cAFe *" .'Eft IDS from Qur,tBouquet

I don 't know wha t would do if I did not

receive the S.P .M. as I never do anyth ing else

unt il I have read the book through , and I al­

ways find some valuable matter that I am

looking for.W . A. K.

receiv e your S, P .M. regularly, and hope

you will send it as long as you publi sh it, and

I hope that will be for ever.c. ]. P.

I want to say ju st her e that I consider the

S. P. i\L · one of the g reates t publications for

tun ers. It has helped me over man y tight

places in Pl ayer Repair work.R. W . K.

I greatly apprec iate the Standard Player

Monthly. It is ju st the thing to help a tuner

and repairer of Player Actions over the rough

spots.]. \V. G.

~ut Oh'Boy' Read the ContestAnnouncement on Pages 8 &9 , , !

I wish to thank you very much, until you

are bett er pa id, for the S tandard Pl ayer

Monthly; each numbe r I receive I learn to

appreciate mor e for its valuable subjec ts and

its ori ginal sty le.E, E. ] .

It sure is ' wonderful the way the S.P.M.

tak es an inter est in the tuners , and I am sure

th at a ll o f us app reciate it.F. L.

I cer tai nlv do appreciat e what you people

are doing for the advancement o f the tuni ng

profession. The Standard Monthl y is par t o f

my daily br ead .]. C. M ,

Please send me your Standard Player Month­

ly. I see there is much goo d inf ormation in it.] . N .

The S . P. ~L is a "big" little maga zine, and

I am help ed very much by eac h issue .L. W . A.

Received your lett er stat ing that you ha veagain put my name on the ma iling list to re­ceive the Standard Pl ayer Monthly magazine.and r ight now I want to ex tend my than ks toyou for printing such a magazine o f in fo rrna- :

tion. I f tun er s and repair men would onlyread and study the questi ons and an swers yougive, and then do as you advi se, they wouldfind how easy it is to repair a Standard Pl ayerAction. O. L.

THE STANDARD PNEUMATIC ACTION CO.W . A . Mennie, Vice Pres.

638 West 52d Street. New York City

1n!lStandard/~'''~ Player

ONTHI;Vol. 11. No.6 June

Con tent s Copy ri ght ed 1925 by S ta nda rd Pneu ma t ic Act ion Compan y

JUNE

1925

\ \'e ' re w r it ing of June, a nd it's nowon ly Apri l, an d a co ld, raw day, with a"d izzy wind " blo wing off th e HudsonR iver. at that .

B ut it' s nice to look ah ead, and tothink o f June roses, and June bri des, andJune bugs, an d June butterf ies , and J uneconve nt ions .

Of June Conventions,-well the re'sthe Music Trades Convention in Chicagoon J une 7 to 15, and the W estern M usicT rades Convent ion in L os A nge les, 23dto 26t h . th en there's th e hig Nationa l

T une rs Convent ion in Detroit 0 0 - . B utno , that isn 't in June ; th at's in A ug us t ,isn't it ? L et 's look up th e da te, fo r wehope to attend. Oh yes,-August 3d to6t h. W ell, let's not forget again; let' srepeat it, " T he S ix tee nth A nnua l Co n­vention of the N .A. P.T. is to be held inDe t ro it , August 3d to 6th."

As for the month of June. 'Well, it'sa pre tt y good Convention month ; butwi th this chilly wind blowing from th er iver and the ocean we fee l th at perhapsA ugus t will be a bett er month, - it ' ll bewarm er.

OPPORTUNITY IS KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR,MR. MAN

O nce upon a time we ourselves entereda contest fo r "best letters." So me do ubt­ing' T hornases said, "Oh, you'll never ge tanyt hing out of that; there'll be too manycompeti to rs." But we ignored th e doubt ­ing T homases, and wrote six let ters fo rthe contes t, abid ing strict ly to the ru les.and we sent th em in . Q uite a t imeelap sed, and we'd almost forgot ten abou tth e co ntest, wh en tw o days before Chr ist­m as th e Postma n sto pped a t our doo r ,a nd a long wi th a num ber of Chr istmascard s, handed us two long env elope s. \Ve

ope ned them, then took the conten ts int othe kitchen, and executed a da nce , to theamazement of friend wi fe. T he tw o en­ve lope s contained two nice chec ks . T woo f ou r letters had secured prizes!

Man ! What a grand and glori ou s th rillwe go t out of it.

\ tVere we glad we had taken advantageo f t he oppor tun ity offered by the Con­test ? I 'll te ll the worl d we were !

O pportun ity is Knockin g a t your door,Mr. Man.

Standard Player Mon1hJ¥

STILL ANOTHER STANDARD SERVICE

A BUSINESS RECORD CARD FOR TUNERS

Here's something, men, for whichyou've been looking for a long time. It'llgive you a record of your business; en­able you to stabilize your prices, showyou when the time is right for anothertuning; tell you at a glance whether thepiano you are going to tune is in thesame district as another piano that ought

little box. You'll find file boxes on themarket that'll take just this size card, andto purchase one will cost you very little.As for the cards. Well, suppose weoffer to give you the first hundred, andlet you have additional quantities at, well-if you need more, say so and we'll giveyou a price.

