Music Trade Review
Issue: 1921 Vol. 73 N. 9 - Page 7
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
AUGUST 27, 1921
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Greater Flexibility in the Player Mechanism Is Necessary if That Instrument
Is to Attain Its Proper Place as a Means of Producing Music, Rather Than as
a Mechanical Device to Be Pumped —Technical Suggestions Along This Line
If we are not mistaken, the player-piano of
the future is to be an instrument especially de
signed to be played, instead of merely to be
pumped. Now that the distinction between re-
producing piano and ordinary player-piano is
becoming marked the latter instrument must be
developed along its own individual and particu
lar lines if it is to progress and not stagnate.
Designers who have been thinking during recent
years mainly of how they can make something
easy, to sell will have to tnink more about mak-
ing something easy to play, which is quite a
different thing. Actually, of course, there ought
to be no distinction between easy to sell and
rasy to play, but unfortunately such a distinc-
tion has been drawn on the absurd supposition
that what was wanted was something as easy as
possible to "work," but as hard as possible to
"play."
Well, to-day we all recognize that there will be
two sorts of player-piano in the future, one of
which will be for reproducing and the other for
first-hand playing. The two will be separate in
every sense of the term and they will in no way
interfere with each other. There will be no com-
petition because it will be understood by every-
body that the two types operate in different
fields, each with its individual and peculiar func-
tion. There is more than enough room for both,
and it is the wickedest waste of time and energy
to get up internecine factional rights about their
respective rights or comparative merits.
This be'ng the case, it is time to point out that
the design and construction of the player-piano
proper have by no means yet been brought to
their finality. There are many bad points to be
corrected, many misunderstandings to be cleared
up, much that is clumsy and ill thought out to be
made clear and clean. Last month we took occa-
sion to point out that manufacturing practice
has been sadly neglectful and indifferent in face
of the absurdit'es wh : ch commonly characterize
the lay-out of the expression devices. Likewise,
more than once we have shown how poorly the
makers seem to realize what the operation of
playing the piano really calls for in the way of
applying and utilizing power. But it is appar-
ently necessary to say the same thing over and
over again, and we shall therefore make no
apology for returning to the latter subject and
discussing one of the aspects of the general prob-
lem of power as applied to the mechanism of
the player-piano proper.
Flexibility
Convenience, immediate availability and suf-
ficiency are, of course, requisites for any scheme
of power production useful for our purposes.
But a greater quality than all these is needed.
That quality is flexibility. If the power sup-
ply is not flexible to the utmost degree it is
worse than useless. And it is just at this point
that the player mechanism so conspicuously
fails. It is no answer to such an indictment to
allege that the player-piano does, in spite of its
supposed defects, succeed in pleasing and satis-
fying most of those who buy it. Even if we
allow a tolerably violent assumption like that we
must still point out that progress depends upon
continually discovering faults and remedying
them. And no conscientious player expert will
pretend that the power supply of any player
mechanism on the market is what it ought to be
in respect of flexibility.
By the term flexibility we mean, of course,
the capacity to deliver, as soon as wanted, and
in needed quantity, power at any one of an in-
numerable number of levels between minimum
and maximum. We may state the minimum to
be that which is needed 1 to overcome action re-
sistance and make a sound as feeble as possible
on one tone of the piano. The maximum is
whatever power is needed to sound a chord of
utmost practical width (four octaves, perhaps)
at a hammer velocity equivalent to a pressure
The highest class player
actions in the world
upon the action of not. less than ten pounds. Of
course, neither the maximum nor the minimum is
commonly called for. Extremes only are repre-
sented here. The commonly used levels are not
much above or below a geometric means be-
tween the two extremes. But the need is for
immediate transference from any one level
of power between the extremes to any other be-
tween them. It is not merely that one should
be able to work up to a power approaching
the maximum or down to one approaching the
minimum. It is that one should be able, as
rapidly as the pianist can with his finger and
arm action, to go from any one level to any
other without hesitation or difficulty.
