I read with great interest Ed Gaida's report on the actual paper work for
the Nyles-Bryant course.

As another who has gathered so much junque over the years, the name
reminded me of a unique item I purchased at some auction sale and keep
parked on one of my pianos as a conversation piece!

This item is called the Bryant Temperameter and Beat Guage, Mfd. by Niles
Bryant School of Piano Tuning, Augusta, Mich. U.S.A. It is a cylinder of
wood, milled out to hold organ reeds around the outside. The notes run from
F to F (13 reeds,) plus two aditional reeds that are marked Tempered Third
and Smooth Third. Above the tempered and smooth reeds there is a resonator
in the form of a brass cup.

The entire unit is made from wood and is attached to a pedestal and base.
Picture in your minds eye, the end view of the wood cylinder with all the
reeds, looking like a telephone dial.  The identification plate is fasted
on to this with the notes indicated.  There is a 3/8 inch hole to the space
below each reed opposite the note markings.  You choose the note you wish
to sound and plug in an air line with a tapered fitting on one end to fit
the reed chamber and a mouth piece like on a smoking pipe which you blow
into.  Then you blow and the reed will speak.

This is too well built to be anything but a production item, but in my
opinion, I would say this "Piano Tuning School" was a very neat scam for
the unwashed public who thought it was a good idea to become a piano tuner.
It is like tuning with a pitch pipe by ear.  In then begs asking, if you
are tuning by ear, why not use a tuning fork which would be far more
reliable than blowing on a reed.

I have seen another similar device at auction, not as fancy, but definitely
for the same purpose, however it was bid past what I was prepared to pay
and besides, I collect enough different things already that I really don't
need to start a collection of early piano tuning gadgets!

From the wonderful world of collecting mechanical music and "go withs"-
best regards, Ken Vinen