NAMEDISTR.ICT

ADDR.ESS NO.

MAKE OF PlANO & NUMBER MAKE OF PLAYER ACTION t NUMBER

AGE E: CONDITION OF INSTR.UMENT

DATE WOR.K DONE TIME SERVICE MATERIAL TOTA~

RECORD CHARGE COST COST

SUPPLIED BY THE STANDARD PNEUMATIC Co.-638 WEST S2ND.STREET, NEW YORK CITY.

to be tuned again, and so save you car­fare; enable you to compute a fair pricefor your services; and furnish you witha mass of information which every tunershould possess.

That is, it will do all of this, if youtake care to fill it out and file it in a neat

As in all other professions, so in thatof piano-tuning and player repair, thereare men who while fully competent intheir professional capacity, are mightylax in their business methods. Thesecards, we feel sure, will render tunersgenerally a great service. It was forthat purpose they were designed.

Want some Real Spending Money?

Read about the Contests on pages 8 and 9.

Standard Player Monthly

-..... .------.Result. Piano Music Discounted

'Tditit Reeieoriable ~We're funny, we humans, ain't we?

T ake the fellow what buys a horse,-ifit gets pale around the ears, or sneezesonce, or acts as if it had Spring-fever,why he rai ses all Tophet until DoctorCyr us P ret ty has been around andtre ated the poor cr itter to a high-ball witha kick in it. Puts the kick into thehor se, see?

But tak e the feller what buys a piano;although mebbe he pays twicet as much

for it as the oth er feller for the horse;an' let the piano get twicet as sick as thehor se was, until the only music you getfr om it is such as to give discom fort toever 'body with ears, an' makes them wantto see the Doc,-does he send for theP iano Doctor? Not much, he don't.That is, not so very often . He lets thepoor thing suffer in agony until allmusic's gone fr om it' s wooden hide.T ain't rea sonable, I say.

Hike P eters.

6 Standard Player Mon1hly

D id you ever see a bass piano str ing made,M r. Tuner ? W an t to know ho w it's done ?W ell , it' s thi s way :

If you visit ed the factory o f the UnitedP iano Str ing Company, o f New Yor k, youwould find an up-to-dat e, electrically equippedfac tory, and in its stock vou would see thehigh est quality o f impor ted piano wire usedin the indust ry .

In the making of the bass str ings a coil o fth is wir e is placed on a cone shaped spindle,at one end of a long bench. A length o f thi swire is then dr awn fr om the spindle, and aworkman pr oceeds to make the loop or eyewhich goes over th e hitch-pin. T his is donewith great dexter ity. The end to be loopedis bent over a hook, then car r ied back a fewinches to a vise, wh ich grips the loose end andthe ma in strand t ightl y. The operator pressesa tr eadle and the bent end is rapidly tw istedabout the main strand. Then, what is le ft o fthe shor t end is g iven a right -angled tu rn , th etreadle is pre ssed aga in, and three or jou rrevolut ions made which firmly fastens the wire.Then, by a clever twist with the finger s, theheavy steel wire, capab le o f sustaining a weig hto f many hundreds o f pounds, is broken offclose. The loop is mad e.

Nex t comes the flattening o f the str ing intwo places, so that when the copper wire iswound upon it, it will not turn on the pol ishedsteel. T o do th is two anvils are used, one a teach end o f the bench. T he anvils w ith the irhammers a re adjustable to an y distance re­quir ed by the differ ent length s o f str ings. Wh enthe right lengt h has been measur ed off, thewor kman tri ps the hammer two or th ree times,and two flat spaces, about three inches long,ar e made near either end of the st r ing.

The next operat ion consis ts in the putting ono f the copper wire. (It may be ment ionedhere that the thickn ess o f the steel wire nec­essary, and the thickness of the copper wir efor winding, is entirely dependent upon the notefor which the str ing is intenderl) . In order towind the copper wire over the steel wi re bothends o f the latter are made fast and the wir estretched ta ut. T hen, over one of the flatt enedpart s o f the steel wire. the end of the cooperwir e is wound by hand for a turn or two. Thena tr eadle is pr essed, and the steel wire is set re­volving at the ra te o f 7500 revolut ions amin ute .

No w, the opera tor , wi th his le it hand, stead iesthe revolving wire, wh ile with his r ight handhe quicklv guides the winding copoer wi re alongthe leng th of the str ing , holding it tight unt il

it reaches the flatt ened port ion at the far end .T hen the speed of thc machine is slowed,brought to a stop, and with a dexterous twist ,the copper end is broken off.

T her e we ha ve a completed bass str ing .O f course, on the hea vier st rings, it is nec­

essa ry to have two windings of copper wi re­the fir st light, the second heavy ; but the modeof opera t ion is the same, and the glov ed handso f the workman , g uided by a keen eye, makesa job to be proud of.

How to Measure for Ordering SteinesWhen ordering single str ings return th e old

ones, and the new ones will be made like thesample. I f old str ings cann ot be sent , gi velength from hitch-pin to winding , and leng tho f windin g, also the number o f the stri ng ,count ing the lowest Bass S tr ing as No. I.

