'l,!lS tandard//~III~ Player

ONTHI.;Vol. 11, No. 9 Septem ber

Conten ts Co py r ig h te d 192 5 b y Standard Pneuma ti c A cti on Com pany

1925

THE" STANDARD'S" PRESIDENT, SECRETARY ANDTREASURER.

T he official electi on of W. A. Me nnieto the office of president of the " St an d­ard" organization ; of A. K. Gut sohn's

W. A. MENNIE, P resident

re-election to the office o f secretary; andof H . E . Lawrence's election to the officeof treasurer is herewith announced;and your edito r tak es pleasure in br oad­casting th e good new s to the four quar ­ters of th e world , whither your maga zinetravels. vVe know their many fri endswho ha ve not seen the announcement in

the tr ade pap ers will be glad to read ofit here.

VV . A. Menn ie's associati on with the"Standa rd" since 1913, and his cons istentadvanceme nt. has been told bef ore in theS T A1'."OARO P LAYER lVIOKTHL Y.

H. E . Lawrence, who came with the"Standard " in 1919, has also adva ncedstead ily, having in turn been ad verti sing

H. E. LA\\'REi\ CE. Treasurer

Standard Player Monthly 3

and sa les promotion manager for thi scompany ; then manager of the entireadvertising and sales promotion depart­ment of the Kohler Industries.

A. K. GUTSOHN, S ecre tary

A. K . Gutsohn has been with the com­pan y since it was a baby ; and has ablydemonstrated his ability as an industrialexecut ive and efficient factory organizer.As the president of the Piano Techni­cians' As sociat ion, he is well-known tothe American ind ustry.

The reason for the success of the"Standard Pneumatic Action" and thegrowth of this company to be the largestof its kind in the world is perhaps besttold in the following phrase, taken froman adv ertisement which app eared in" P rinter 's Ink. " "We are big principallybecause we have grown with those weserve."

Service is the keynote of the Stand­ard 's world-wide success, and it is theconstant effo rt o f the officers of theStandard Comp any to keep that note atconcert pitch.

The officers o f the company, who sepictures are here shown, give a tripleassu rance of S ERVICE to all theStandard's customers and friends, andthru that SERVICE the y feel that thecontinued gr owth of the company is alsoassured .

NOT AN APOLOGY: AN EXPLANATION

It isn 't always possible to keep a promise. We know that's a sortof weak statement, but we make no apology for it. And here's why.When we told some of our friendly contributors that we'd use in theSeptember issue, the material they sent us, we didn't know that we'dhave the above joyful news to publish. And it's taken up one andone-half pages- Why, we even had to leave out some of the Convenetion pictures.

However, we 'll try and make good in the October issue with ourpromises.

By the way, you fellows who attended the Convention, it certainlywas one big time, wasn't it? The editor hopes to meet ---. But ~

August, 1926, is a long way off.

And say, don't fail to read the back cover of this issue. To get realpersonal, I want you to help me.

4 Standard Player Monthly

McFARLAND PUTS OUR POSTCARDS ON THE JOBAND GETS RESULTS

It is results that count, isn't it? Sometime ago, J. M. McFarland of Hillsboro,Texas, sent to us, for some of our post­cards for tuners. He is using them, andwith gratifying results. He was sopleased with the results that he wrote usa very nice letter, and sent us a card toprove that he is getting business throughthis method of advertising. Both sidesof the card are shown herewith. Mr.

J. VI. 'k: '.rLend.

H1Utlboro,

McFarland also asked that we notify hisbrother tuners as to his methods, so thatthey, too, might benefit-a mighty un­selfish request. Here is his letter:

Hillsboro, Texas.

Standard Player Action Co.,638 West 52nd Street,New York City.

Gentlemen:Enclosed find one of the cards you

sent me some time ago. I want to thankyou again for them.

I would be very glad to have thisself-addressed card shown in theAugust issue of the STANDARD PLAYERMONTHLY, for I would like my brothertuners to know how I used them.

When your customer says, "Well, I'mnot able to have my piano or playerpianotuned just now," and before you leavethe house, address one of these cards toyourself and tack it inside the piano.

When the customer gets ready, he willmail you the card, if he believes in yourability. Do not leave it -out of the pianoor it will surely get lost; but if you leaveit inside of the piano, every time theyplay the "out-of-order" piano they willbe reminded of the tuner's card, and willfinally send for him to come and fixthe piano.

Let me, in closing, say that you havethe most wonderful player action built.

Yours very truly,(Signed) J. M. McFarland.

We are glad our advertising is beinghelpful.

