Aeolian-Hammond Test Roll
By Wayne Stahnke
This note is in response to E. Roger's request for information regarding a test roll for his Aeolian-Hammond instrument.
As part of the ongoing effort to scan test rolls, I recently scanned the test roll for the Aeolian-Hammond organ, and I recreated the master roll used to perforate it. Unlike many test rolls, this one has a roll number. It is roll 1000, and it tests the notes for the pedal board and the notes for both the great and swell manuals. There are no tests of other functions, such as setting stops. It appears that the leftmost port in the tracker bar is used for rewind. The two adjacent ports are not used in the test roll. Do you know, or can you find out, what these ports are used for? My guess is that they switch the pedal ports up and down by one octave, to allow the entire pedal board to be played from the roll without employing the one port per note that would otherwise be required.
I do not know where you can buy a copy of the test roll. However, I would be happy to provide you with a computer image of it, and the tools for examining the image, if you think these would be of use to you. You may want to have a new copy of the test roll perforated from the restored master roll image.
Sincerely Yours,
Wayne Stahnke
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(Message sent Wed 9 Oct 1996, 16:35:42 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.) |
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