When order ing in sets, send a paper sca le.T o mak e a scale, take a piece o f paper long'eno ugh and wide enough to ent irely cover allthe wound str ings. H old the paper level andtaut, stretch it tight from top to bottom. thenpre ss on all the h itch, brid ge and agra ff pinsso that they come through the paper. e-or rubover with a file unti l the heads o f all the pinscome th rough . T hen send thi s pattern or sca leto the str ing manu facturer. together wi th theold str ing from each end of the bass sect ion,

Tuning Fork. A ba r of cast steelsha ped like a t wo-pro nged fork, witha handle of the same metal which maybe used to transmit the vibrati onsof th e tin es o f the fork to a sound­ing-board, thu s increasin g the volume ofsound. The fork is set in vibration bystriking a tin e of the fork against som ehard substa nce , The pitch of th e forkis determined by the length and thick­ness of its pro ngs or tin es. It was in­vented by J ohn Sho re , royal trumpeterto an Engli sh king, in 17 1 1. It is us edfor determining musica l pitch. Thosemost commonly used a re tuned to A orC. It is indispensable to the care fultuner.

'. Standard PI~rMonthly 7

"ILLUSTRATION INADVERTISING"

Tuners generally are paying more at­tention than they ever did to advertisingthe service they have to offer the music­loving public., For that reason we havetaken the opportunity of calling attentionto a book just published, which will filla long-vacant niche in the advertiser'slibrary.

"Illustrations in Advertising," by 'vV.Livingston Larned, published by Me­Graw-Hill Book Co., Inc., No. 370 Sev­enth Ave., New York City, is devotedto the better application of pictures inputting across the advertiser's message,and it is filled with typical examples offine illustrative work along with clearlywritten explanatory text.

So far as the tuner's advertising prob­lem is concerned, his message is one ofservice. On many occasions we havehad the delightful opportunity of assist­ing tuner-men in devising their ads, postcards, blotters, folders, business cards,and newspaper advertisements. In allof the aforementioned varieties of adver­tising-with the exception of the plainbusiness card-illustrations can be usedto advantage. But the great query is"How shall I illustrate?" Mr. Larned'sbook is the "how" of advertising illustra­tion.

Now we are not recommending alltuners to purchase a copy of this book­the price is $4.00-for it was not writtenwith the piano tuner in mind; but, ifthere should be a Tuner-man or a Sales­man, or a Dealer who is constantly seek­ing to devise fresh means of attractingthe public's attention to his services orcommodities, and he desires help ofvalue, this book will supply it.

In regard to humor in advertising­illustration-"The smile in advertising isan asset. The public laughs with theadvertiser and his product, not at them."

In regard to human interest in illustra­tion-s-t'When a human interest ilustra-

tion is so intensely human that the publicsteps into its action, there is every assur­ance of favorable results."

In regard to dramatic action in illus­tration-"In every advertised product orproposition, some element of thrill canbe found."

Such are three excerpts from the textof the book-taken at random.

Do they supply you with an idea?

BOOKS OF INTERESTTO THE PROFESSIONOften we are requested to give the

names of books relating to the Piano, orto Piano Tuning, Adjustment or Repair.For the convenience of those interestedwe' give the following list of books, to­gether with the addresses of the firmswho supply them.

PUBLISHED BY MUSIC TRADESREVIEW

No. 383 Madison Ave., N. Y. City"Modern Piano Tuning and Allied Arts" by

William B. White Price $2.00"Piano Playing Mechanisms," by William

Braid White Price $3.00

PUBLISHED BY CHAS. H. DITSON & CO.No. 8-12 East 34th St., N. Y. City

"Outline of the Structure of the Pipe Organ"by W. H. Clark, Price $1.50

"Construction, Tuning and Care of the Piano"by E. Q. Norton, Price $1.25

PUBLISHED BY THEO. PRESSER CO.No. 1710-14 Chestnut St., Phila., Pa.

"Great Pianists on Piano Playing" by JamesFrancis Cooke, Price $2.25

"The Pedals of the Pianoforte" by HansSchmitt, Price $1.25

"Standard History of Music" by James Fran-cis Cooke. . Price> $1.50

"Music Masters Old and New" by James Fran­cis Cooke. . ............•...... Price. $1.25

"Pianoforte Music" by John C. FillmorePrice $2.00

"Piano Tuning, Regulating and Repairing." byJ. Cree Fisher Price $2.00

8 Standard Player Monthly Standard Player Mon1:hly 9

Salesmen, Dealers and Others of the Piano IndustryHere's a Chance to get some Real Money for a Few Minutes Work.

Here's a cha nce topa y fo r your su m­mer vacati on .

Yo u' ll find Con­test Bla nks and th erul es o f the game inthis nu mber of yourS. P . 1\1. i\Iakeyour lett er s sho rtand "peppy." No wget 'bus)' and "overthe top with th e bestof luck. "

Rules( 1) Open to all in th e P iano Industry,

everywhere.(2) All Contes t Blan ks to be filled

completely.(3) All lett er s sent in mu st mention

the "Standard P laye r Ac tion." Theymu st be signed by the pe rso n send ing thelette rs, and permission gra nted for theiruse.