Calculation
The solution to the problem which these re-
quirements present is, of course, to be found
in accurately calculating the area of air-content
in the player mechanism and then discovering
means for obtaining the most rapid and me-
chanically practical withdrawal of such propor-
tional quantities of the total content as may be
needed from moment to moment. In order to
do this it is only necessary to examine carefully
the common form of pneumatic stack, when we
shall at once see that in literally numberless in-
stances we have overlooked opportunities for
minimizing waste and have vastly increased,
without realizing it, the amount of atmospheric
air which we have to move. Square corners,
friction-producing channels, needlessly large
chests, leaky joints, excessive size of pneumatics
and valves caused by inability to destroy, leak-
age, these and many other causes can be cited.
All dtsigncrs are well acquainted with them.
But they have been remiss in not realizing that
the existence of these faults makes the player-
piano an inefficient instrument, unable to real-
ize the musical possibilities which ought t^ be
its own.
Waste
In much the same way calculation will reveal
parallel avenues of waste in the motor, the bel-
lows system and the various non-speaking pneu-
matic parts. There has grown up of late years
(Continued on page 8)
iHiiiimmniiimrnrnniunniminiiNiiinniimm
"The valve unit that made the player famous"
TfiE dflPflNESE
sense of becutm has been
developed 6o an> extraordinary
decree
"|ne exauisifce
The new "Amphion Accessible Action" is the last word in scientific player
achievement. It has the complete valve action assembled in a "Demountable
Unit" giving instant accessibility.
.'
AMPHIONWCTIONS
SXKMZVSE
—Your Guarantee
N EW YORK
*
f ^ Svmphonoj&
^ ^ %J
I
plauer -pieno
cppeals do ell lovers of *be
becutiiful. so Ibbab far-cujau
depen demands end bui|s
these superb instruments.
L/ou tuill be proud of i|oor
{cscirjicOiocj Sumphonoic*, cria
I{I will moke tiour house
c home.
PRICE & TEEPLE PIANO CO.
lUIUIIHNIIItllllllinillllUNllllfllUIIIIII
CHICAGO,
U.S.A.
..-.
- ...-.
THE
AUGUST 27, 1921
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Greater Flexibility in the Player Mechanism Is Necessary if That Instrument
Is to Attain Its Proper Place as a Means of Producing Music, Rather Than as
a Mechanical Device to Be Pumped —Technical Suggestions Along This Line
If we are not mistaken, the player-piano of
the future is to be an instrument especially de
signed to be played, instead of merely to be
pumped. Now that the distinction between re-
producing piano and ordinary player-piano is
becoming marked the latter instrument must be
developed along its own individual and particu
lar lines if it is to progress and not stagnate.
Designers who have been thinking during recent
years mainly of how they can make something
easy, to sell will have to tnink more about mak-
ing something easy to play, which is quite a
different thing. Actually, of course, there ought
to be no distinction between easy to sell and
rasy to play, but unfortunately such a distinc-
tion has been drawn on the absurd supposition
that what was wanted was something as easy as
possible to "work," but as hard as possible to
"play."
Well, to-day we all recognize that there will be
two sorts of player-piano in the future, one of
which will be for reproducing and the other for
first-hand playing. The two will be separate in
every sense of the term and they will in no way
interfere with each other. There will be no com-
petition because it will be understood by every-
body that the two types operate in different
fields, each with its individual and peculiar func-
tion. There is more than enough room for both,
and it is the wickedest waste of time and energy
to get up internecine factional rights about their
respective rights or comparative merits.
This be'ng the case, it is time to point out that
the design and construction of the player-piano
proper have by no means yet been brought to
their finality. There are many bad points to be
corrected, many misunderstandings to be cleared
up, much that is clumsy and ill thought out to be
made clear and clean. Last month we took occa-
sion to point out that manufacturing practice
has been sadly neglectful and indifferent in face
of the absurdit'es wh : ch commonly characterize
the lay-out of the expression devices. Likewise,
more than once we have shown how poorly the
makers seem to realize what the operation of
playing the piano really calls for in the way of
applying and utilizing power. But it is appar-
ently necessary to say the same thing over and
over again, and we shall therefore make no
apology for returning to the latter subject and
discussing one of the aspects of the general prob-
lem of power as applied to the mechanism of
the player-piano proper.
