Music Trade Review

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Keyboard Playing
Is Basis of Piano Prosperity
Piano Industry Rests Upon the Straight Instrument, as Is Shown by the
Player-Piano, Which Is Only Interesting as a Selling Proposition Insofar as
It Gives Piano Music to Those Who Have Not Mastered the Keyboard Technic
H E straight piano is coming back to its
own and proper popularity. It is so com-
ing because the piano trade has suddenly
awakened to the fact that the whole music in-
dustry, not excluding that part of it which has
to do with the pneumatically operated instru-
ment, ultimately depends for its prosperity upon
the popularity of keyboard playing. This
awakening to the realization of an old but long-
neglected truth is responsible for the sudden
interest in piano-playing contests, in methods
of group instruction, and in other promotion
ideas of the same kind.
Now it is just as well to recognize that all
this means simply what in the player depart-
ment of the industry has always been called
"demonstration." Strictly speaking, every sale
of a straight piano which is brought about by
any sort of musical consideration at all is the
result of demonstration. Piano-playing con-
tests are only demonstrations on a large scale
of the musical qualities and the "consumer ap-
peal" (to quote some of the rather detestable
jargon of the advertising experts) possessed by
the piano. Group instruction is only another
method for putting before the minds of the
buying public the desirability of the piano as a
home possession to be played by the children,
and to bring into the home the atmosphere and
the social value of music.
All player-piano merchandising, whether it
relate to the foot-played or to the reproducing
instrument, is, or should be, based upon demon-
stration too; but it is now high time to point
out that the pneumatic instruments are almost
bound to suffer in comparison with the manual
pianos unless the present trend of salesmanship
on the latter be understood and an effort be
made to co-ordinate it with the salesmanship
which is applied to the other. Unless, in fact,
player-piano and straight piano salesmanship be
brought together, any revival of the straight
piano will hurt the player, just as through bad
co-ordination the player-piano has been per-
mitted in the past to hurt the straight instru-
ment.
The One Foundation
The piano industry rests upon the straight
piano. That is the first point to be understood
in any consideration of player merchandising.
The player-piano is practically interesting as a
•selling proposition only insofar as it gives
piano music, in the sense of the equivalent of
ordinary piano playing, to those who cannot
play the piano in the usual way. Insofar as it
T
ESTABLISHED 1B62
can do this it possesses selling appeal. And And if that is the practice of the good piano
not otherwise does it practically at this moment salesman, why does not the player-piano sales-
possess such appeal. The development of the man in his demonstration follow similar prin-
ciples? The first object of a demonstration
player-piano as an instrument with a voice of
its own, original and quite separate from that of applied to a player-piano is to show its strong
the straight piano, is something for the future points; its fine tone, its naturalness and human-
and something also which will not be taken up ness in the rendition of music; and so on. Plain-
by the trade until it shall have been developed ly then, every salesman demonstrating a player-
piano (whether foot-played or reproducing)
by non-commercial experts.
Player-piano merchandising, then, is the mer- must keep in mind that his first aim is to put
chandising of something which is ancillary to over his message. This is the message of the
and depends on the straight piano. And because player-piano's equivalence to a piano in tone
the player-piano is not something which is in- and its superiority in providing also an invisible
stantly and of itself to be understood by the pianist to translate that tone into music.
general public, because in fact its virtues must Naturally, then, the salesman will not allow the
be placed before the public mind over and over prospect to dictate the choice of music used
again, the foundation of its selling must be laid in the course of the demonstration. If he is
in demonstration, private and public. Such working on a reproducing sale he will do every-
demonstration must be based upon the principle thing which will show off the fine tone and the
of equivalence. The player-piano has to be realism of the playing, and for this purpose will
shown as the equivalent of the piano and the have his own set of selected music rolls from
pianist together. But that again simply means which he will choose what he thinks best in each
that the player-piano will sell only insofar as case. But in all cases he will be the dictator
this equivalence with piano and pianist together, and the commander. Time enough to consult
and this superiority to the unplayed straight the prospect about hearing this or that piece
piano in these senses is established by demon- after the sale has been made.
stration.
So, too, with a foot-player. To ask the aver-
age prospect what music he or she would like
What Demonstration Is
to hear is to commit assault and battery on
Surely then it is plain that when we talk of
demonstrating the player-piano we must under- the sale from the start. The salesman's job is
stand what we are trying to do as much as to demonstrate the musical appeal and the ease
when we are demonstrating a straight piano. of playing, and this means that he must choose
When a man is trying to sell a very high-grade what to play and know how to play it. The
straight grand, one of the two or three best, sight of a salesman smashing his way through
let us say, he does his best to show that in re- one jazz roll after another and then smilingly
spect of tone, touch, appearance and construc- saying, "You see, there's nothing to it," is
tion his is best. T o do this he uses all his arts, enough to make angels weep. And then it is
and above all he dwells on tone. If he be a wondered why the player-piano has shown
good salesman, he will have studied already all signs of falling off even among the low-
the existing meth'ods of producing the finest brows, whilst among the highbrows, where it
possible tonal effects from the instruments he is should have had its greatest popularity, it has
selling. He will have studied all their points for years been a hissing and a byword.
until he knows just how to make each of them
Demonstration is being studied anew in the
give forth its sweetest and most appealing case of the straight piano. Ought it not also
sounds. H e may not be much or anything of to be studied with equal care in the case of the
a musician, but he must know how to make pneumatic instruments?
the piano sound so as to back up what he says
about it.
That is why a good piano salesman always
does his own "trying over" before allowing the
prospect to sit at the keyboard; supposing that
Arrangements have already been started by
the prospect can actually play. That is why he the Fisher Music Co., Tucson, Ariz., for removal
never allows a child to mess around at the key- to the former store of the Drachman Shoe Co.,
board and air its childish opinions until at least which will be occupied some time during the
the sale is pretty well clinched.
present month.
Fisher to Move
L^UTER
NEWARK, N. J.
ONE OF AMERICA'S FINE PIANOS
UPRIGHTS
GRANDS
THE LAUTER-HUMANA