SEPTEMBER"Septern" is the Latin for "seven" and September was the seventh month of the old Roman

year. "Ember" simply means a recurring period or season.September, as a name, is camouflage, and is on a par with "daylight saving time." We put

the clock hands ahead in April and call six o'clock "seven o'clock"; we take the ninth monthof the year and call it the seventh month. But, as old Bill Shakespeare would remark, "What'sin a name, anyway." The sun enters the constellation of stars called Libra during this month-so that balances up things. ("Indicator" please note.)

The A. Saxons, well-known in history, and through the S. P. M., called this month Gerst­monath or "barley month" because they harvested the barley crop at this time. We suspectJohn Barleycorn was one of the patron saints of the A. Saxon's, but he's been so long deadthat his name has almost passed into oblivion, so we can't verify this.

September is the month in which folks in lands where the \Vinters are cold, begin to thinkof coal and comfort, and of tying up the flivver. They also begin to think Music.

It is to the interest of Music Dealers, Salesmen, and Tuners to catch them while theirminds are turning to Home Comforts and Home Pleasures.

September is a good month in which to put in powerful advertising punches.

Standard Player Monthly

IMPRESSIONS OF THE N. A. P. T.DETROIT CO NVE NTION, I~)2S

5

D etr oit, big city, 1,250,000; busy. Big fac­tor ies, big bu ildings, big hotels. Statler H ote!.S ign ove r ma in entr ance, "T uners Convent ion."H otel lobby : men wearing go ld badges andsmiling faces : tun er s. H and shak ing. " He llo,

H OTEL STATLE R, DETROIT

Charlie!" "Hello, Bill I" "Hello, Frank !""Hello, everybody." Big man, ru ddy complex­ion, gray suit, Panama hat, cute bow-t ie­Charlie Deutschmann, President N. A. P . T.He's all smiles. Why not? Biggest and bestConvention ever. Hello! Who's th is ? It 'sMac , :-J . A . P . T. secret ary. He looks pleasedtoo. Bellboys hustlin g here and there ; men ingroups ; men sing ly; men with their wives.Elevators doing th eir ups-and-down s ; "nameyour floor. please." " F loor 14." Many ca llsfo r sto p at 14. T wo men getting on eleva to rtoge ther : a blond and a br unett e. Blond isNel s Boe, tro uble-shooter for "Tu ners'J ourna l." Brunette is H erbert An tunes-ex­pert tu ner and repairman-also writes goodstu ff for Jo urnal. 1:p we go.

Fourteenth floor. Exhibits-lots o f them.Many people bound for Room 1438. What' sth er e? Standa rd Pn eumatic Action Company 'sexhibit. Large room, well ligh ted: one cornerhandsome gold frame display ing "S tandard "parts : a nothe r corne r a mudel o f the"Standa rdPl ayer Action ." Table, spread with whi tecloth : samples of ad vertising matter fo rTuner- men. "G rea t stuff; g rea t act ion ; g reatpeople," say the visitors. Th ree represent a-

tives in attendance : dark complex ioned gentle­man with small black mustache and eye­glas ses : knows a lot about player acti ons andother thin gs-A. K. Gut sohn : another gen tle­man, slim built, suit that looks tailor-made,a lso knows a lot about player acti ons andstra w hat s ; S ta ndard's popular W est ern rep­rese ntative-B. M. Strub : little chap, head ofwa vy hair, wears spectacles without r ims, g raymustache, smokes a pipe--editor of S. P. M.Register on table. Eve rybody reg ister s.Everybody shakes hands with everybody else.Like "old hom e week." Short man crowdsin-Johnston of the P eori a Division, N. A.P. T . enthusiast: looks in ea rnest ; is in earnest.P eoria Divi sion gives hand some silver cup tobc awarded at next Conven tion to division ofN. A. P. T. doing best publi city stunts.

Down on elevator again. Ball room floor .Meetin g on. Shut up ex hibits. E verybod y tomeeting! Meet ing crowded. Front seat , manwith fine head of white ha ir, pleasant-spoken­T. ]. O'Meara of "T uner 's J ournal"-also hisamiable and clever bett er half. Another man ,tall, black-rimmed glasses , walks about hall inrestless manner, clas ps and unclasps hands,hair falling in eyes- W ill iam Braid White,author of book s for Tuner Men and techni caleditor of Music Trades Re view-one of th espeakers. Trim littl e lady, dark hair , br ighteyes- Mrs. Donna W . Do nelson, another of

CHARL E S DE UTS CH MA N N. Pres. N . A .r . T. ( rig ht); W . F . lvlcCL E LL A N, N. A .

