Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
10
THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
THE REVIEW'S TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
Conducted and Edited by Win. B. White.
On all sides one hears the news of the advanc- consider it the duty of the tuner to repair, ad-
ing interior-player army. Without ceasing, ap- just and generally tinker up the interior-player
parently, new recruits are drawn into the ranks, piano with as much skill and confidence as he
until it seems as if the years cannot go by with- habitually brings to bear upon the treatment of
out every manufacturer of any size in the coun- the ordinary instrument. But it would be ab-
try being included among the interior player surd to say that any such general knowledge is
producers. Without exaggeration, it seems as if common or even visible among the body of tun-
the present movement is about to surpass all ers. The truth is very far from any such thing,
others in its rapidity and pervasiveness. The and it therefore behooves the tuners with all
future will show how far it is likely to be perma- speed to begin to equip themselves for the very
nent, and to what, if any, extent the piano busi- complex conditions that they are soon to be called
ness is to be modified in its fundamental prin- upon to master.
ciples by these new developments.
It is through this train of reasoning that we
Surely the conservator of the technical inter- have been led to the conclusion that some obser-
ests in the trade would be far behind the times vations in this department might be used as the
did he not take up the subject of interior players, decoy to allure the wandering attention of tuners
and present for the consideration of his readers to the new and important problems presented in
certain observations that have been prompted by the adjustment of interior players. We propose
a close study of the present situation.
now to make certain general observations on the
It cannot be denied that the interior player interior player idea in general, to the end that
question is fully as important in its technical the reader may be able better to focus his atten-
bearings as it can possibly be from a business or tion upon the main points of the problem.
economic point of view. This is not the place,
of course, for the discussion of anything but the
Roughly speaking, there is no fundamental dif-
former consideration; nor would we relish the ference between the player as attached in cabinet
task of delivering a preachment upon the eco- form to the exterior of the piano, and as placed
nomic aspects of interior-player development. inside it. But the change of position carries
Yet these latter are tremendously important, and with it certain peculiar features that are not to
a study of them would be fraught with the grav- be found otherwise. While the exterior player
est kind of interest to the trade at large. It may be arranged as to its mechanism according
would be idle to deny that the whole problem to the discretion of the designer, so long as the
threatens peculiarly embarrassing complications positions of the fingers, roll-spools and pedals re-
in the already sufficiently complex piano busi- main fixed according to convention, the interior
ness.
instrument is in a very different position. No
It is our duty, however, to confine ourselves longer is it possible to design with a careless-
with great strictness to such purely technical ness of space limitations, no longer can the rela-
considerations as the questions here stated plain- tive positions of motor, wind-chest, and pneu-
ly involve. We are therefore forced to evacuate matics be juggled with promiscuously. On the
the pleasing field of speculation on which we contrary, the space is very clearly defined within
were just now standing, and confine ourselves which the whole mechanism may be secreted.
rigidly to the gross materialism of mechanical The waste area that is found behind the bottom
fact.
frame of an upright piano provides the greater
part of the utilizable space. To this may be
Above all practical men, the outside tuner is added the few inches that divide the back of the
vitally interested in the development of the in- top frame from the front of the action. It will
terior player. The factory man need not concern thus be seen that the given space is distinctly
himself with anything of the kind; his confreres more cramped for the interior than for the ex-
who devote themselves to the player portion of terior player. The natural consequence of this
the combination instrument will leave him is that the mechanism can hardly help being
severely alone. But the case of the outside man crowded together in a very jumbled condition.
is different. If the present rate of progress is In order to prevent this it will become necessary
maintained, the outside tuner will soon be con- to alter slightly the exterior design of the instru-
fronted with an unusual and complicated prob- ment; so that we see some makers of interior
lem, and he will meet with it more and more players compelled considerably to distort the
often as the popularity of the new device in- case designs of their pianos in order to make
creases. Of course, it may be objected that the proper provision for the player mechanism. But
present state of knowledge leaves it an open this means that an entirely new style of upright
question whether the interior player is to figure piano design will in time begin to appear. Nor
in history merely as a passing fad, or as a could it be altogether an evil thing if this were
marked and influential development of piano really to happen. True, the continual struggle to
making. If the former supposition be correct, place the mechanism with convenience and me-
there can be no doubt that the practical man chanical neatness within the case would hardly
could conceivably afford to leave the interior be likely to lead to a reduction of the present
player alone. Even if this be admitted, however, coffin-like upright case to anything architecturally
knowledge of player mysteries certainly would be more suitable. The contrary is to be feared.
