In 1981 I recorded some songs for Play-Rite.  John Malone's recording
piano was an old vertical equipped with switch contacts under each key
and the loud pedal.  A Stahnke serial digital recording and playback
system (pneumatic) had previously been installed by technician Moens
Ravens.  John showed me how to operate the reel-to-reel tape recorder
and said, "Call me when you're ready to punch the draft rolls."

"How can I record a 'four hands' tune," I asked.  "Record the first
part on track 1 of the recorder, then play track 1 while you record
track 2.  All four hands will be recorded on track 2.  That's how
Walter Erickson does it."

When I finished recording John carried the tape recorder to the big
Play-Rite perforator and punched the draft rolls of my hand-played
performances.  Then I took them home and spent many hours editing my
live playing, to put it into "Play-Rite style".

I suppose a similar procedure was used 70 years earlier: the Secundo
or accompaniment part was registered at the recording piano and a draft
roll punched, then the Secundo roll was played back on the same piano
while the other Primo part was recorded live.  The result was a four
hands performance punched in one draft roll, ready for editing.

Robbie Rhodes
Etiwanda, Calif.