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Enjoying Classical and Popular Piano Rolls
By Paul Johnson

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I enjoyed reading the thread Paul Murphy started about enjoying both
classical and pop rolls.  When I bought my piano a number of years ago,
it came with a collection of 65-note classical rolls.  The box of these
lay dormant for a number of years (being primarily a "pop" man myself)
until I decided to give one a try, just for the heck of it.

I pulled a Mozart piece out of the dusty stack and was fairly astonished
at how nice it sounded.  I was able to give it a fairly wide range of
dynamics and turned out a performance that I was happy with and nobody
went running from the building.

I was afraid that the metronomic nature of an arranged roll, coupled
with the slightly narrower octave range of a 65-note roll, might make
it a less than satisfying experience.  I was wrong on both counts.

So, about a year ago, when I found a Bach piece on 65 note, I decided
to pick it up and give it a try.  I wasn't disappointed.

While I still prefer pop rolls, it's a nice change of pace to put on a
classical performance.  It cleanses the palate before diving into that
big juicy Herman Avery Wade arrangement.

Paul Johnson



(Message sent Wed, 7 Dec 2005 05:28:51 -0800 (PST) , from time zone -0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Classical, Enjoying, Piano, Popular, Rolls

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