Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
them while playing, actually look to our eyes.
the original scores. Such things as the phrasing
The Two View-Points.
lines, the expression lines and so on, found in one
It will not be denied that most people play the And the rest is comparably easy.
Roll-Reading Not Difficult.
form or another on most rolls, are or should be
player-piano pretty badly, to put the matter in as
There is certainly nothing stupendously difficult
familiar to all. So, as concerns these last matters,
mild a way as possible. Among the various reasons
in what we have suggested. It is true that the
we need not worry very much. Almost everybody
that may be assigned as explanatory of this fact
has or can get information about them. But the
I doubt whether it has often occurred to include actual name of the note represented by any given
actual reading of the roll itself is a different mat-
that of the treatment generally accorded to the perforation may be unknown to us. But that is
music roll by those who sell and use it. Put- not an important matter. The really important ter altogether. And before we close this discus-
thing is that we are learning music first by the ear sion it will be well to point out very briefly just
ting aside absolutely the mechanical functions of
and second by the eye (through the roll.) when we
why a familiarity with the arrangement of per-
the roll and treating it merely as the musical
use the player-piano; whereas the ordinary music
forations on a roll is a valuable accomplishment
medium which we use when we want to render
student generally learns through the eye first and for the player-pianist.
this, that or the other piece of music, we have to
the ear last, if ever he learns through the latter
ask ourselves precisely what we propose to do with
Advantages of Roll Reading.
this sheet of paper when we have it before us. at all. We need not care whether the precise
name of a perforation—as it would be written on
We can do one of two things. We can either
What is the use? That is the cry of every-
treat it as merely a mechanical controller of the a score—or whether the exact spelling of a chord body. And there is little sense in talking about
be absolutely clear to us. What we do need to
player action or as a guide to the interpretation
the necessity of doing this or that thing unless
of the music through our eyes. If we employ know is that a certain perforation represents a
one is prepared to show what use it is. In the
certain sound which we can recognize and that a
the first conception we shall not become good
present case, fortunately, there is little difficulty
player-pianists at any time. If we employ the lat- certain group of perforations stand for certain
in doing this. The player-pianist who can read
sounds. These things we can learn to read from
ter we shall so become, provided that the latter
his roll is a master of the situation. He is able
the roll, and when we do so learn we have gone a to interpret his music strictly according to his own
can be employed at all. And the thing which has
to be settled in the present talk is whether we can long way toward becoming masters of the player-
feeling and temperament. Until he does acquire
read the roll, and what good it will do us if we piano.
this power he is the slave of his instrument, not
can.
its master. Any player mechanism whatever, so
Signs and Markings.
long as it will operate at all, can be played well
Some Fundamental Ideas.
The various signs, markings and expressive in-
One good thing about the whole matter is that
dications on music rolls are not very difficult to and musically if one has full control of it. And
the biggest step to be taken in gaining that con-
as soon as we show that a roll can be read we
understand, and not very complex anyway. Music
trol has been taken when one has learned to read
simultaneously and by the same effort show the
roll catalogs generally contain lists of such indi-
advantages of reading it. That simplifies + .he
cations with explanatory notes thereon. And if the roll so that the meaning and construction of
whole thing greatly, as we shall see. Here is the not this, then it is a very simple thing to ask the music is apparent at a glance. This is by no
means an impossible feat. It is not even very
main proposition. All music is built up out of a some musician what the various conventional
difficult. It requires a little patience, a little com-
scale of tones. These tones must be combined
words and signs mean. For the signs on music
mon sense. And that is all.
in pleasing sequence in order to make what we
rolls are nearly all copied from those found on
call a tune or melody. These tunes or melodies
must be continually repeated in order that the
ear may recognize and appreciate them. And,
moreover, the tunes themselves must have definite
form and content, must have a regular recognize- Of the Problems Which Piano Merchants Have to Face When Engaged in Selling Player-Pianos
able shape, as it were, since a mere succession of
That of Upkeep is Exceedingly Important—How to Keep the Purchaser of a Player-Piano
tones without some shape to it would not make
Happy, Contented and in a Non-Complaining Condition of Mind Worth Considering.
a melody at all. And, lastly, the tunes must be
The man on the firing-line, who finds himself investment is larger. He must sell at almost double
supported and enriched by the addition of other
tones running parallel with them in such a way square up against the proposition of marketing the price of a similar graded straight piano. Yet
as to furnish a foundation or, as we call it, an player-pianos to a public often hostile, more often he finds it hard to get payments in proportion.
