Theory and Practice of Piano Construction / With a Detailed, Practical Method for Tuning

by William Braid White

The clock-work motor, on the other hand, is entirely separated from the striking mechanism, except as far as it is sometimes connected with the pedals for the purpose of winding the spring. Even this, however, is not a real interference with the striking pneumatics. The chief advantages of the clock-work motor are that it is built of steel and brass, instead of wood and leather; that it is independent of the rest of the player, and therefore always self-contained and free from extraneous influences; that rewinding is effected by the reserve power of the spring, and that the use of the pedals as in the pneumatic motor, is therefore not necessary.

Its disadvantages, as alleged by its critics, may be considered as follows: That it requires oiling and cleaning frequently, and that if neglected will rapidly become impaired; that it is sometimes slow in acceleration and retarding; that it is heavy and complicated, and that the winding, when done by pedals, is wasteful, and when effected by a handle, is tiresome.

The above tables of vices inherent in both types are by no means as terrible as they look, however, and experience seems to show that many of them do not appear in practical work. On the whole, the clock-work motor seems to have much in its favor, although the question still remains open, and time alone can show which is practically better.

It is neither necessary nor profitable to go into any considerable detail as to the pianoforte pedal operating devices, the soft stops, or other details of the sort. We may better employ the space at our command in a short discussion of the movement which has resulted in incorporating the mechanism described above into the case of the pianoforte itself. This movement is, of course, a natural outcome of the successful introduction of the exterior “player.” The public soon began to find fault with the latter on account of the space it occupied, and also because of the annoyance incidental to its removal from the instrument for manual playing. It was not long before the makers of “players” were experimenting, with a view to using the waste space in the upright pianoforte for the purpose of including the “player” therein. The advantages of such a plan are obvious, provided that the actual mechanical difficulties can be overcome. These difficulties proved very stubborn at first, and it is not to be supposed that all are entirely overcome, even now.

It has been very hard, indeed, to arrange the mechanism in such a manner as to make all parts accessible for adjustment and repair. The results of any neglect of this important requisite are very serious. Makers should bend their first energies to the removal of all difficulties incidental to the obtaining of access to the playing mechanism or to the rest of the pianoforte, before they consider anything else. For example, it should be possible to remove the action or keys of the pianoforte without having to detach pipes and tubes. Nor should it be difficult to disconnect the pumping apparatus, or some individual valve or pneumatic which may need attention.

Again, the manner in which the pneumatics strike the keys or action is very important. The earlier player-pianos generally had the pneumatics placed below the key-bed, so that they operated from the rear end of the latter, striking them upwards. This had the double disadvantage of inflicting a hard, rigid kind of blow, and of making the pneumatics very inaccessible. A better plan has lately been devised, which puts the pneumatics over the keys, so that they operate at the front ends, just back of the ivories. Some such method as this is excellent always, since it permits a considerable concentration of the mechanism and a consequent curtailment of the inconveniently long tubes leading from the “tracker-board” to the valve chambers. All these matters, however, are in process of practical development, and the future holds the key to the ultimate solution of any such problems.

In considering the influence of the “player” mechanism upon the pianoforte itself, we may note that the general adoption of these devices, if it occurs, will inevitably produce certain modifications in the action mechanism, as well as in the general design. There is no doubt that the ordinary action mechanism of the pianoforte will not prove strong enough to endure the furious onslaught of the “player,” and it is questionable whether pianofortes constructed on the old plan will not more rapidly deteriorate when exposed to this wear and tear. The precise direction in which this modification is likely to come may not now be accurately determined, but it is probable that a general strengthening of centres and flanges will be the first result.

As for the distortion of the pianoforte case, this, as far as it now exists, may very easily be corrected. But it will not be easy to arrange the playing mechanism so as to avoid interference with the acoustical or mechanical forces of the pianoforte. For one thing, there is a great deal of machinery to put into a very small space, and for another there are certain parts of the pianoforte that must under no circumstances be touched. Thus the sound-board, the strings and the iron plate must be left severely alone. But the elimination of the Boston or double-rolling fall-board, and its replacement by something that will take less room, will provide a sufficient space to house the pneumatics and exhaust chamber above the keys. This is where they ought to be, and the only possible place where they can be reached without trouble or damage. The pumping apparatus must be kept away from the sound-board, and placed where it will do no harm; under the key-bed, necessarily, but not so as to interfere with the piano pedals or the resonance apparatus. Some portion of the bottom frame can usually be eliminated with advantage, and this will assist in providing the necessary space.

The position of the motor should be such that the minimum of waste occurs between the crank-shaft and the take-up spool. Thus, if possible, the motor ought to be above the key-bed. If it be of the clock-work type, it can hardly be placed anywhere else. Lastly, the whole of the exterior apparatus, such as levers, pedals, spool, etc., should be arranged to fold away or be covered up out of sight when the instrument is in use for manual playing.

While it has only been possible in this appendix to give the barest outline of the player-piano problem, the reader is besought to recollect that the industry is still new, and that the “present state of the art” hardly admits of any didactic assertions on principles of construction. We do not even know, today, whether the pneumatic principle will continue to prevail, or whether some new refinement of electric mechanism will not eventually surpass every device now known, both in responsiveness and convenience.