P. T . Sec'v , (le ft)

6 Standard Player Monthly

the speakers and wife o f the ge ntleman in thegray suit, F. L. Donel son . Meeting pr oceedsopened by John Smith, Ma yor o f D etroit;presiden t's gavel l ittl e used ; harmony preva ils ;wh y shouldn' t it at a T uners ' ga ther ing?

H. A NTU N ES and NELS BOE

Speaker s roundl y applauded. Meeting adjourns.Bac k to ex hibits . "Hello, Mr. Editor!" Who'stha t? Bless us, it's Roy Schow of the Phila­delp hia Y.M. C.A., pleasant as ever.

O n eleva to r to fourteenth floor again. Hatso ff; Ladi es on elevator. Mrs. Braid Whiteand M rs. McClellan. Fourteenth floor. Pianomusic from diff erent rooms. In room 143()a crowd of men studying player actions­Standard, Auto and Welte-Mignon (Licensee)rep roducer . Van N ost rand on deck, instruct­ing .

Room 1438 aga in, Mr. and Mrs. j ordan andBaby Jo rda n. Baby]. is younge st convent ion­er , and exh ibits a fondness fo r "S tanda rd"peop le. Excel lent ta ste! Mr. J or dan' s initi al sa re M. E . T. H e capita lizes on this. Usesta il-light on car ; on the lens is pr inted "Hasyo ur pian o MET Jordan, the Tuner ?" Greatpubl icity. Mo re visitors and more visi tor s­a ll regi sterin g . E ach one who reg isters c ctssouvenir fr om " S tandard." Loose-lea f mem obook. Many ex press ions of approval. "Justlike the 'Stand ard'-Fine !" "Most usefu lgif t !" "C leve rly go tte n- up!" Orders for"S tandard" adver t ising, too . "Your adv ertisinghas brought us in many dollars."

Another day. Same happy doings. Banqu et.Hall crowder!. Community sing ing of par odiesby E . L. Seagrave. Bright light s. Good "ea ts."Mor e singing. Speeches by C. A. Grinnell, H .F. F reund, Willia m Braid W hit e, A. K.Gutsohn. Mu sical program . J ack Mi nifie'sdaughte r Ne ll ie, lO years old, d isplays ab ilityas violi nist. Ot her fea ture s. Then dancing .Glorious time.

Thursday, August 6th : last day of Conv ert­tion. Been a busy, grand, profitable t ime.Ma ny new fr iends made; many new th ingslearned . E ver ybody expresses complete sat is­faction and a des ire to take in the next T un­er 's Conventi on. "Tune up America and Makeit Mu sical." F ine slogan . The job well sta r t­ed-at Det roit-in 1925.

:MVSICTHE ORIGIN OF MUSICAL IVIEL ODY.

" Primitive P eoples heighten and express th eir emotional stat es withRhythltl and );1elody be[ore the y aitempt serio us archit ectu ral decora­tion, or sculpture and painting ."-Murray S heehan, lVI . A.

I t is much easier to speculate upo n theorigin of musica l rhythm than upon th eorigin of melody. But we ad vance theth eory th at mu sical melody was de­veloped by the birds of the air beforeprim itive man began to make me lodyhim self. Coa rse in m ind, coarse in char­acte r; in daily combat with natu ralfo rces; the primit ive man woul d havelittl e inclinat ion toward melody. S trengtha nd cunning and courage were the grea t

des ide ra tums in th e far -go ne days-notme lody .

T here is a possibility that th e song ofth e bird first awoke th e desire for melo­dic expression in the hea rt of uncivilizedman. W hen " the time of the sing ing ofbirds" had come , then th e primitive menand women knew that the Sp r ing withits glori es had arr ived an d th at th e hard­ships of Winter had pas sed. \Ne caneasily imagine a woman of th e cave-days

Standal'd Player Monthly 7

t rying to mutat e some simple melody ofa song bird.

When we speak of melody we usuallythink o f it as an intelli gible musicalsentence, or series of sentences-a songor tun e. The first songs must have beenver y short and of nar row musical range.

_ .lJ " ~y f .RrstMelodicNoteIn listening to the tun es of the savage

one is impressed by the monotony ofthem, consisting, as they often do, of therepetiti on of a sing le melodic phrase usu­ally in a minor key. O ne might say thatin the melodies o f a tribe, country orrace, history is to be found. H ow mo­not onous then , must have been the Iifeof the ea rlier man . H ow sad must hav ebeen the histo ry of some coun tr ies, whos emu sic is full o f melodies in minor keys.