a good thing, if only on the principle that all If we might borrow an illustration from another
knowledge is per se good. But we are by no mechanical industry, the automobile has worked
means sure that the interior player is a mere out its own destiny along lines entirely apart
passing fancy. Certainly the fact that so many from those followed by any other wheeled vehicle.
manufacturers have begun to manufacture such All will remember how the first motor cars
devices is a sure sign that the trade at large is looked—bad imitations of carriages with the
inclined to think it worth while to put money, horse and shafts omitted. The running of these
time and brains into the development of this new crude affairs was distinctly a liberal education
branch. So that we may consider it quite safe in mechanics and mechanical engineering. It
to direct the attention of all such tuners as make never seems to have occurred to these early mak-
a practice of reading this page to the fact that ers that the motor or carburetor would ever need
the interior-player, in our opinion, is a force to any attention or repair. Such simple and touch-
be reckoned with in the future. Once admit this, ing faith in the invulnerability of their apparatus
remember, and you at once logically admit the was a splendid thing from their point of view,
imperative necessity of gaining knowledge in the but the unfortunate owner was scarcely likely to
new technical realms thus laid open. For it is feel the same way about it. Yet we see to-day
quite sure that the public, without greater knowl- that the automobile has developed along lines
edge of the technical situation than usual, will essentially different from those on which it start-
ed. It has "evolved its own style of body,, its own
style of control, and its own individual style of
mechanism. Is it too much to hope that the in-
terior player of the future will be as accessible,
as to mechanism, as the modern automobile, and
as handsome and appropriate, as to case, as the
handsomest "benzine buggy" that can be seen in
all the land.
We may therefore be prepared to see radical
changes in the design of interior player-pianos
if the development of the player devices meets
with the approval of the public and the demand
grows large. It is certain that as at present con-
structed the interior player suffers from the
gravest defects, and that these are directly
chargeable chiefly to the impossible conditions
under which it is sought to accommodate both
piano and player.
In taking a general survey of the player situa-
tion, then, it is first of all necessary to take into
consideration such facts as these: First and
foremost, the point of space limitation must be
carefully borne in mind. The greatest difficulty
that will be found in instruments not provided
otherwise will be the difficulty of getting at the
working parts for the purposes of repairing and
regulating. It is true that praiseworthy and
more or less successful attempts have already
been made to overcome these defects. Among the
most successful may be mentioned the makers of
the auto-grand, who have been careful to provide
for the removal of pneumatics and other parts
with facility and rapidity.
Next in importance of the features that distin-
guish the interior from the exterior player must
be counted the position of the pneumatics with
reference to the keys. In the exterior or cabinet
form of player, the striking fingers can always
he adjusted in the correct position above the
manual of the piano, no matter where the pneu-
matics themselves may be placed. Of course it
is much better that the connection between the
pneumatics and fingers be as direct as possible,
as in the Simplex, or that the pneumatic be di-
rectly the touch agent, as in the Apollo. But in
the interior player the difficulty is great of doing
this in a really convenient manner. Various
methods of actuating the hammers have already
been attempted. Some makers have arranged
the pneumatics to strike upwards from the backs
of the keys. Others have gone still further
afield and have arranged for the stroke of the
pneumatics and their connections to take place
upon the bottom of the wippen in the action.
Neither of these methods has aught but conveni-
ence to recommend it. Yet something can be
said, as the reader will by this time understand,
for any method of arranging the pneumatics that
gives them accessibility. A far better method
has been invented by Melville Clark, of Chicago.
His new interior player has the pneumatics ar-
ranged so as to strike directly down on the key-
levers immediately behind the ivories. Thus the
touch more nearly approaches that which the
human hand would deliver, with the added ad-
vantage that the all-important pneumatics are
placed where they can all be reached at once, and
this without any special trouble. The present
discussion will be continued next week.
Communications for the department should be
addressed to the Editor, Technical Department,
The Music Trade Review.
A NEW MATHUSHEK PIANO MFG. CO.
The Mathushek Piano Mfg. Co., New Haven,
Conn., have issued a very handsome catalogue
containing illustrations and descriptions of their
latest styles, as well as views, both interior and
exterior, of their factory, and reference to some
features of construction in the different depart-
ments. Among the instruments illustrated are
Style 1, Style 13, Style 14, Style 26, Style 20,
Style 15, Style 7, in uprights and Style 17 par-
lor grand. This publication is attractively
printed and should prove an effective medium
of conveying information regarding the con-
structive features of the Mathushek pianos.