(4 ) \Vhere two or mo re or as manylett er s ar e conside red of equal merit, thesame award will be pai d in full to eachcontestant .

( 5) A ll lett er s sent in will be con sid­ered th e property of the S tanda rd Pneu­mati c Action Co., of New York City.

(6) The Cont est will close at mid­night, August 8th, 1925 . No ContestLetters received a fte r that dav and hourwill be considered as in the Contest.

(7) The names of the judges will beannoun ced in the July issue.

(8) Add res s all Contes t L etters to:"Contest E dito r" Standa rd PlayerMo nt hly, 638 West 52nd Street, NewYo rk City.

will help all of us. Jf it increases th e deman dfo r th e player piano, it will help us. I t willbenefit the dealer , for it will mean mo re sa lesfor him ; the sa lesma n, fo r it will make fo rmore commissions; the tune r, for it will add tohis business - for eve ry pia no sold mu st bekept in tune; th e purchase r, fo r it will bring

I player pian o pleasu re in to his home. So it's aprofitable contest fo r all.

W ith the lett er . submit t he nam es and ad­dresses of five people who you think might bepros pects fo r P layerpianos . \ Ve'll send eachof these peo ple. free of cha rge , a beaut if ul bookillust rat ed with ex pensive oil pa intings a ndpr inted in full colo r. The name of th is book is

"The H ea rt Appeal of M usic." Yo ur articl ewo n't be com plete w ithou t these five nantes, sodon't over look sending them in. Pl ease selectthese pr ospects carefully. W e'll be put to con-

, . siderable ex pense to circularize th em with litera­'4 ture and we don 't want to wast e mon ey .J.

Contest Closes August 8, 1925T he contes t closes at midnight, August 8th,

1925, and no letter s received after th atdate and hour will be considered in the con­test. W e'll have the judges make awa rds aspr omptly as poss ible-so that th ey can be sen tto the winner bef ore th e summer ends

contented person was not ver y apt to be sub­ject to s ickness ."

A mu sic teacher recently gave us a ver ybr oad-gauged op inion of why she cons ideredth e playe rpiano an asset to her work. She saidthat the instrument helped to create an interestin. and a des ire to play mu sic. F urthe rmo re,the player acted as an incentive and guide toth e pupil learning to play manually.

T hese two littl e incidents se rve as examplesof the confidence that people place in th e player­piano and the uses that th ey a re putting th einstrument to. \Ve want more o f 'e m.

Nee dless to say, broa dcasting thi s material

For Exaniplc

He re is all Lx.unplc o f the kind of mat eri alyou can inco rporate in your letter :-"Only theot her day. we talked with a physician who saidthat rece ntly he had purchased a playerpia no fo rhis Farnilv. T his doctor cla imed tha t the in­strumc nt's capaci ty for br inging pleasure an dhappin ess into his home was worth many tim esits sma ll COst. F urthermore. he sa id that musicwas conducti \ ' C to goo d health and that a happy

T o Whom th e Awa rds Will Go

T he a wards will be grantcd to th e contes tan tsscn ding in the Ito! tel'S which the judges considerthe best.

I HERE ARE TEN AWARDS. EACH ONE WORTH GOING AFTER:

For the First Best Testimonial $200.00 For the Fifth Best Testimonial $25.00For the Second Best Testimonial 100.00 For the Next five best there willFor the Third Best Testimonial 75.00 I be Five Awards of 10.00For the Fourth Best Testimonial 50.00

-~$smCPinGold9,(jJttllhacks~~I/-~

T H E awards willbe paid to you

in gold or g rcc n­backs, or by check,in wh atever wav vo uprefer. - •

H ow to Ear n 'Em\ Ve want to gat her

a largc number ofletter s. for sales usc,and we're ask ingy OU to supply them.

T he lett ers we want should outli ne thepleasure and happiness, the ins truction oren tertainment the S TAN DAR DP L A YER ACTION equ ipped P layer­pian o br ings into th e home.

W e believe that a greater nu mber offolks woul d have P layerpianos in the irhomes if th ev knew how much fun otherpeople wer e -ge tt ing from th eir P layers.So, when these let ter s are collected, weint en d to br oad cast them and so help tost imulate mo re interest in and crea te agreat er demand for the P layerpiano,

Only On e (1) Letter Required FromEach Contest ant

O nly one letter is required f rom each. contest an t , although you may submit

more if you wish . T he lett er wr itten byyou , may contain th e ideas given you bythe owner of a P layerpiano, or learnedthrough your personal observation or con­tac t. It mu st bear your signature, as wellas th e add ress,"together with permissionto publish it. In the letter "STAN DA R DPLAYER A CT ION" mu st be men­tioned.

\\

~

\

10 Standard Player Monthly

6diloYlalThe STANDARDPlayer MonthlyPublish,d Monthly by

THE STANDARD PNEUMATIC ACTION Co.638 W. 52D ST. NEW YORK CITY

A "Cross-the-Pond" Journal

We wish to acknowledge receipt of the"Piano Tuner," an English publication,which is to the Tuners of the BritishIsles what "The Tuners Journal" is tothe Tuners of the U. S. A. This, throughthe kindness of Secretary McClellan, ofthe N. A. P. T.

