Music Trade Review
Issue: 1916 Vol. 62 N. 26 - Page 8
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
8
SUPERIORITY OF THE
SOLO CAROLA INNER-PLAYER
proved by the impartial investigation of the editor of the Scientific American
Reprinted from an Editorial in the Scientific American
of May 20th, 1916
Emphasizing the Theme in a Player Piano
T
Others
Obviously Defective'
Others
Limited to a Few Compo-
sitions ^ - ^ — ^ —
Others
Play Incorrectly All But
a Few Compositions—^
But the Miracle Player, is
Absolutely
Without
Musical Limitations——
HE first successful mechanical piano play-
ers had no sooner made their appearance
than there was an immediate demand, at
least on the part of those who possessed the
so-called musical ear, for some means of playing
the solo, melody, or theme with a stronger em-
phasis than the accompaniment. Most of us
who own or have owned piano players (and
this is particularly true in cases where the
operator has never learned to play by hand)
will remember how the first delight at hearing
a musical composition being played directly
under one's own control, was quickly followed
by a desire to subdue the accompaniment and
bring out with clearer emphasis the theme or
melody. The inability, in the early players, to
emphasize the theme was due to the fact that
a uniform tension was used for all the operating
pneumatics throughout the scale.
There is probably no element in the player
that has been made the subject of .so much
patient investigation and clever invention as
that of theme or solo expression, and, during
the past decade, some very ingenious devices
have been tried out and placed upon the market
with more or less gratifying results.
*• Broadly speaking, there are four classes of
theme-expression devices. In one of the earliest
of these, an attempt is made to emphasize the
theme by dividing the scale into sections, in
each of which the tension of the player-pneu-
matics is regulated by their own control valves.
In this type, the operator endeavors to throw
increased tension into that particular section
or zone in which the theme notes occur. The
obvious defect of the arrangement is that not
only the theme notes in any particular section
will be emphasized, but also such notes of the
accompaniment as also happen to lie in that
,. section.
Another type of player is provided with two
separate sets of pneumatic actions, each oper-
ated by its own tracker-bar range; one being
used for the melody and the other for the accom-
paniment notes. If this were carried out liter-
ally, there would be a call for a tracker-bar
with 88 melody notes and 88 notes for the
accompaniment; but the difficulty of having a
bar and music roll of this length led to the adoption of a bar containing only about 120 apertures.
•
One of the best known and most successful melody playing pianos secures the desired effect by cutting the perfora-
tions in the music roll so that the accompaniment notes are struck first under the normal air tension, and then the air
tension is increased in the slight interval before the melody note is struck. The admission of the high tension before
the sounding of the melody note is done automatically by means of perforations on the edge of the music sheet.
It will be noticed in the three systems above mentioned that the emphasizing of the melody is accomplished through
automatic means for increasing the air tension under which the melody notes are struck.
•
In the player piano illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the novel features of which have been patented by
Mr. Paul Brown Klugh, of Chicago, 111., the accentuation of the theme or solo is accomplished by controlling the length
of stroke of the hammers. The way in which this is done will be understood by a study of the drawings in which the
player mechanism is shown in a light tint and the solo mechanism in a darker tint.
thesolo action is arranged in the upper portion of the piano case and extends throughout the full length of the ham-
mer scale. Back of the hammers is arranged a series of adjustable hammer stops, there being a stop to each adjoining
pair of hammers. The position of these stops, that is to say the distance between them and the piano strings, is governed
by the action of the solo pneumatics P, P and a series of springs A, A . When the operator is pumping, the solo pneu-
matics are normally inflated, as shown at P, and the springs A and the hammer stops a are in the positions shown in
the drawing. When a solo note is to be struck, the pneumatic is deflated, as shown at P ; the corresponding spring is
sprung back into the position A ' and the hammer stop to which spring is connected is thrown back into the position of
full stroke, as shown at a'. The effect of this arrangement is that the hammers corresponding to the accompaniment
notes travel, relatively, a short distance before they strike the strings, and the whole accompaniment is played with
soft tonal effects: but the hammers which sound the theme or solo notes, traveling through a greater distance, strike
their respective strings with greater force and with much louder resulting tone.
The operation of the solo action controlled automatically through the music sheet and tracker-bar. The tracker-bar
is provided with the usual apertures, spaced to register with the note perforations of any standard music sheet. The
tracker-bar is also provided with apertures in the shape of narrow slots, one above the end of each player aperture, as
shown. The larger player ducts or apertures open into a series of tubes which lead down to the player action, and the
slotted solo ducts are connected to tubes which lead up to the solo action.
The music sheet differs from the standard music sheet by having note perforations which differ from each other, and
as the sheet travels over the tracker-bar certain note perforations (those for the accompaniment) register only with the
large player ducts and others (those for the solo) being wider, register with both player and solo ducts.
Now as the music sheets travelsover the tracker, each accompaniment perforation will pass to the side of the slotted
solo apertures in the tracker and will pass over the regular player or accompaniment apertures, and each of the solo per-
forations will pass over both the slotted solo and the regular player or accompaniment apertures; but when the solo per-
forations pass over their respective solo apertures in the tracker, they will deflate their respective pneumatics, throwing
the respective hammer stops back, and, by increasing the length of stroke of the hammers, will cause said solo notes to
be struck with greater force and with resulting louder tonal effects.
Furthermore, in addition to this automatic selection and emphasizing of the solo, the tonal power of the notes may be
varied by varying the vigor of the pumping and thus changing the air pressure in the player action. Again the degice
to which the solo notes are emphasized may be varied by varying relatively the short-stroke and long-stroke position of
the hammers.
