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TECHNICALANDSUPPIY
DEPARTMENT
William BraidVJh\te,rec/tnfcalEditor
The New Chromatic Glissando Keyboard
Introduced by the Starr Piano Co.
simple attachment which permits the player
to execute a glissando or slide, not only on
the white keys in the scale of C major, but
chromatically, on white and black keys, from
ind to end of the piano, or along any part of
New Attachment, Which Is Simplicity Itself, Gives Pianist New Opportunities Which the keyboard desired.
As 1 said before, the thing is simplicity it-
the Modern Piano Does Not Permit Him
self. Just behind the ringer plates of the black
E who first said that the piano industry the iron casting itself. And now, latest of all, and white keys, that is to say, just where the
is extremely conservative said some- comes the Starr Piano Co. with a chromatic fall board ordinarily shuts the action and the
balance rail of the keyboard out of sight, a
thing of which the truth has never been glissando keyboard.
small cylinder or roller of celluloid one-half
called seriously into question, for it has always
"Simplicity Itself"
inch in diameter and five-eighths inch in length
seemed to be unquestionable. The art of music
I have just had the pleasure of examining
on its creative side shows signs constantly of and trying the Starr glissando keyboard. The is placed on each key lever. If now one runs
thumb or finger across them one obtains the
; . growth and development, even though the ef-
thing is simplicity itself and one's first re-
fective results are often of less importance sponse is by the old cry, "Why did not someone same sort of effect on the whole keyboard,
than the preliminary labors through which they think of this long ago?" Strictly speaking, it lilack and white alike, as one would obtain
are produced. On the side of performance, ought to be considered as one of those action with less facility on the white keys alone by
however, music is extremely, nay painfully, inventions which have influenced piano playing running thumb or finger across them in the
conservative. Musical instruments tend, there- more than piano construction, as did the manner usually prescribed for obtaining the
fore, to become standardized as to all their double-repetition mechanism of Sebastian glissando. In other words, we have here a
principles of construction, for musicians have Erard. Nevertheless, it happens also to be one simple arrangement behind the regular finger
shown, over and over again, that they lack of those things that obviously fill a long-felt plates of the keyboard whereby black and
either the will or the intellectual curiosity to want, and for this reason it is extremely in- white keys are brought to the same level, in
follow the new paths which inventions in mu- teresting and quite important. Seeing, too, order that the always-wished-for chromatic
sical instrument making might open up to them. that it in no way complicates piano construc- glissando may be obtained easily and rapidly.
Needed Addition to Modern Keyboard
Most of the great instruments, like the piano, tion, nor in the slightest degree alters either
Anyone can see, of course, that if the modern
are to-day almost exactly what they were fifty the ordinary keyboard technic or the appear-
years ago, in all matters of importance. Their ance of the keys, while it does enable the piano had the light touch which was customary
tonal quality has been improved, they are musician to do certain things which could not in, say, Beethoven's time, it might be possible
much more numerous, and the art of building otherwise be done, it ought to have a perma- to do this chromatic slide on the ordinary
keyboard. But everyone knows that it cannot
them has been vastly developed along me- nent and a happy future.
bu done on the modern keyboard, because the
chanical lines; but they have shown no radical
I remarked above that the piano trade is
development of the apparatus of tone produc- extremely conservative. Anyone who knows fall of the keys and the weight to be over-
tion since the days of Beethoven and only very the subject can rattle off half a dozen ideas come by each are too great. In fact, even the
slight change in tonal volume or quality since in succession all calculated to improve the one glissando which the ordinary keyboard
the days of Liszt. The effort of the great construction, the tone quality or the technical permits—namely, the slide on the white keys
builders has rather been to preserve and main- music-producing capacities of the piano, but in (' major—can only be done by one finger
tain a standard achieved long since. The piano it is quite another matter to incorporate any at a time in each hand. Beethoven has written
industry has kept its eyes upon the past and one of these improvements in the piano in a a passage in the finale of the Waldstein sonata
where the two hands alternately are expected
not upon the future.
fashion which will meet with the approval of to play a white-key glissando in octaves. This
The Path of Progress
pianists and come within reasonable cost. That
The major steps in piano development may is why, after all, the piano has developed so cannot be done on modern pianos, and the
be summed up in a few sentences. Two slowly; and that, too, is why most of the editors of his sonatas have always altered the
hundred years and more have elapsed since action improvements, as distinguished from im- writing in order to fit the passage to modern
Cristofori first installed a successful, practical proved methods of fundamental construction conditions. Now it must be plain at once to
hammer action in a harpsichord. Sixty years (stringers, uniplate, etc.), have been dead fail- anyone who has ever played that sonata that
Beethoven wanted the chromatic effect and
later Broadwood reconstructed the framework, ures in a commercial sense.
would
have written in a chromatic glissando
enlarged the sound board, lengthened and thick-
For the same reason exactly, however, I
ened the strings and made scientific investiga- think that the Starr glissando keyboard will if he had not known that he could not get it,
(Continued on page 35)
tions for the purpose of determining correct make good and have a future. I cannot see a
I striking points upon the strings. Erard de- single objection to it on the score of me-
' veloped the double-repetition action. Chickering chanical or musical difficulty, while I can see
i led the way in perfecting a single iron casting obvious advantages to every player of the key-
to support the pull of the strings. Theodore board.
Associate, American Society of Mechanical
Steinway developed scale draughting along
Put very briefly, the glissando keyboard is
Engineers; Chairman, Wood Industries
scientific -lines and was the first seriously to an ordinary keyboard fitted with an extremely
Division, A. S. M. E.; Member, American
apply acoustical discoveries to piano construc-
Physical Society; Member, National Piano
tion. - He also was a pioneer in the use of
Technicians' Association.
:
bent-"plywood construction for the cases of Easy to Repair DAMAGED FINISHES
i grand pianos. Mason & Hamlin, dissatisfied
Consulting Engineer to
CAMPBELL'S Stick Shellac
SJjeUac
I with the conventional method of securing the
Slicks
Permanent repairs are easily and
quickly
made.
No
use
to
cut
prices
the Piano Industry
i tuning pins, developed and perfected a me-
or incur expense of reflnlshlng.
chanical stringer, and von Janko in Europe his
Campbell's stick Shellac easily re-
Tonally and Mechanically Correct Scales
stores scarred and scratched finishes
very remarkable double-keyboard instrument.
Tonal and Technical Surreys of Product
to perfect condition. Melted Into
Tonal Betterment Work In Factories
hole,
dent, scratch, then rubbed down
Since then, that is, during the past
and polished. An ideal way to eco-
thirty years, the piano has remained inno-
nomically repair finishes.
References to manufacturers of unquestioned
A color card of Campbell's Stick Shellac will
cent of important developments. Recently,
position la industry
be sent free to anyone upon request. Shows
actual samples and the range of 54 colors.
however, the Wurlitzers have brought forward
Write for one today.
the Uniplate construction, which effectively
For particular*, mddress
THE M. L. CAMPBELL COMPANY
does away with both wooden frame and wooden
209 South State Street, CHICAGO
1008 West Eighth Street
Kansas City, Mo.
wrest-plank, combining all these features with
H
William Braid White
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SJm
Punching*
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Bridle Strap*
S814.37th Am.
George W. Braunsdorf, Inc.
Direct Manufacturers of
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In Any Quantity
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33
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Y. M. C. A. Piano Technician* School
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