Canadian Piano Tuners Assoc~ation

The STANDARD PLAYER MONTHLY ex­tends its hearty congratulations to theTuners and Player-repairmen of Toronto,Canada, who have formed an associationwhich they hope will be the nucleus fora national organization similar to theN. A. P. T. of the United States. Thisassociation, which started last winter,now has a membership of 20 TorontoTuners. Its object, as stated by Mr. E.Thackeray, Secretary of the Associa­lion, is "the general improvement inknowledge of players, and the generalpurposes as followed by the UnitedStates Association."

They meet on the third Monday ofeach month, and already have had someinteresting lectures and discussions. Theofficers are: President, Burt D. Taylor;vice-president, W. Pamentor; secretary,E. Thackeray; treasurer, B. A. Luxon.

We think the following article takenfrom the January issue of the "PianoTuner" is worth re-printing:

Why Be Ashamed?

It is strange how some tuners are ashamedto let their neighbors know that they are e~rn­

ing their living as tuners. We have noticedthis in men who have worked for good firms,and who should be proud of their work. Thereis no doubt that this feeling is the cause ofmany tuners placing their tools in their pocketsor having special cases made that look morelike receptacles for Government documents.We will not call it snobbery, but we do suggestthat it is an admission that they consider tuningan occupation for which the public have norespect. It is another 'proof that the activitiesof the Pianoforte Tuners' Association isneeded. It has always been our aim to instilwithin the minds of tuners that their work ishighly skilled and therefore worthy of goodpay and the respect of the trade and the pub!ic.If we have a poor opinion of our professionourselves we cannot expect others to look upto it. We suggest that more good would bedone if every tuner helped us to evolve anorganized profession that will win respect, thanpretending that they are anything but tuners.Remember that your skill as a tuner-and yourtuning kit--earns your living and keeps youand your family. Therefore, be proud of It,and hold up your head. Do not be ashamedof your own profession.

The Need of Tuning

We used to teach the violin. Wefound that one of the first essentials tothe pupil's progress was that he be taughthow to tune the instrument. Wherethere was no piano in the home a pitch­pipe was used. And sometimes whenthere 'Was a piano in the home-Wow!The "E" would he a quarter-tone flat, orthe "A" or "D" or "GH ! Then we hada job. The violin pupil's ear had beentrained to recognize false notes as trueones. It was mighty discouraging attimes.

Then occasionally, we were called in toteach Johnny the violin, so that he couldplay with Katie, who was taking pianolessons-and the piano out of tune!Some job-for the violin teacher, forthe piano teacher, for Johnny and forKatie.

On more than one occasion I havecalled the attention of the father or

Board:Vice President

EditorTechnical Editor

EditorialW. A. MENNIE

FRED A. BARROWA. K. GUTSOHN

",

Standard Pl~rMonth\y 11

mother to the fact that the piano was notin tune. And the reply!?!xO.

"Why didn't Katie's teacher tell methat? She never said it was out."

OccasionaIly our pitch-pipe would besufficient to demonstrate the truth of ourassertion, but sometimes the entire scaleof the piano was below pitch-and thenit was suggested that the pitch-pipe waswrong? Shades of Harmony!

Your Editor knows the value of goodpiano-tuning. He's been a violin teacher.

Go to it, you Men of the Tuning Ham­mer! Your work is a blessing to "Musi­cal America."

Didn't Recognize the Music(Story contributed by George J. Becker)

Thirty-five years ago Mr. Becker wascalled to supervise the removal of a pipeorgan from a certain town in the BlueRidge Mountains of Virginia. While in

. this town he was called in to tune apiano that had received no attention fortwenty years.

For some months the young. daughterof the household had been taking pianolessons, and had progressed so far as tobe able to playa simple melody.

After the piano had been tuned shewas asked to play this particular selec­tion. She did. Then she turned aroundwith a puzzled expression on her face.

"What's the matter, Dot?" asked toemother.

"Well, I played all the notes as I al­ways play them, but it doesn't sound likethe same piece of music," she replied.

That is Mr. Becker's story; and webelieve it. We've heard pianos thatwere so badly out of tune that "HomeSweet Home" sounded like "The Wailof the Lonesome Clam."

"Silence in the Home"It is the silence of many a home, the

gloom of it, that drives many young

people to seek pleasure elsewhere.Every child is entitled to music andmelody in its life; and the urge toevery family to purchase a musicalinstrument cannot be too strongly mage.Music is an upbuilding force, andmusic merchants and music salesmenshould do their utmost to have thisforce exerting itself in every home inAmerica.

The love of music develops early inlife. Happy and fortunate is the childwho has been brought up in a musicalfamily.

"Ich Dien "

That is the motto on the crest of a cer­tain Prince who visited our country notlong ago, and who showed himself to bea very likeable young man.

The meaning at the motto is, "Iserve." It's a mighty good motto, too,isn't it? The best men of all times haveaccepted it as their rule of conduct. Andwhen we speak of the "Best" men wedo not mean the most dominating men,but the men who, by their service, haveleft their influence for lasting good onthe human family.