Flexibility
Convenience, immediate availability and suf-
ficiency are, of course, requisites for any scheme
of power production useful for our purposes.
But a greater quality than all these is needed.
That quality is flexibility. If the power sup-
ply is not flexible to the utmost degree it is
worse than useless. And it is just at this point
that the player mechanism so conspicuously
fails. It is no answer to such an indictment to
allege that the player-piano does, in spite of its
supposed defects, succeed in pleasing and satis-
fying most of those who buy it. Even if we
allow a tolerably violent assumption like that we
must still point out that progress depends upon
continually discovering faults and remedying
them. And no conscientious player expert will
pretend that the power supply of any player
mechanism on the market is what it ought to be
in respect of flexibility.
By the term flexibility we mean, of course,
the capacity to deliver, as soon as wanted, and
in needed quantity, power at any one of an in-
numerable number of levels between minimum
and maximum. We may state the minimum to
be that which is needed 1 to overcome action re-
sistance and make a sound as feeble as possible
on one tone of the piano. The maximum is
whatever power is needed to sound a chord of
utmost practical width (four octaves, perhaps)
at a hammer velocity equivalent to a pressure
The highest class player
actions in the world
upon the action of not. less than ten pounds. Of
course, neither the maximum nor the minimum is
commonly called for. Extremes only are repre-
sented here. The commonly used levels are not
much above or below a geometric means be-
tween the two extremes. But the need is for
immediate transference from any one level
of power between the extremes to any other be-
tween them. It is not merely that one should
be able to work up to a power approaching
the maximum or down to one approaching the
minimum. It is that one should be able, as
rapidly as the pianist can with his finger and
arm action, to go from any one level to any
other without hesitation or difficulty.
Calculation
The solution to the problem which these re-
quirements present is, of course, to be found
in accurately calculating the area of air-content
in the player mechanism and then discovering
means for obtaining the most rapid and me-
chanically practical withdrawal of such propor-
tional quantities of the total content as may be
needed from moment to moment. In order to
do this it is only necessary to examine carefully
the common form of pneumatic stack, when we
shall at once see that in literally numberless in-
stances we have overlooked opportunities for
minimizing waste and have vastly increased,
without realizing it, the amount of atmospheric
air which we have to move. Square corners,
friction-producing channels, needlessly large
chests, leaky joints, excessive size of pneumatics
and valves caused by inability to destroy, leak-
age, these and many other causes can be cited.
All dtsigncrs are well acquainted with them.
But they have been remiss in not realizing that
the existence of these faults makes the player-
piano an inefficient instrument, unable to real-
ize the musical possibilities which ought t^ be
its own.
Waste
In much the same way calculation will reveal
parallel avenues of waste in the motor, the bel-
lows system and the various non-speaking pneu-
matic parts. There has grown up of late years
(Continued on page 8)
iHiiiimmniiimrnrnniunniminiiNiiinniimm
"The valve unit that made the player famous"
TfiE dflPflNESE
sense of becutm has been
developed 6o an> extraordinary
decree
"|ne exauisifce
The new "Amphion Accessible Action" is the last word in scientific player
achievement. It has the complete valve action assembled in a "Demountable
Unit" giving instant accessibility.
.'
AMPHIONWCTIONS
SXKMZVSE
—Your Guarantee
N EW YORK
*
f ^ Svmphonoj&
^ ^ %J
I
plauer -pieno
cppeals do ell lovers of *be
becutiiful. so Ibbab far-cujau
depen demands end bui|s
these superb instruments.
L/ou tuill be proud of i|oor
{cscirjicOiocj Sumphonoic*, cria
I{I will moke tiour house
c home.
PRICE & TEEPLE PIANO CO.
lUIUIIHNIIItllllllinillllUNllllfllUIIIIII
CHICAGO,
U.S.A.
..-.
- ...-.
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