T he or igin of inst ruments o f musicalmelody other than the hum an throat andlips is a matter of speculation . Whichcame first, the wind instrument or thest ringed instrument-the " pipes of Pan"or the ha rp ? Man y have thought thatthe twanging of a taut bowst ring firstsuggested to the primit ive mind the mak­ing of the har p. The writer has used abow, but has never been conscious of anydistin ct musical not e from the qui veringstri ng . T her e is an old legend that theRoman God, Mercury, walking by thebanks of the Egyptian Nil e, kicked the

shell 0 f a dead tortoise. No thing wasin the shell but some of the sinews,st retched tigh tly across. O n tou chin gthese, Mercury found that they gaveforth a mu sical note - and there an d thenorigin ated the idea o f the harp.

But the first melodic instrument wasproba bly the hollow reed or bamboo.Just as one can get a mu sical ton e byblowing across the mouth of a narrow­necked bottle, so, by blowing across theend of a hollow section of bamboo, is amusical ton e obtained. As a youngster weremember a travelling musician whoplayed on an instrument of bamb oo. Itwas made up of pieces of this reed cutto various lengths-thus :

7hePipes ofPanAs bamboo was used for many pur­

poses, it is easily possible that someoneof our prehistoric ancestor s, blowing int oa tube-to clear it perhaps-discoveredthat it gav e forth a pleasing note. Thechild-man would naturally be delighted ,and would exp eriment with one piece ofhollow reed a fter another and would ,a fter a while, discover the di fferent tonesmade by diff erent lengths of reed. F romthis discovery to that of placing holes atva ry ing distances down the reed, wouldbe a big step forward in the evolutionof an instru ment of melody ; but whenthis was accomplished the forerunner o fthe mod ern flute woul d be in exi stence.

Musical Melodies can readily be brought out on a Player fitted with a Standard Player Action.

8 Standard Player Monthly

\Standard Player Monthly 9

-

COlllll11tll'iesWhere 1tlhleAUSTRALIA

OJ~S1tandlanll PEayeJr Mon1tJrnByS1tamudlal1rcdl PEayeyActnon are Jl\noWIDl andEs1teemed

AfricaAustraliaArgentinaAlaskaBarbadosBelgiumBermudaBoliviaBrazilCanadaCanary IslandsChinaColombiaChileCubaDenmarkDominicaEgyptEcuadorEnglandFinlandFranceGermanyGuatemalaHawaii

HollandIndiaIrelandItalyJamaica, B. W . 1JapanMexicoNorwayNicaraguaNew ZealandPortugalPorto RicoPeruPhillipine IslandsSwitzerlandSpainScotlandSwedenSouth AfricaTrinidadTasmaniaUnited StatesUruguayVenezuelaWales

AU ST RA L I A , a cont inent with an a rea of a lmo st 3,000 ,000 square miles.M.. and a po p u lation of a bout 5~ mi llio n, exclusive of ab origines. Biggest

is land in t he world. Produces wheat, oats , s ugar and w ool : m in es gold,sil ve r, copper and tin. Amongst it s finest prod uc t s are-A ust r a lians, someo f whom are geniuses. Percy Graing er . the wonderfu l pia ni s t , is fro m thereBeside s piano players, Australia al so ha s P layerpi anos. m a ny of them fittedw ith Standard Player Actions, W hich brings us to the fact that Australiaal so has piano t u n ers and p layer men. And n ow w e h ave a r r ived . N ot longago we got a letter and a gr eat nu mber of pictures fr om a Tuner-man inAustralia. Some of the pictures. shown above, w ill acq ua int our reader s withthe fact that Australia has both fin e cities and fine scenery : the followin gletter will also prove that we have appreciative friends in that great country-and we are glad.

THE " STANDAR~S" GEOGRAPHYDear Mr. Barrow: ~' May 25th, 192 5.

J ust another one-you have so many~ ha~ you must get fed up reading t h.emall . But we who are so m a n y thousan mi les from you, I'm sure h av e a unyco rne r in your editoria l hea rt, and ma y be forgiv en for trespassi ng.

This is only to say that I am se nd ing you a few views u n d er separate coverof our city of Sydney and its ha rbo r, princip a lly, a nd Au st ralia in · general.I just think because occasionally over us all comes a feeling that we wouldlike to shake hands over the long di stance and t hank you for what you haved one a nd what you are always doirig for us and " us " m ea ns the va st co n­cou rse of the world 's tuners who daily acq uire player k nowledge by somereference to either S. P. M ., or Prine. of P . A. O per a tion , and made possib leonly by the wi lli ng, unselfish se rvice to tuners that yo u have, for over tenyears, been giv in g them.

