Thanks, Andrew Barrett, for asking the question that has prompted
a deal of reflection and the opportunity to share my experience.

When I was a child, in the early 1950s, I was fascinated by the piano
at my aunt's house, and was able to pick out tunes on it from about
age 4.  Later, my parents bought that piano, and for about 18 months
at age 9 or so, I had lessons.  At about the same time, the family on
the farm next door had a pianola, which my sister and I were allowed
to work.  I remember 'The Skaters Waltz' being a favourite.

Circumstances changed, and I was no longer able to have lessons, but
I taught myself the basics of bass chord accompaniment, so I could
play the great tunes of musical comedy that were the background to my
'reactionary' teenage years.  However, my first and enduring love was
for classical music, which was ever-present on the family wireless (it
wasn't a 'radio', then!).

In my late 20's, while at home raising children, I returned to piano
lessons, and with much hard work, passed the 7th grade classical exam.
Life took over, again, and with a return to full-time work, I no longer
had time to practice, or even to spend much time playing.  As well, I had
never been able to achieve the level of technical facility that meant
I could play pieces without weeks of effort in learning them, or at a
level where I could be satisfied with the result.  Rather frustrating.

Then, about eight years ago, I found a pianola in an antique shop, and
after consulting with my regular tuner, who assured me that a 'Duo-art'
was worthy of the price, I bought it.

Very soon, I discovered that 'Duo-art' meant that, more than the
'Mastertouch' show tune rolls I was expecting to play, 'I' could play
Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, right there on my piano.  At last, I
was able to make the music I loved 'live' in my lounge room.

So, for me, my Duo-art collection of classical piano pieces satisfies
my need to recreate music at the highest level of technical difficulty,
albeit using my feet (to pump) rather than my fingers (to play).

Jill Bear
Melbourne, Australia