Isn't it a mighty good motto for all ofus-whether we are tuners, dealers orsalesmen, or manufacturers?

It is Service faithfully given thatmakes us human beings of integrity. "Iserve."

The grouchy old gentleman at thedining table summoned the leader of theorchestra to come to him.

'Some jazz band you have," said theG. O. G. "Wonld you play somethingby request" "Delighted, sir," respondedthe orchestra leader.

"Then kindly play checkers until Ifinish my luncheon."

12 Standard Player Monthly

IMPORTANTWhen writing to us about a Standard Action, will you be sure to let ushave the Player Action Number, and the make of Playerpiano in whichthe action is installed? This information will eliminate much delay andwill enable us to give you very prompt service.

F. C. K. 1 have two of your actions,each two years old that let one or twonotes drop as soon as you put on a rolland begin to puntP- If you pU111,P realhard the note next to the one that is down«ill also drop. The first 1I0te in thetreble drops on ordinary pUlnping and ifyou pump hard the next will also drop,the same way with the 1st"E" to the leftof middle "C," this drops on the samepiano and if you pump hard the"F" willalso drop. I have tightened all screws,had the action out twice, looked at thetubes. rubbed secondary pouches with fin­ger tips, examined secondary valves, butto no avail. On this same piano thetracker wasn't working. 1 took sameapart and found the wooden valve loosefrom the pouch, 1 regulated same andtracker now works fine. If you can helpme out on this trouble 1 would greatlyappreciate it.

Answer: You claim that you havetightened all of the screws and have hadthe action out twice without results. Theonly trouble you could possibly have is aleak in the neighborhood of the affectednotes. The leak could be either in thetracker-bar where. the nipples are solderedon to the brass, or in either of the pack­ing joints, or the lumber might be split,thereby opening or connecting the chan­nels. We are sending you under separate

cover a copy of our "Principles of PlayerAction Operation" booklet, and wouldrespectfully refer you to page 27 onwhich is explained in detail the methodto pursue in testing the Player for leaks.

~V. Z. Would you please inform meon a Standard Player four or five yearsold. Towards the end of a long roll theplayer sometimes stops for a short while;it seems exhausted. The governor pneu­matic is opening and closing all the time,and everytime a treadle moves there isa sound like exhausting air in the neigh­borhood oi the governor. 1 cannot findany leakage. Everything is lubricatedcorrectly, tempo seems O. K., brake O.K., and motor slides O. K. Can you ad­vise me!

Answer: This trouble no doubt canbe traced to the governor. It is possiblethat the check screw has been tamperedwith. Collapse the governor pneumaticentirely with your hand, putting tempoat 130, regulating check screw in and outuntil paper travels as though the indi­cator would be at 10. After this examinecarefully the transmission. It is possiblethat the upper brake is not bearing suffi­ciently on the brake wheel, allowing themusic roll to wind up too lightly on thetake-up spool, so that when you gettoward the end of the roll you have morepaper on the take-up spool than in the

Standard Player Monthly 13

-beginning; and then, if you exert an ex­tra heavy pressure on the treadles, youwill take up the slack of the music rollwound up on the take-up spool whichgives the impression that the music rollhas stopped for a moment. We wouldsuggest that you remove the upper brake,scrape off the old gummy grease on thefelts, then wash with gasoline. Youmight increase the tension somewhat andapply just a little graphite on the surfaceof the' felt to avoid squeaking. Re­assemble and lubricate with oil any othermovable metal parts that run in the bear­ings.

D. C. M. I am having some troublewith some Players I have sold, especiallyin the 'Winter time, when they don't holdthe pressure. They seem to leak; thinkit is the heat. I put water inside but itdoesn't seem to do any good. Could yougive me a remedy?

Answer: The trouble is no doubt dueto the fact that excessive heat has beenapplied to the room in which the pianois located, drying same out and makingit leaky. You must realize that thenormal moisture content in atmosphericair is equivalent to between five andseven per cent, which all enters into con­sideration when an instrument is made.However, when heat is applied late inthe fall and during the winter, this mois­ture is entirely drawn out, opening thepacking joints a trifle and allowing seep­age. It is always advisable when heatis applied in the room where the instru­ment is located, that some flowers orplants be placed in the room, as they re­quire watering at frequent intervals.This would throw off the required mois­ture. Another good plan is to place asmall dish of water on the radiator.This is not only of benefit to the instru­ment, but also to the human beings inthe home. You most likely have noticedthat living in a room with dry heat pro­duces a scratchy sensation in the throat,due to lack of moisture. However, youstate that you have placed jars of waterin the piano, but we believe too late. Wewould suggest that you tighten up all the

screws in the player, and if it is a doublevalve action, regulate the primary valveswith gauge enclosed. This no doubt willovercome your difficulty. I f you do notsucceed let us know.

W. C. K. I recently was called in torepair a player, and found that someonehad been attempting to make the bleedssmaller by solderinq them and then re­boring them. May I ask your opinion asto the advisability of this?

