AMICA 1995 Convention Souvenir player-piano roll

1995 Marked the first time AMICA held a convention in England (London). Rex Lawson assisted by Denis Hall hand-arranged, created wry lyrics for, and stenciled the lyrics on the roll one-at-a-time using a dot-matrix printer (yes, many copies were wasted by mis-feeding). The orchestration and lyrics parody the convention goers (mostly Americans) coming to London, attending the sites, then returning via Massachusetts.

This video is made to zoom-in on the lyrics as best as I could while I pumped the piano. Please read-along and you'll agree this was a work of genius.

Please visit WWW.AMICA.ORG for more on these instruments.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• www.amica.org
• player-piano
• music-rolls
• 1920's
• Ampico
• Duo-Art
• Welte-Mignon
• Auto-Piano
• London

[pedalelectric]

A really good roll, with some adventurous harmony! Who, I wonder, did the perforating? Was it done in the US, or in England? Are copies still available?

[karellison]

This roll was perforated in England. These were only available to those who attended the London convention, and I got this from an attendee who has since passed.

[er10b]

@MrJAAP1000 It's vacuum operated. Operating the foot pedals runs an air motor and two bellows that act as suction bellows. The suction pulls the paper against the trackerbar. As the paper moves downward onto the takeup spool, holes on the paper are uncovered. The suction of the bellows pulls the air coming in through the holes on the paper and the air then goes to bellows that operate the keys on the piano. It's rather complicated when you actually look at one.

[MrJAAP1000]

This is just AMAZING :D. For my music homework iv got to learn how an auto piano works, how an earth DO they work?

[jsteeber]

What an effort!

[pianolasociety]

Great tune! Great arrangement! Come back to England and we might even do ya another one!

[Karlfalcon]

That was awesome.