in the country any interest in the
artistic playing of the player-piano has been gen-
erally dismissed as unworthy of practical con-
sideration. Yet, in fact, this view is extremely
short-sighted.
The Army of Player-pianists
For there is no doubt at all of the existence of
a minority—not very large proportionately, but
actually numbering thousands—of persons who
possess player-pianos and make use of their pos-
sessions intelligently. The skill of these persons
ranges all the way upwards from the very mod-
erate musical intelligence of the man who has
learned no more than to discriminate between the
results of energetic and of gentle pedaling to the
extraordinary power and skill of the few virtuosi
player-pianists. Most of those who may be called
"player-pianists" are, of course, pretty far down
the scale of excellence. The virtuosi number at
most a few hundred; but the fact remains that
there is in existence a body of amateur opinion,
sentiment and effort directed towards making the
pedal-expression player-piano a true instrument
ot personal musical expression. That this is so
cannot be doubted by anyone who, like the
writer, has found himself in position to investi-
gate or who has set himself to discover the facts.
Why, then, should the existence of this body
of player-piano boosters be ignored by the trade?
;
l or it is quite evident that the merchants in
general are not interested in, or do not know the
names of, those persons in their communities who
excel as player-pianists. Every community has
at least some of such persons. Some communi-
ties have many. Each one of them is a booster
for the player-piano. In fact, there is no booster
in music like the booster who has learned that
the player-piano actually does make men musi-
cians and does open up to their delighted fancy a
vista of continuous musical experience and dis-
covery. To such a person nothing is more di-
lightful than to talk with the neighbors about the
beauties of his instrument, about what he can do
with it and how; so that every such player-pianist
is a true, sincere and persistent booster.
Can the existence of this army of boosters not
only be known as a matter of fact, but be defined,
delimited and run down to some useful end? The
industry Owes to itself the duty of waking up,
if possible, and putting to good use this reser-
voir of energy. Is there any practical way, how-
ever, of doing this?
A National Playing Contest
Whether any one interest in the trade can
undertake successfully any national movement
which involves relations with other interests may
be questioned, but there is no doubt that in this
case a national movement is even now waiting to
be gotten under way. Once started, it will possess
practical value in stimulating sales of player-
pianos and rolls. We refer to the idea of a
national contest for player-pianists.
Suppose that a committee were formed con-
sisting of eminent musicians, representatives oi
the music industry, and amateur player-pianists
who understand player-pianism thoroughly. The
last-named must be included because the musi-
cians, who know not the player, and the men of
the industry need this liaison between them. Let
this committee draw up a program for a national
prize contest to determine the most skilled ama-
teur player-pianists in America. Let some inter-
est or group of interests in the industry agree
to underwrite the affair. Then what would
happen?
Winning Professional Approval
In the first place, if such a program were clev-
erly drawn up, it would display to the musical
world in the most startling manner the truth
about the player-piano as a musical instrument.
The musical world is appallingly ignorant in the
Could
whole matter. If the trade could only realize it,
nothing will ever remove the weight of this pro-
fessional disapproval save public demonstration
on a large scale. The position of the player-
piano in professional esteem measures, more
accurately than is generally realized, its posi-
tion in public esteem.
Where does the reproducing piano come in?
Well, if everybody who has a player-piano had
that player-piano in the form of a high-class re-
producing instrument, then the professional opin-
ion would be favorable enough and there would be
no problem. But the conditions do not run in
that way. The typical player-piano is, and will
probably remain, the pedal instrument. It is the
pedal instrument with which we have to deal.
• If such a committee as we have suggested were
set up it could arrange a program of music to
be played in competition. Then it could lay
down a scheme whereby contestants might be
examined by local committees who should cer-
tify to the best candidates and by a weeding-out
process select a group for the final contest. Then
there would be a grand open display of player-
piano talent before the judges, and the public
audience, which would end in the award of prizes
for the best playing. Such prizes might be
awarded for the most brilliant execution, the best
tone quality, the best understanding of the com-
poser's intentions, the greatest ability in fugal
playing, in orchestral transcriptions, the best
accompanying of voice and instruments, etc., etc.
We shall not now discuss the financing, or the
details of publicity. Those are matters which can
be taken up when the time comes. At present
it is sufficient to remark that if an attempt were
once made in the manner suggested, to bring out
and line up the army of amateur player-pianists,
the player business would receive a boost such as
it has not had since it began.
JOINT ADVERTISING IN DALLAS
Music Dealers of That City Join Together in
Advertising Player-piano Week
DALLAS, TEX., April 22.—Much prominence was
given to the celebration of National Player-piano
Week in this city during the current week through
the co-operation of a half dozen of the leading
music houses in an advertising campaign of sub-
stantial proportions. The copy was of general
character, not featuring any particular make of
player-piano, but emphasizing the National
Player-piano Week in the headings. The com-
panies co-ORerating in the campaign were the
Baldwin Piano Co., the Bush & Gerts Piano Co.,
the Whittle Piano Co., the Brook-Mays Piano
Co., the Will A. Watkin Co. and the Leyhe
Piano Co.