Answer: We are glad you asked thisquestion. The attempt to solder thebleeds or vents was ill-advised. As ageneral rule, except for an occasionalcleaning-out of the dirt, bleeds should beleft alone. The correct size of the bleed­hole has been definitely determined bythe manufacturers of player actions; andthe size of the hole will hardly everchange, unless through someone tamper­ing with it. Occasionally the hole maybecome slightly enlarged through corro­sion, but this seldom happens. The bestcure then is to purchase new bleeds, asthe cost is much less -than would he thecost of attempting to fillthem with solder,to rebore them, and then> to surely fail.

"'Twas But a Dream"

A young man went into a music storethe other day and said to the clerk:"Have you got a song called 'You CarryYour Barnacles Hither and Thither?' "

"Do you know who wrote it?"The young man shook his head.After a search that lasted a quarter

of an hour, the clerk said: "I am afraidI can't locate it. Do you know thepublisher ?"

"N0," the young man replied. "Infact, I am not certain there is a song likethat at all. I dreamed about it the othernight and I just wanted to find out."

-Youngstown Telegram.

Seeing and Hearing

Prospect:-"H you knew a good thing whenyou saw it, you'd take my offer.

Salesman:-"If you knew a good thing whenyou beard it, you'd take this piano."-Presto

14 Sta.ndard Pla.yer Monthly

•Congratulations are extended to the

following men who answered the Mayquestions correctly:

E. J. Steffens, Brooklyn, N. Y.A. E. McCracken, New York City.William Herd, Frankford, Pa.Fred C. Geer, Norwich, Conn.Herman W. Brown, Gloucester, Mass.T. Solberg, Stamford, Conn.Joseph E. Hans, Albany, New York.Richard Smith, Whitehaven, England.

The following men answered the Aprilquestions, but their letters were receivedtoo late to receive credit in the Mayissue of the Monthly: .

W. C. Case, Alliance, Ohio.F. M. Lillyard, Hartley, Iowa.N. P. Marx, Cashton, Wis.F. J. Lyon, Cleveland, Ohio.E. K. Riek, Rhinelander, Wis.W. R. Schmidt, Beemer, Neb.K. Reuter, Green Isle, Minn.Wm. Herd, Frankford, Phila., Pa.R. T. Harmon, West Asheville, N. C.E. J. Craig, Southbridge, Mass.A. Moller, Audubon, N. J.S. E. Egtvedt, Janesville, Wis.A. L. Parker, Media, Pa.H. W. Brown, Gloucester, Mass.B. F. Sibley, Philadelphia, Pa.W. A. Hook, Lynn, Mass.A. J. Van Doren, Waterloo, Ia.W. H. Sallee, Litchfield, Ill.Gilb. C. Armstrong, West Frankfort, Ill.O. E. McCallum, Williamsport, Pa.T. A. Hendricks, Erie, Pa.R. Allison, North Tonawanda, N. Y.J. R. Leeks, New London, Ct.C. E. Forsythe, Dayton, Ohio.W. S. Boughton, Alhambra, Cal.V. R. Bender, Orangeville, Ill.H. E. Clingenpeel, Lafayette, Ind.J. L. Robinson, Lawrence, Mass.J. A. Levander, Forestville, Ct.

Here are the Answers to Last Month'sQuestions:Question No. L What would be the re-

suit of a leak in a motor pneumatic?Answer: Motor would be inclined to be­

come jerky, and weaker in power.Question No.2. How would a leaky

governor affect the tempo?Answer: If the pneumatic cloth leaked,

outside air would be admitted andwould prevent the pneumatic fromcollapsing, consequently the governorwould not control at all.

Question No.3. What would be the re­sult of a leaky gate-box on re-wind­ing ?

Anstvcr: If the gate-box valve leakedthe notes would tend to play on reroll.I f the leak was around the cover ofthe gate-box the rewinding would notbe affected.

Question No.4. If primary and secon­clary valves, pouches and hleeds andpneumatics have been tested andfound to be O. K., but still a certainnote does not respond, where mightthe trouble be looked for:

Answers Clogged channel or tracker­bar tubing would prevent atmosphericair from operating pouches and valves.A leak in the tubing, or elsewhere,that would permit outside air to getin, would keep the hammer raised andprevent repetition.

Question No.5. When the paper ontake-up spool winds up loosely, whatis the cause?

Ansuicr: Upper brake not tight enough.

Questions for June

Question No. 1. If the inside flap-valveof the exhauster should leak, whatwould be the result?

Question No.2. Why should it be veryseldom necessary to alter the size ofthe bleed hole?

Question No.3. What would be the re­sult of a leak in one of the pneumaticsof the tracking device?

Question No.4. What would be the re­sult if the reservoir springs of a TypeC action should become too weak?

Question No.5. What if they weremade too powerful?

StandArd Player Monthly 15

POSITIONS WANTED

These Want Ads. are Printed Free of ChargeIMPORTANT NOTICE: Send in your ad­vertisements before the fifteenth of the monthto insure insertion in the edition of the firstmonth following. Want ads. received afterthe fifteenth will have to appear in the editionof the second month following.

Expert Player Repairman would like to dosome work for dealer on the outside, oneor two days a week. Expert also on otherpianos. Will guarantee all my work.Want Col. No. 850.