I will go so far to sa y t hat if t hey speak from their he art, that 50 t o 75 0/'0of the tuners in all pa rts of t he world owe their knowled~e of p layer con­struction a nd upkeep to the S. P. M. and it must be gratt fying fo r you t ok now that while m an y of us may never see you, we fee l members of y ourg reat family- d eeply g rateful fo r th e w ealt h of kn owled ge and hi n ts th a t co meto us every m onth, in the S. P . M.

Slogan: "Action s Spe ak Louder T han W or ds " if they a re S tan d a rd s .Bes t Wishes, ( Signed ) Fred R. Gooch,

Sydney, Australia.The list of countries and places outside of the United S ta t es where " St a n da rd s "are known and admired is imposing and upholds t he verdict of our man yfriend. as to our product's high quality. Sa lesm en could use this page we nas a st ron g and impressive sales a r gumen t.

10 Standard Player Monthly

6diloYlal

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The STANDARDPlayer MonthlyPublished Monthly by

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

Editorial Board:

W. A. MENNIE - - - - PresidentFRED A. BARROW - - - - - EditorA. K. GUTSOHN - - - - Technical Editor

Our English RepresentativeWe wish to announce, for the benefit

of our friends in England, that the Eng­lish representative of the Standard Pneu­matic Action Company is the Piano Ac­cessories, Ltd., of 15 Mortimer Street,London, W. 1. We are sure that in yourdealings with this, our representative, youwill receive the same courteous treatmentthat it has been the custom of the "Stand­ard" Company to extend to all its pa­trons.

The ContestThe Big Contest is closed. Now for

the winners. The letters are in the handsof the judges and we can assure you,friends, that the judges are going to havesome job picking out the best letters. TheContest Letters came in thick and fastfrom all parts of the U. S. A. and fromabroad. The last ones to arrive werefrom Australia. Well, there were somemighty fine letters, we can tell you. Theycertainly said some complimentary thingsabout the "Standard." Look for the Oc­tober issue of the S.P.M. You'll findthe names of the prize-winners there inall their glory. Of course all who en­tered the Contest can't win-but here'swishing you all "good luck" anyhow.

"Festina Lente"The income to be made in any trade of

any profession partly depends on certainfactors that are aside from the ability ofthe individual. Local conditions and lo­cal prices are factors which influence theearning power of every tuner, regardlessof his speed or ability. A tuner in asmall town, although he should be thebest in his profession, could scarcely hopeto make as much as his brother in thepopulous city; but, as a rule, what hedoes make, comes easier. In the bigcities, while there are more pianos to betuned, there is also greater competition.

The letter of Mr. R. S. Sinclair, pub­lished in the July issue of the STANDARDPLAYER MONTHLY brought several re­sponses from tuners in other localities.Some of the writers have exceeded Sin­clair's earnings for one month. W. S.Kingman, of Pittsfield, Mass., says, "Inever think of doing less than eight pi­anos a day." Was he joking? We areinclined to think so. He times himselfto "split seconds."

The explanation of the satisfactoryearnings of many tuners may be summedup in this way-there are pianos to betuned in their localities, and they go getthem and receive a satisfactory fee fortheir services. If the pianos were notthere, or if the tuner did not take thetrouble to find out if the out-of-tune in­struments were there, the business wouldnot be obtained.

In the profession of Piano Tuning orPlayer Adjustment, there are men whocan be both speedy and painstaking, andthen there are others who require moretime in order to be thorough. But, fastor slow, if there are but few pianos tobe tuned, neither the speedy man nor theplodder can make money.

It is far from the desire of the S.P.M.to start a speed competition. We aresure that the Tuning Fraternity would ,not benefit thereby. Our purpose in pub­lishing Mr. Sinclair's letter was to showthat there is money to be made in thetuning profession. Here is shown theearnings of some tuners as further evi­dence to prove it.

10 Standard Player Monthly

6dilorialThe STANDARDPlayer MonthlyPublished Monthly by

THE STANDARD PNEUMATIC ACTION Co.638 'vV. s2D ST. NEW YORK CITY

Editorial Board:

W. A. J\fENNIE - - - - PresidentFRED A. BARROW - - - - - EditorA. K. GUTSOHN - - - - Technical Editor

Our English RepresentativeWe wish to announce, for the benefit

of our friends in England, that the Eng­lish representative of the Standard Pneu­matic Action Company is the Piano Ac­cessories, Ltd., of IS Mortimer Street,London, W. 1. We are sure that in yourdealings with this, our representative, youwill receive the same courteous treatmentthat it has been the custom of the "Stand­ard" Company to extend to all its pa­trons.