EaMe
MAKERS and PATENTEES
Greatest JVlanufacturers of Pianos ana Inner-Player ^Pianos
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
8
SUPERIORITY OF THE
SOLO CAROLA INNER-PLAYER
proved by the impartial investigation of the editor of the Scientific American
Reprinted from an Editorial in the Scientific American
of May 20th, 1916
Emphasizing the Theme in a Player Piano
T
Others
Obviously Defective'
Others
Limited to a Few Compo-
sitions ^ - ^ — ^ —
Others
Play Incorrectly All But
a Few Compositions—^
But the Miracle Player, is
Absolutely
Without
Musical Limitations——
HE first successful mechanical piano play-
ers had no sooner made their appearance
than there was an immediate demand, at
least on the part of those who possessed the
so-called musical ear, for some means of playing
the solo, melody, or theme with a stronger em-
phasis than the accompaniment. Most of us
who own or have owned piano players (and
this is particularly true in cases where the
operator has never learned to play by hand)
will remember how the first delight at hearing
a musical composition being played directly
under one's own control, was quickly followed
by a desire to subdue the accompaniment and
bring out with clearer emphasis the theme or
melody. The inability, in the early players, to
emphasize the theme was due to the fact that
a uniform tension was used for all the operating
pneumatics throughout the scale.
There is probably no element in the player
that has been made the subject of .so much
patient investigation and clever invention as
that of theme or solo expression, and, during
the past decade, some very ingenious devices
have been tried out and placed upon the market
with more or less gratifying results.
*• Broadly speaking, there are four classes of
theme-expression devices. In one of the earliest
of these, an attempt is made to emphasize the
theme by dividing the scale into sections, in
each of which the tension of the player-pneu-
matics is regulated by their own control valves.
In this type, the operator endeavors to throw
increased tension into that particular section
or zone in which the theme notes occur. The
obvious defect of the arrangement is that not
only the theme notes in any particular section
will be emphasized, but also such notes of the
accompaniment as also happen to lie in that
,. section.
Another type of player is provided with two
separate sets of pneumatic actions, each oper-
ated by its own tracker-bar range; one being
used for the melody and the other for the accom-
paniment notes. If this were carried out liter-
ally, there would be a call for a tracker-bar
with 88 melody notes and 88 notes for the
accompaniment; but the difficulty of having a
bar and music roll of this length led to the adoption of a bar containing only about 120 apertures.
•
One of the best known and most successful melody playing pianos secures the desired effect by cutting the perfora-
tions in the music roll so that the accompaniment notes are struck first under the normal air tension, and then the air
tension is increased in the slight interval before the melody note is struck. The admission of the high tension before
the sounding of the melody note is done automatically by means of perforations on the edge of the music sheet.
It will be noticed in the three systems above mentioned that the emphasizing of the melody is accomplished through
automatic means for increasing the air tension under which the melody notes are struck.
•
In the player piano illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the novel features of which have been patented by
Mr. Paul Brown Klugh, of Chicago, 111., the accentuation of the theme or solo is accomplished by controlling the length
of stroke of the hammers. The way in which this is done will be understood by a study of the drawings in which the
player mechanism is shown in a light tint and the solo mechanism in a darker tint.
thesolo action is arranged in the upper portion of the piano case and extends throughout the full length of the ham-
mer scale. Back of the hammers is arranged a series of adjustable hammer stops, there being a stop to each adjoining
pair of hammers. The position of these stops, that is to say the distance between them and the piano strings, is governed
by the action of the solo pneumatics P, P and a series of springs A, A . When the operator is pumping, the solo pneu-
matics are normally inflated, as shown at P, and the springs A and the hammer stops a are in the positions shown in
the drawing. When a solo note is to be struck, the pneumatic is deflated, as shown at P ; the corresponding spring is
sprung back into the position A ' and the hammer stop to which spring is connected is thrown back into the position of
full stroke, as shown at a'. The effect of this arrangement is that the hammers corresponding to the accompaniment
notes travel, relatively, a short distance before they strike the strings, and the whole accompaniment is played with
soft tonal effects: but the hammers which sound the theme or solo notes, traveling through a greater distance, strike
their respective strings with greater force and with much louder resulting tone.
The operation of the solo action controlled automatically through the music sheet and tracker-bar. The tracker-bar
is provided with the usual apertures, spaced to register with the note perforations of any standard music sheet. The
tracker-bar is also provided with apertures in the shape of narrow slots, one above the end of each player aperture, as
shown. The larger player ducts or apertures open into a series of tubes which lead down to the player action, and the
slotted solo ducts are connected to tubes which lead up to the solo action.
The music sheet differs from the standard music sheet by having note perforations which differ from each other, and
as the sheet travels over the tracker-bar certain note perforations (those for the accompaniment) register only with the
large player ducts and others (those for the solo) being wider, register with both player and solo ducts.
Now as the music sheets travelsover the tracker, each accompaniment perforation will pass to the side of the slotted
solo apertures in the tracker and will pass over the regular player or accompaniment apertures, and each of the solo per-
forations will pass over both the slotted solo and the regular player or accompaniment apertures; but when the solo per-
forations pass over their respective solo apertures in the tracker, they will deflate their respective pneumatics, throwing
the respective hammer stops back, and, by increasing the length of stroke of the hammers, will cause said solo notes to
be struck with greater force and with resulting louder tonal effects.
Furthermore, in addition to this automatic selection and emphasizing of the solo, the tonal power of the notes may be
varied by varying the vigor of the pumping and thus changing the air pressure in the player action. Again the degice
to which the solo notes are emphasized may be varied by varying relatively the short-stroke and long-stroke position of
the hammers.
EaMe
MAKERS and PATENTEES
Greatest JVlanufacturers of Pianos ana Inner-Player ^Pianos
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).