Pianola Demonstration

[jwcsh]

Wow. So it takes a skilled musician to operate the music playing machine. :-)

[LeonvE11]

old school synthesia

[santgil]

Wish i could see the weys also... =/

[cagriebler]

É mais difícil controlar essa pianola aí do que tocar a própria música no teclado do piano.

[gramophoneshane]

As a 1901 Pianola owner, all I can say is WOW, HAVEN'T I GOT A LOT TO LEARN lol.

Being mostly a gramophone collector, I've been setting the "speed control" as indicated on the roll, & there it stays to the end of a roll, unless a change is indicated on the roll itself. Basically the same with the sustain lever. I can now see why my playing (& many others here on youtube) sound so lifeless & flat.

Thanks to both you & Julian for this demo video. It's truly educational & inspiring!

[elijohua]

Is it not easier to simply learn the piece?

[greysmoke321]

amazing!!

i like how he shows how it works and how he modified it to be better..

it is like he is a master pianist but not..

[greysmoke321]

amazing!!

i like how he shows how it works and how he modified it to be better..

[thehorsepower888]

Que fascinante e instructivos video

[lilchopin1]

what is the name of the song on the piano roll

[smalin]

@lilchopin1 See the FAQ.

[howunoriginal2]

the tempo lever adjustments made a drastic improvement in musicality!

[rollingcube]

very good

[sexypoetry]

i am starting the pole shift survival group.

let me know if u r interested.

[SarbearK]

WOW playing the Pianola is like rubbing your stomach and tapping your head while you jump on one foot at the same time!

[TuboEspectador]

Well, it may be more difficult than playing a regular piano, but then, this is an historical artifact. And you have preserved and helped us understand the era after mechanization but before electronic recording. There must be some bravo due here! :D BRAVO! Any Mahler?

[Petitprox]

this is way more difficult than just playing the piano :P

[chutdigadut]

haha i Know!

[RockerDuk]

@Petitprox Uhm.. no. Not really.

[kikomorse]

That's some old school DJing, right there

[chutdigadut]

HAHAHA

[Raine44354]

my grandmother has a piano with a pianola built inside, its pretty old and i don't know if it works. but im going to make sure she never gets rid of it because pianos are just amazing. so this (thankfully) gives me an idea of how it works so maybe once i get the music i can see if it works or can be fixed.

[HEROYAHU]

FABULOUS !

THRILLING !

THANK YOU !

[SteffanLlwyd]

Hi,

I've been given a 'Stems' Pianola, said to be built in 1910. It appears to be complete and by working the pedals it is certainly possible to make the music roll run from the top spool to the bottom spool. Some re-plumbing has been done using pvc pipes, but I'm not getting any sound.

Can you tell me what I need to do? : )

(It is VERY heavy!)

[KawhackitaRag]

I think you need to take your Pianola to a reputable shop and have them restore it for you.

It will cost more money than usual because they will have to undo all the PVC "re-plumbing" that someone else did, a big no-no. HOWEVER, the result will probably be worth it because then you will have a nice pianola at home on which to play.

Make sure you have the right people re-do it for you; get a musician friend to go along and inspect examples of their work before agreeing to anything.

[Brandotuomikoski]

that was a very musical performance! You are highly skilled at using one of these! Great job! I want one! lol

[Peeto87]

yeah, you're right.

[boriszbalkan]

I've never ever ever seeeeen such a thing. I DON'T LIKE IT grrr :o)

[tapiq]

Wow, interesting! Does it mean that when I have a cd of Gerhwin's pianola roll playing , it's not actually Gershwins phasing, pedalling and so on, because there ALLWAYS has to be this guy who operates all the accents, tempos etc? I thought that pianola is able to record all the aspects of the tone, so when you replay pianola roll, it's should (without anyone's assistence) sound totally the same, just like you replay cd for example...

[KawhackitaRag]

No, a roll is just the data used to play the notes (and sometimes expressions), nothing more and nothing less. The TONE is entirely dependent on the piano itself, and those vary greatly. You can play the same roll on different pianos and get different sounds. It is not at all like a recording.

Years before editing of recordings was possible, piano rolls were ALL edited, with the people at the roll company quantizing the raw data of a hand-played performance (look up "quantizing").

[KawhackitaRag]

Almost all old "hand-played" piano rolls were quantized, including the "reproducing" rolls. This, more than anything, is responsible for the "mechanical" sound of most piano rolls, not the player piano mechanism itself.

As Mr. Dyer notes, a great many rolls were "arranged" on a drafting board, without using a human performer at all. This was and is still the easiest way to make a piano roll.