The ContestThe Big Contest is closed. Now for

the winners. The letters are in the handsof the judges and we can assure you,friends, that the judges are going to havesome job picking out the best letters. TheContest Letters came in thick and fastfrom all parts of the U. S. A. and fromabroad. The last ones to arrive werefrom Australia. Well, there were somemighty fine letters, we can tell you. Theycertainly said some complimentary thingsabout the "Standard." Look for the Oc­tober issue of the S.P.M. You'll findthe names of the prize-winners there inall their glory. Of course all who en­tered the Contest can't win-but here'swishing you all "good luck" anyhow.

"Festina Lente"The income to be made in any trade of

any profession partly depends on certainfactors that are aside from the ability ofthe individual. Local conditions and lo­cal prices are factors which influence theearning power of every tuner, regardlessof his speed or ability. A tuner in asmall town, although he should be thebest in his profession, could scarcely hopeto make as much as his brother in thepopulous city; but, as a rule, what hedoes make, comes easier. In the bigcities, while there are more pianos to betuned, there is also greater competition.

The letter of Mr. R. S. Sinclair, pub­lished in the July issue of the STANDARDPLAYER MONTHLY brought several re­sponses from tuners in other localities.Some of the writers have exceeded Sin­clair's earnings for one month. W. S.Kingman, of Pittsfield, Mass., says, "Inever think of doing less than eight pi­anos a day." Was he joking? We areinclined to think so. He times himsel fto "split seconds."

The explanation of the satisfactoryearnings of many tuners may be summedup in this way-there are pianos to betuned in their localities, and they go getthem and receive a satisfactory fee fortheir services. If the pianos were notthere, or if the tuner did not take thetrouble to find out if the out-of-tune in­struments were there, the business wouldnot be obtained.

In the profession of Piano Tuning orPlayer Adjustment, there are men whocan be both speedy and painstaking. andthen there are others who require moretime in order to be thorough. But. fastor slow, if there are but few pianos tobe tuned, neither the speedy man nor theplodder can make money.

It is far from the desire of the S.P.M.to start a speed competition. Wearesure that the Tuning Fraternity would ,not benefit thereby. Our purpose in pub­lishing Mr. Sinclair's letter was to showthat there is money to be made in thetuning profession. Here is shown theearnings of some tuners as further evi­dence to prove it.

..

•

'­-, Standard Player Mon~ly 11

Pianostuned Time Receipts

THOMAS DANQUARDDied August 5. 1925

modesty and genius show in the samecharacter, but in the case of ThomasDanquard both were evident.

By his death the playerpiano industryhas lost an esteemed co-worker, andmany a man has lost a friend.

The Problem of the Neglected PlayerMr. W. H. Ewing of Saltsburg, Pa.,

makes this statement in a letter recentlyreceived, and we fully believe that theconditions he speaks of are not local butgeneral.

"There are players right here in my owntown, maybe eight or ten years old, that havenever been tuned or adjusted. There aredozens and dozens of them in my territory,of which the same can be said. Owners loseinterest in them and sirnnly would not thinkof spending a dollar on them. Some problem."

W. H. Ewing.Why is it that such a condition pre­

vails? Why do owners lose interest intheir players? Who can answer this?

Is the Player Purchaser taught how toget the best music out of the Playerpiano?Or is he forced to find out for himself?After the Player is sold, is there a steady"follow-up" with new selection; for thePlayer from the store where the Playerwas purchased?

Is the owner of the Player allowed toretain the impression that the Player canonly render popular selections of ordi­nary grade? Or is he shown that the in­strument is capable of interpreting thefinest works of the greatest composers?

(Continued from page 14)

"Catch" Questions for SeptemberQuestion No. 1. How far should the

Capstan Screw on the Flexible Strik­ing Finger be from the Piano wippen?

Question No.2. Where are the secondarypouch "bleeds" situated on a double­valve action?

Question No.3. What causes the motorto reverse on "reroll"?

Question No.4. Why does atmos­pheric air "blow up" the striking pneu­matics after the valve is closed againstadmission of reduced air?

Question No.5. Why will a note some­times play even with its tubing stoppedcompletely? .

543.00

524.00

"26

11! days $216.70

85

39Louis A. Drumheller,

Harrisburg, Pa ...A. J. Van Doren,

Waterloo, Iowa ...F. J. Schulze, Chi-

cago, Ill. . . . . . . . . 104 26F. J. Schulze, Chi-

cago, Ill. . . . . . . . . 141 27 " 570.00

The above shows 369 pianos tuned in90 days which approximates 4 pianostuned a day at an average cost to eachowner of $5.00. Does this analysis in­dicate excessive speed? It does indicatethat our fortunate friends went afterbusiness and found it. In the matter ofspeed as applied to Tuning, the old mot­to which heads this article and whichmeans "Hasten slowly" should be keptin mind.

