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MMD > Archives > October 2002 > 2002.10.12 > 02Prev  Next


Player Pianos are Fun
By Roger Waring

Peter Neilson's account of life on the road was spot, and yes, Peter,
there are others who do it!  Here in the UK I have been dragging a
player around for the last 6 years or so.  Here are my equivalent
reasons for not doing so:

Rain.  The piano is not happy with bad weather, the rolls even more so.
I could not agree more.  And rain always waits until you have the player
half off the trailer before soaking you.

Sunshine.  At Sunny Swanage I noticed the keys starting to curl.

Shyness.  I don't even attempt to sing.  I leave that to the show-offs,
or the professionals -- the whole of the Savannah Jazz Band joined in
to sing "It's a Sin to tell a Lie" at the Queens Hotel, Keswick.
Magic!

Wrong Roll Syndrome.  Definitely to be avoided.  I once started on
Schubert's March Militaire by mistake, but I had to finish it.  Funny,
though, whilst some folks disappeared, others drifted in.

Weirdness.  The pianola is too weird for teens.  Yes, but they cannot
help taking a sly glance.  Definitely no questions from them, though.
5-10 year olds are a different kettle of fish, however -- you can't
keep them away!

Competition.  Starting a roll just as the band are just about to play
again after their break is always amusing.  (Well, it saves them a
number anyway.)

Self-taught musicians.  I make sure that only band musicians are
allowed on my players.  I regard their interest as a compliment.
Especially when they say they prefer my piano to the venue's own
instrument -- not uncommon!

Muscles.  They ache the next day.  From pumping?  No, from putting the
piano back up into the trailer.  I have developed techniques over the
years to minimise this.  I now do it on my own using blocks of timber
and a board to construct a movable ramp down which my dolly rolls a bit
at a time until the player is fully lifted on board.  Takes time but it
is safe.  Then I trundle it all up to my home-built trailer which is
marginally lower than the dolly.  Roll on -- Roll off!

Danger. The piano hasn't fallen on its back yet.  But there have been
a couple of almosts.  Me too.  Mainly from slopes -- the enemy of the
piano mover.  Not up or down slopes, but the sideways kind.

Ears.  After a week long festival I temporarily lose all interest in
piano roll music.  That is until the next one.

Roger Waring - The Pianola Workshop
Solihull, England
http://www.pianola.co.uk/


(Message sent Sat 12 Oct 2002, 10:27:24 GMT, from time zone GMT+0100.)

Key Words in Subject:  are, Fun, Pianos, Player

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