[KawhackitaRag]

There are two ways to avoid the mechanical effect of quantization in piano rolls:

The first is to use modern computer recording and perforating techniques which can capture and perforate a pianist's performance with much finer rhythmic accuracy than was possible in the past (and without the need of quantizing or "rounding off" to simple, coarse rhythms to suit the stepping of the perforating machine).

The second is to carefully use the drafting-board method to mimic a human performer.

[Peeto87]

This is sick! I just realised this song is off The Truman Show, isnt it?

[ivionday]

Is that continuous dotted line waving up and down across the whole piano roll a tempo indicator?

[KawhackitaRag]

yes.

[Shrieken213]

he keeps giving us the middle finger

[ridingisasport]

Cool! I had no idea a pianola was like that... I thought you just stick the thing in and pump and it plays, like a CD . Thanks!

[robinsonsimonesrriii]

I have a pianola and it is in a very bad condition than this one do you know where I can get it repared and for how much?

Thank you

[smalin]

You might want to ask Julian Dyer about this.

[sergioiudicibus]

Does this Pianola device work with upright pianos?

[Stevenup7004]

Why wouldn't it?

[electronicjo1]

mechanical obstructions and mounting considerations

[Stevenup7004]

But.. it sits in front of the piano..

[pianolasociety]

yes, this will fit either a grand or an upright. The pianola is height adjustable to fit different keyboard levels - it cranks up from a side mechanism. The sustain pedal mechanism has an adjustable foot with an extension for use with grands where the sustain pedals are sited further back under the keyboard than on an upright generally.

[Obakedake]

Amazing video. Thanks for the detailed description of it's operation. An incredible machine!

[ant501UK]

the sound level is really far too low, which is a shame but at least it is in synch with the picture, a rare thing on youtube. :)

[Cheesetubes]

Can you play regular 88 note rolls on 85 note pianolas? I should think you can....

[pianolasociety]

yes, the last 3 notes are omitted that's all

[Cheesetubes]

Of course, it's much more exiting to play it yourself.

[earlyflyer]

Wondeful, wonderful demonstration of how a pianola should be played. Thank you!  Now I'll go try that on my player piano...

[tage92]

Why the pianola?? i dont understand it or the meaning of it at all.

[Cheesetubes]

Why the pianola? Why not the pianola?

The pianola, I believe, was purely to provide musical and visual entertainment, while also serving as your normal household piano.

[redfire20003]

That was Brilliant. I have played rolls on a pianola which sounded rather mechanical but this is great and sounds like a realistic piano

[KawhackitaRag]

Most well-restored pianolas or player pianos can sound this realistic if the pianolist (person pumping) practices enough. The key word is "restored"... there are still a number of people who tout themselves as "restorers" but don't do a good job. The player action should be tight and responsive enough that you can pump it with one foot and still play all the notes, plus add some expression. (some brands such as Gulbransen and Aeolian can be especially responsive).

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Will You Be Showing More of Your Pianola?

[carlitoswey2008]

wow..i think i wud jus rather play it wit my own hands..

cool instrument sorta thingy object machine u got there tho...=)

[Davidrogerman]

era como ser dj en el siglo XIX

[insanevidrio]

cool!

[Rikitfsur]

@Davidrogerman jajaja es verdad xDDD

[Anony7]

goh dat lijkt mn innerlijk wel. vrolijke muziekjus . grappig muziek

[edmega332]

thats what i said.

[Jeffluvs80s]

Cool, I used to play the Piano. Gee I oughtta get back into that again.

[kukral]

Julian- Good program and a nice sounding piano. We need more educational programs such as this.  Best regards. Mike Kukral, Publisher AMICA (Automatic Musical Instruments Collectors' Association)

[dramaqueen872005]

I know the song but can't remember the name. What is it?

[smalin]

It's a waltz by Chopin; sometimes called the "Minute Waltz."

[dalrockRD]

THAT was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. So beautifully crafted. Almost like early "home copy" of a popular song, before recorded sound. This was the way it was recorded? I've always been amazed at player pianos and nickelodians, but that is the incredible thing I've seen. Oh, and because I know that music, I really loved it. I'm amazed at how you control the play, early pioneering of 'interactivity', right?

[Arpeggio]

Woww interresting.. And amazing

But what's the use..?? Is it not much more fun and better to learn to exually play the piano instead of controling the speed and base treble and that kind of things..??

[smalin]

Better for what? I've spent somewhere between 5000 and 10000 hours practicing the piano, and it is fun to play, but it's fun to use the conductor program, too, and it doesn't take nearly as much practice. I expect that playing the pianola would be something like playing the conductor program.

[Yawningpawn]

wow that's pretty amazing..

[Krerksakul]

how much that pianola?