Thomas Danquard is dead. Withhim, the adventure of life is over; andhe has passed on to the great andmysterious Valley of the Shadow. Be­hind him he has left a name and a repu­tation in the playerpiano industry thatis an enviable one.

Born in Europe, and arriving in theUnited States during his early man­hood, he first followed his occupation ofsurgical-instrument maker. Attracted tothe playerpiano industry, he entered thisfield of endeavor and bv his inventivegenius, helped shape its successful course.In 1903 he made possible the placing ofa player action inside of an upright pianoin such a way as to make it removablewithout disturbing the piano action. Thisplayer was known as the Antopiano,

The conception of the DanquardSchool was his. He earlv realized thatin order to make the playerpiano per­manently popular it must be serviced bycompetent men. To train these men,the Danquard School was founded: andtoday it is carrying out its purpose inmany cities, in their turn.

Those who have known Thomas Dan­quard speak of him as "a quiet andunassuming gentleman." Not often do

12 Standard Player Monthly

IMPORTANTWhen writing to us about a Standard Action, will you be sure to letus have the Player Action Number, and the make of Playerplano inwhich the action is installed? This information will eliminate muchdelay and will enable us to give you very prompt service.

E. D. I am sending you a spring fromyour player action so you can see thestyle. The lady thinks this spring pumpshard so please send me two new springs.This piano is about five years old, and itpumps harder than when it was new. Ihad a player man clean it and fix it allup, but it pumps still much harder. Canyou tell me what to do for it?

Answer: We have inspected thesesprings and find them to be in perfectcondition. We feel sure that these partsare not affecting the pumping qualities ofthe player. You state that the piano isabout five years old. but you fail to giveus the action number. This informationis always helpful to us. to properly tellthe condition of the player and offer youa suggestion for a remedy. \Ve believethe player is in need of a thorough over­hauling. and possibly is in need of morecleaning than it has received. Particu­larly, do we think that the primary valvesneed re-regulation. Weare sending youunder separate cover, a copy of our"Principles of Player Action Operation"book and would refer you to Pages 37and 38 for further instruction pertainingto the regulation of the primary valves.\Ve would also refer you to Page 10which shows the installation of the bot­tom action, and how the gate and rerollvalves are set. You will note in con-

nection with the gate box to the extremeleft, that on "reroll" the valve shuts offone port entirely, while when the leveris thrown to "play" both ports are equallyopen. Let me further suggest that yourplayerman read this booklet of instruc­tions through very carefully and we feelsure that he will be able to effect aremedy. Should he fail, however, pleasedo not hesitate to call upon us once more,giving us the action number and all otherinformation that might help us to drawproper conclusions and thereby be ofservice to you.

R. F. E. I am working on an --­with your action. I have been all overthe player, cleaned the valves. and regu­lated them. It plays in good time untilabout half through a roll. Then it slowsup-gets slower and slower until it stopsand won't move until it is rerolled.Motor seems all right, also brake. I tookgovernor off and went over the tempo.Knife valve seemed all right. It is hardto see, for it is the old type pneumaticin back, and knife valve, then tempo infront. Then another box which the motortube connects into. The connection, onthe piano of this box, moved to the left,stops the player. Moved to the right, itplays real fast. Please tell me what is .wrong, and how I can rectify it.

Answer: According to the description

...-,

Standard Player Monthly 13

given in your letter, we do not believethat this is one of our actions. Thetrouble seems to be in the governor. Webelieve that the check screw is turned outtoo far. Throw tempo lever to the ex­treme right, that is to "130" 'collapse gov­ernor pneumatic with your hand, and havesomeone treadle. Now regulate the checkscrew in the governor pneumatic in orout until the paper travels over thetracker bar as though the tempo pointerwould be placed normally at "10". Alsoexamine the upper brake block to see thatit is bearing properly onto the shaft pre­venting the paper from being wound tooloosely on the take-up spool. The brakeshould be tight, thus bearing on the shaftto keep the paper in tension all the timewhile playing.

P. B. I have a --- Playerpianowhich refuses to play. I have tested thelower action which is in perfect condi­tion. I have also taken a tube and listenedfor leaks in the upper action, but can­not find an:)'. I cannot get any pressureon it, and therefore think it must be inthe valves. Will you kindly tell me howto test the valves, also how to adjustthem?

