Mike Knudsen questioned the construction of a pipe organ using a paper-
as-valve system, given the unhappy effects this causes on organ pipes
(MMD 99.10.14).

I was recently looking though John McTammany's 'Technical history of
the Player', and there are a surprising number of patents that propose
precisely such a device -- so they have a long history!  How many were
practical devices is open to question, but probably not many were ever
built.

Some even proposed operating pianos using such devices, where the
problems are even more extreme than with a pipe organ.  The next step
was sprung fingers to push through the paper roll and operate valves or
mechanisms directly.  Surprisingly, pouch-operated valve systems came
very late in the day, after the period covered in the book, which is up
to the 1880s.

Incidentally, I have to return the copy of the book that I borrowed.
Does anyone happen to have a spare that they want to sell?  It is a
Vestal Press reprint from 1971.

Julian Dyer