"accompaniment." These notions, of definite shape just plain indifferent, has a problem to solve that He must take pianos in trade nearly always. All
sometimes appeals because of its complexity. In of these things present difficulties of their own.
or form, of repetition and of accompaniment, are
the basis of musical form, at least so far as we past issues of the Player Section the editorial voice But none of them match up with the upkeep prob-
are at present concerned. The elements of rhythm has been raised more than once, in reproof, in lem for difficulty and trouble making possibilities.
admonition, and sometimes in irony, when the sins
we need hardly consider at present.
For the fact is that the hardest part of player-
Now, since music is made of tunes, and tunes of the dealer as an exploiter of the player-piano piano selling is to keep the instruments sold. The
have some definite shape, it follows that the per- constituted the sermon theme. But, one must never big task is to keep the purchaser of the player-
forations on a music roll, which, so far as we forget that there are two sides to every question, piano happy, contented and in a non-complaining
In short, to repeat what
are concerned, represent the same thing as the and that it is a poor rule which will not work both condition of mind.
notes on a printed score, must also group them- ways. If the piano merchant fails to take to the we have already said, the maintenance of the sale
selves together in ways recognizable by the eye, player, if he tells us that he has trouble with it, is the big thing.
But why should there be all this difficulty? What
in order that the tunes which they represent may that neither he nor his public are really enthusi-
be played by the pneumatic mechanism. And so astic about it, then we may as well make up our is there that makes it so hard to keep a player-
it follows that just as soon as one takes the trouble minds that there is some fire below all this smoke. piano sold? Simply this, that the upkeep expense,
Of the various elements contained in, and to- and the possibility of trouble arising at any or all
to examine any roll while playing it one observes
that the grouping of the tones which form any gether constituting, the problem which the piano times, are about a thousand times greater in the
tune or melody comes to be readily recognizable merchant has to face when engaged in selling the case of a player than with a straight piano. That
in the grouping of the corresponding perforations. player-piano, that of upkeep is exceedingly im- is the big trouble.
And as soon as one gets that idea one can also portant. It is so very vital, in fact, that one may
Now, the reason for upkeep expense being great
easily recognize the perforations which represent well ask whether it is not after all the one really is that the player-piano always has been, and ap-
the same tune, no matter how often they be re- burning question. The matter of the high prices parently always will, remain a mystery to very
peated. And if a tune be subjected even to modifi- which players must command, the matter of the many people. In consequence of this, and of the'
cation in the course of a piece, the general group- terms on which they must be sold, of the exchange further fact that salesmen themselves very often
ing of the perforations will nearly always show us, or trade-in nuisance, of the relatively large invest- do not take the trouble to explain to customers
in advance, when the tune is again being brought ment required to obtain a stock of these instru- either the necessity for reasonable care or the
forward. And exactly the same thing is true of the ments; all these things, though important in them- methods of manipulation required to give good
accompaniments. 1 hese, too, can be recognized in selves, are less important than the matter of main- musical results, it comes about complaints are con-
precisely the same way. One simply has to observe tenance.
tinually being received which otherwise would never
how the perforations that correspond to certain
As we remarked above, the piano merchant who be heard of. And when we add to this fact, the
definite parts or sections of the piece, as we hear sells player-pianos has a complex problem. His
(Continued on Page 10.)
SOMETHING OF THE UPKEEP PROBLEM.
The Master Player-Piano
is now equipped with an
AUTOMATIC TRACKING DEVICE
Which guarantees absolutely correct tracking of even the most imperfect music rolls
W I N T E R & CO., 220 Southern Boulevard, New York City