Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
JULY 29, 1922
REVIEW
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Wherein the Editor of This Player Section Duly Embraces the Opportunity
to Say His Say About Things, Events and Ideas of More or Less Import to
the Player Industry, Trusting His Ideas May Be Received With Approbation
pendent practitioners, who carry on their work
over large extents of territory, solid citizens who
are respected and looked up to in their com-
The tuners are going to have their convention munities. These men are good mechanics who
at Indianapolis this year and the chances are that are quick to learn. Just now they are all inter-
they will have a big gathering. Now, here is ested in the reproducing piano. Here is a very
an opportunity which every maker of a reproduc- good way to tell a group of the very best men
ing piano action ought to take at once. The in the trade all about a very important matter.
Auto-DeLuxe Welte (Licensee) will have Charles
Duncan Allen on the spot, and we hope that
The Foot-power Reproducer
every other maker will be on hand, too, with a
working model and a representative to tell the
It is good to learn that there is a marked ten-
boys all about it. It no longer can be said that dency toward producing foot-power reproducers.
the majority of tuners are without information on In our opinion this is a very good move. There
the general subject of pneumatics, but the repro- are several reasons why this should be so. In
ducing piano action remains a puzzle to most of
the first place, the ordinary reproducing piano is
them. Yet, in fact, there is no reason why this at present necessarily more expensive than an
should be so, save that there has not been enough ordinary player-piano. In the second place, it is
contact between the tuners and the manufac- not at all desirable to eliminate entirely personal
turers. Now, since the fortunes of any type of
interpretation. Thirdly, there is much to be
piano or player always rest ultimately with the learned about the arrangement of music and pneu-
tuners and since the cream of the profession will matic devices which will never be learned until
be in convention at Indianapolis on August 14, it is possible to sit at the instrument oneself
15 and 16, it seems that the Hotel Severin ought and supply it with the needed power. There are
to contain a good many exhibits of player actions, other reasons, too. We are interested in the idea
and especially of reproducers. These tuners are mainly, however, because it will give an oppor-
good men. They are men who know their busi- tunity to decide exactly how far the artistic pos-
ness and most of them are verv successful, inde- sibilities of the reproducing action are likely to
Please Remember Indianapolis
Your
Customers
Want This!
Player Roll Cabinet
:
. . .
•'- ':-''
- -"' ; ,;
T h i s beautiful player roll cabinet is a most a t -
tractive a n d salable piece of merchandise. T h e
TTieUVEUWQiBKS
28th Street and Barnes Avenue, INDIANAPOLIS
Write for the Udell Blue Book and Console Cabinet Catalog
FOR TONE, BEAUTY
AND LASTING
A
ACCOMPLISHMENT '
A Playing Competition
So far is the foot-power player from death that
the principal exponents of these instruments are
working full time, and over, just now in the effort
to keep up with the demand for them. This lends
point to the suggestion made some months ago
in these columns regarding a national competi-
tion for player-pianists. The idea has, we think,
some merit. It would stir up an immediate
amount of interest and enthusiasm. It would
bring a great many musicians round to a better
understanding and appreciation of the player-
piano and it would create a vast quantity of pros-
pects which alert dealers all over the country
would have no trouble in picking up. The fact
is that there is nothing wrong with the foot-
power player save unintelligent merchandising.
Given intelligence—as we have the best reason
to know—and there is no trouble in making sales.
Gulbransen's are proving that much every day.
This country contains hundreds of persons who
have learned to play the player-piano well and
who would be delighted at the idea of a national
contest, for a good prize, conducted all over the
country by elimination and focused finally in one
of the great cities. With eminent judges and ade-
quate publicity-it would be a great success. Each
contestant could choose his or her own instru-
ment and the final trial could consist of playing a
group of pieces ranging in variety from strictly
classical music to modern popular, with accom-
paniments or other tests, as desired by the judges.
Why not? It could be done without a huge cost,
though, of course, it would take time to work up.
But it could.be donel Why does not someone
try?
"Roll Talk"
• " J • price is especially attractive. Capacity 59 player
, 7
C--^TS Z~r~>
rolls. Grill doors. Height 41", width l9 l / 2 ",
1 • 15T.- h^) .^r^-D FT" IA
depth \3y 2 ". Finished in imitation mahogany or
walnut or with quartered oak front. This cabi-
:
.
. ;
net is a money maker. Better look into its pos-
. ' .
''
.".'
sibilities.
. . •
OT
be appreciated. Long experience forbids us the
naive belief that because the reproducing piano
gives good interpretations, therefore the mob
will prefer it. On the contrary, it is more likely
that the mob will prefer the worst possible inter-
pretations if they are but noisy and complicated
enough. The place the reproducing piano is ulti-
mately to take will best be determined by the use
of the foot-power instrument, which will certainly
become an admirable tester of public taste. We
shudder to think of the reproducing principle be-
ing degraded, but the only way to find out what
will happen is to give the mob a chance at it. The
chance, apparently, is to be given.
We have just had the pleasure of trying over
a very clever little roll issued by the Columbia
Music Roll Co., of Chicago, which is entitled
"Roll Talk." It is, as may be guessed, a com-
pendium of selections of various sorts of music,
got up for the purpose of instructing the would-be
purchaser as to the beauties of Columbia arrange-
ments and matters of that sort. The idea, of
course, is by no means new, but it is worth while
calling attention to the very clever way in which
this particular specimen is put together. It has
bits of dance music, of ballads, of "Overture to
William Tell," each selection carrying some de-
scriptive printed matter at its margin. The in-
tervals between the selections are filled up neatly
with pleasant-sounding music. It is a very good
piece of work and is the first one we have seen
which really manages to sell its idea clearly.
P I A W O S
Fhe W E R N E R
' N P U S I R ! KS C O . C i i v - i n r \ i »
AND
P L, A. V E R S