Independent Tuner and Player Mechanicavailable to dealers and manufacturers atany time as "trouble-chaser" in emergencycases. Distance from Chicago unlimited;short trips by motor car. Equipment carriedfor all reproducers. Want Col. No. 876.

Tuner and Repairman. Six years experience.Wants position where hard work and will­ingness will be appreciated with chance foradvancement. Thorough knowledge of Play­ers. Pipe Organ experience. Can repairVictrolas. Have had considerable experi­ence in selling both on floor and outside.27 yrs. of age. Neat appearing and readyto go anywhere. Will furnish best ofreferences. \Vant Col. No. 877.

Independent Tuner and Player Repairman, hav­ing to sell on account of health, will locatewith a small firm in Georgia, Florida or anysouthern states. \Vant Col. No. 878.

Tuner and Repairman on outside work, wouldlike to locate somewhere in Ohio. 28 yrs.old, married. 12 yr s. experience in pianobusiness both inside and out. Want Col. No,879.

Tuner, Regulator and Playerrnan. Expert onall kinds of repair work, would like positionwith reliable firm, where work would be per­manent. Best reference. Member of N.A.P.T. Want Col. No. 880.

First-class Tuner, and Regulator of piano ac­tions. Also factory experience on AmpicosCan "Burn-In" and polish. Have had exper­ience on all kinds of Players and Straightpianos. Can also play and sell. 18 yearsexperience. Married. \Vant Col. ~o. 881.

Tuner and Repairman experienced on all makesof Players, desires permanent position. Bestof references. Also experienced Flutist.Want Col. No. 882.

Piano Tuner and Player Mechanic looking fora real position with a real house selling areal line of goods. Have sales ability as wellas being accountant. References furnishedand required. My work speaks for itsel f.Want Col. No. 883.

WANTED ,•

Tuner and Repairman, player mechanic wouldlike to locate in Western Canada eitherprairie provinces or B. C, Faust's Schoolgraduate, and Danquard School on Wheelsgraduate. Sober, reliable, age 32 yrs., single.Salary or commission. Must be attractiveproposition. Want Col. No. 884.

Position wanted by first class Tuner and Re­pairman on pianos, and player actions, includ­ing Ampico. Have held foreman job withseveral A-I houses. Want to locate aroundNew York or Philadelphia. Outside prefer­able. 41 yrs, of age. Want Col. No. 885.

Thoroughly experienced Playerrnan. 22 yearsexperience, and familiar with all makes ofplayer actions, and with Welte-Mignon,(Licensee), Reproducing Actions. Can re­pair and install any make of coin-operatedpianos or orchestrians or Victrolas. Canconvert pianos into players. Outside work:road work preferred. 39 years old. Mar­ried. Best of references. Want permanentposition. Want Col. No. 889.

By fine Tuner and Playerman, good on Re­producing Pianos. Good at repairing oldpianos and players. 17 years experience;four years in factory. Registered mechanic.References furnished. Position must be inIndiana, Ohio or Illinois. Want Col. No.890. .

Piano Tuner wants location in Central States.Is also piano rebuilder, and repairer of bandinstruments and small goods. Now employedbut would like a change. Want Col. No. 891.

HELP WANTEDFirst class Tuner, San Francisco. Salary ac­

cording to ability. Must be thoroughly fam­iliar with Reproducing Pianos. Pay owntransportation. Want Col. No. 886.

Real Piano-salesman with little capital. Willback you up on Pacific Coast in good ter­ritory in finest climate in the world. Canhave vour own business. \Vant Col. No.887. '

MISCELLANEOUSWanted a PurchaserA capable gentleman experienced on careful

Grand-Piano re-building. reproducing Instru­ments, tuning and voicing. can secure forTwenty Five hundred dollars ($2500.) casha seven vear established business of this na­ture, -in 'a millionaire colony on the PacificCoast in Southern California. This offer in­cludes building IOx16, varnish room screwedto rented factory, 6 motor machines, benches.equipment, materials, office and stock roomoutfit, valued at four thousand dollars ($4,­000.) net. Low rent, lease on building 24x60, all modern conveniences. Up Sept. 1926with option. Without signs or advertising.Contracts of fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500.)always on floor. The purchaser will fall heirto Fourteen hundred dollars ($1,400.) nowon hand and Eight hundred ($800.) to bebrought in. Reason for selling: Auto acci­dent. sickness and age. \Vant Col. No. 888.

-:

Dollars and SenseT H E lady has decided

upon the Player­

piano she wants. She

wants the one with the S

Iike a dollar sign on the ,

treadles and in the spool­

box. The salesman is re­

ceiving her initial pay­

ment. He is smiling,­

naturally. He knows

that the sale of a Player­

piano equipped with a

STANDARD PLAYER ACTION means "customer

satisfaction." Perhaps before the lady came to the music

store she" consulted the Tuner"; perhaps she tried out themerits of the Player herself. But, however, she may havefound out the" S. P. A's" good qualities, she is using Sense

in the disbu rsement of her dollars.

STANDARD PNEUMATIC ACTION COMPANYW. A. M Clinic, Vicc Prcs.

i

638 West 52d Street New York City