Hi All,  Just curious to know if anyone has any thoughts concerning
the reason for installing a keylock (or key lock) device in an upright
player piano.  I've come up with a couple of reasons that seem fairly
logical but I'd like to find out if it was just an advertising gimmick
or if there is documented evidence that it had a practical purpose.

I'm asking because I was asked by a customer who just bought their
first circa-1920's player piano.  In my initial response, I told her it
was there to keep the kids from playing the piano while the player was
playing.  In his book, Art Reblitz suggests that it had an effect
on the repetitive capability of the player mechanism at low playing
volumes.

Further, considering that I have spent a fair amount of time insuring
that the device is properly adjusted and working when I've rebuilt
players, it would be nice to know if I've just been wasting my time and
the customer's money.

Musically,

John A Tuttle
Player-Care.com
Brick, New Jersey, USA

 [ The keyboard lock is usually controlled by a lever under the key bed.
 [ Some levers seem designed especially to rip the trousers!  -- Robbie