Regarding demonstrating your piano for a guest who has never seen or
heard a reproducing piano.  While I feel that it is important to keep
trying to educate, we should select music that your listener is
familiar with.

We must remember we who love our reproducing pianos are a rare breed!
In the 46 years that I have owned a reproducing piano, I have found
about one in a hundred who really have any interest at all in listening.
It does not matter what roll you demonstrate, 99% of people will start
talking the minute the music starts to play.  It is like they are in
competition with the music.  When they start talking it is your signal
for you to rewind the roll.  They probably will not notice that either.
You might as well have asked them to listen to your washing machine!

Not long ago, I played an original Ampico demonstration roll for a
guest, new to reproducing pianos.  The roll contains about twelve
different selections.  The person 'listening' was constantly talking
over the music and at the end of the roll said, "That was very nice,
I never heard that song before."  Another reproducing piano owner
is usually the only person who will truly enjoy listening to your
reproducing piano.  Rarely is it someone new to them, but I feel we
should keep trying.

Bruce Clark