How are piano rolls made & function ? | Episode 2 | Season 1: Piano Rolls | Finding Pieces

Описание: In this episode we investigate how a piano roll works inside a player piano, and how piano rolls were made. We come to appreciate the ingenuity of simple designs to make complicated things work: pneumatic thrust in player pianos to generate and operate electrical components; stenciling patterns in piano rolls to represent sound nuances. We begin to question what a good piano (pianistic) sound is, and see how this has taken shape in the developments of these specimens.

The episode ends with a snippet playing of a ‘modern’ roll: Florence Price’s Fantasie nègre no. 1 in E minor, recorded and playback on a Yamaha Disklavier by Allison Devenish, the midi of which is transferred onto a piano roll for Duo-Art system, and played back on a Duo-art push up onto the 'Beatrice' piano at Musical Museum Brentford.

JT | #findingpiecespiano
- - - - - - -

Resources:

Piano rolls from Musical Museum Brentford @MusicalMuseum
Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre No. 1 in E minor played by Allyson Devenish
Nocturne No. 9 No. 2 in E flat Major by Frederic Chopin, Full Scale Themodist T80194 (88-notes)
Papillons Op. 2 Nos. 1-4 by Robert Schumann, Chase & Baker Co. 3633 (65-notes)

Videos:
‘How Does A Player Piano Work? - A Basic Explanation’ [Chris Plaola]    • How Does A Player Piano Work? - A Basic Ex...  
‘Making a Player Piano Roll’ [Billy Edwards]    • Making a Player Piano Roll  
‘Player Piano Roll Arrangement’ Player Piano Roll Arranging - Sounds like real music; how is it done? Part 1’ [clariona]    • Player Piano Roll Arranging - Sounds like ...  
'Making a new piano roll of Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre No. 1' [NWPPA]    • Видео  
‘How to Make Player Pianos’ [DSCdocumentries]    • How to make Player Piano Rolls {www downlo...  

Images
Selected photographs from the Aeolian Factory (Hayes) archive, Musical Museum Brentford
The Angelus Piano Player - Harper's Magazine Advertiser, April 1903. http://www.pianola.org/factsheets/ang...
1925 DuoArt Reproducing Piano, a Duo-Art advert, http://www.pianola.com/ppadvert.htm
1924 Fischer Vertical Piano with Ampico Reproducing Player, https://www.starbirdmusic.com/product...
Trackerbar of a Welte-Mignon T 98 piano (Buffalo Convention): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_r...
Patrick Handscombe (2014) 'The London Duo-Art Pianists' [Player Piano Group]
‘What does a Welte T100 (red) piano roll look like?’ https://www.faszinationpianola.de/en/...
‘Hupfeld piano rolls at Stanford’ https://library.stanford.edu/blogs/st...

Tangential facts & footages
‘The invention of the vacuum cleaner, from horse-drawn to high tech’ https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/obje....
1940’s appliances including prices: https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/40se...
‘Lang Lang about Steinway & Sons Spirio’ [Steinway & Sons]    • Lang Lang about Steinway & Sons Spirio  
‘Spirio vs. Disklavier; Which is the better 21st Century self-playing piano for you?’ :https://msteinert.com/blog/spirio-vs-...
‘I took a ride in Waymo’s fully driverless car’ [The Verge]    • I took a ride in Waymo’s fully driverless car  
‘Strings of hammer of a piano’ by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/video/string-a...
‘Person playing piano’ by Roman Odintsov: https://www.pexels.com/video/a-person...
‘Person driving a car’ by Aleksey Skatchkov: https://www.pexels.com/video/person-d...
‘Cat walking over piano keys’ by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/video/a-cat-wa...


A most useful website about player pianos and player organs: Pianola Institute: http://www.pianola.org
Website belonging to Julian Dyer, roll-making expert and specialist: http://pianorolls.co.uk/