I agree with Rob Deland's letter (Digest 961015), and I heartily agree
that "a reproducing piano doesn't reproduce anything except what the
editor chose to code into the roll."

Perhaps a Boesendorfer SE or Yamaha Disklavier can reproduce the
artist's playing, but ALL roll-operated systems only reproduce the
editor's work.

Just _listen_ to the electric phonograph recordings of Gershwin at the
piano, happily accompaning a vocal performance by Fred Astaire, or
playing his distinctive "party piano" stylings.  He was almost _devoid_
of nuances when playing pop music!

The expression editors at Welte and Duo-Art used their best judgement
when they coded his rolls, otherwise the public would have rejected the
rolls as "too mechanical".  That's the way Gershwin actually played,
but the public was "conditioned" to the "Duo-Art Sound", and the
manager of the roll editing department made certain that the "Sound"
was consistent.

Robbie Rhodes