Answer: You do not state what playeraction this piano contains, and thereforeit is very hard for us to give you the in­formation that would help you solve theproblem. However, we are sending youa copy of our "Principles of Player Ac­tion Operation" book and would referyou to Pages 35 to 38 inclusive. Wethink that the trouble is the lack of mo­tion on the valves or possibly the poucheshave shrunk. It is also possible that thechannels, bleeds, etc., have becomeclogged with accumulated dust and lintwhich has been drawn into the actionfrom time to time. Probably cleaningwith a suction pump will help somewhat.

F. J. A. I have one of your PlayerActions in a --- Playerpiano. Themusic roll runs to the right. It is one witha spring under the lower bellows. Thetracker does not work when covering theholes on one side, and leaving the otherside uncovered. I have reglued the tubesand put on the 6 new pouches and cannot

find the trouble. If you can, I wish youwould tell me what to do.

Answer: Your description is not com­plete enough for us to tell the troubleaccurately, but we believe that there areleakages between the tracker bar andshifter device itself. We would suggestthat you inspect all four tubes individu­ally from the tracker bar, from the blockwhere they enter the shifter to seewhether they are absolutely tight andthat they are not clogged up with dustand lint which might have been drawnin while playing. See that the packedjoints on the shifting device are tight.If you fail to effect a remedy, let us sug­gest that you send this shifter in to usfor repairs. According to the number ofthe action which you have given us, it isfrom thirteen to fourteen years old andis very likely in need of an entire over­hauling. However, if it is just the shifterwhich is giving trouble, and you decideto send it in for repairs, it will receiveour best and prompt attention, and willbe returned to you in first class condition.

A. B. What is wrong with a playerthat will not make a sound? I have testedthe bottom action and it is strong. I candisconnect the pipe thai goes to the valvesand close it and the motor runs O. K.but when it is connected, it runs slow.I have tightened every screw in the bot­tom and top action. It's not a Standard.

Answer: The trouble with the playerwill no doubt be found in the valve sys­tem. You advise that this is not a Stand­ard Action, but you do not state whatmake of player action it is. This pre­vents us from making a proper diagnosisand from giving you a statisfactoryremedy. However, let us suggest thatyou take the player apart and clean thechannels of accumulated dust and lint,and see if the pouches have becomeshrunken. Furthermore, make sure thatthe valves have the required play or mo­tion. The action is likely leaking through­out and this is the cause of your motorslowing down when playing. Wearesending you a copy of our "Principles ofPlayer Action Operation" book whichwe would suggest that you study care­fully.

14 Standard Player Monthly

These Want Ads. are Printed Free of Charge

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Send in your ad-. vertisements 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.

POSITIONS WANTED

Notice to Piano Dealers in Philadelphia. Ex­pert Tuner and Repairman is able to takecare of work for firms in this city. Qualitywork at reasonable rates. Want Col. No.946.

Tuner & Repairman on all makes of pianosand players including Reproducers. Experienced in handling men. Best references.Wishes position as Shop Foreman. WantCol. No. 947.

Tuner, Repairman and Player Mechanic desirespermanent position with reliable firm. 5years experience. Would consider orchestraand band work, bass drummer and pianoplayer. Single, steady and sober. Memberof MasonIc Lodge. Want Col. No. 948.

Answer: After taking out old pneumaticand before removing cloth, measurewidth between both leaves when pneu­matic is fully open. The recoveredpneumatic should have this samemeasurement.

Question No.3. If the motor crank-shaftmeasures ~ inch from center of shaftto outside point, what should be thefull opening allowed for pneumatic inrecovering?

Answer: Two inches.Question No.4. What would cause a

hammer to remain against the string,if player action is found to be O. K.in every respect?

Answer: Tight pin in flange of piano ac­tion; or return spring of hammer notin place.

Question No. S. What causes treadle tostay down when pumping, allowing thatthe spring is strong enough to bring itback?

Answer: The pin joining the link to thetreadle board will be found to be tootight.

,•

(Continued on page 11)

WANTED

•The following men answered the July

questions, but their letters were receivedtoo late to be given credit in the Augustissue of the magazine:

H. W. Brown, Gloucester, Mass.F. R. Chegwidden, Shelton, Conn.C. E. Forsythe, Dayton, Ohio.Robt. Gerecht, Woodside, L. 1.J. R. Leeks, New London, Conn.F. M. Lilyard, Hartley, Iowa.O. E. MacCollum, Williamsport, Pa.N. P. Marx, Cashton, Wis.A. W. Rafnell, Auburn, Maine.Karl Reuter, Green Isle, Minn.E. K. Riek, Rhinelander, Wis.The following are names of men who

have answered the questions which ap­peared in the August issue of theS. P. M.:

W. C. Case, Alliance, Ohio.M. J. F. Corrar, Brooklyn, N. Y.Henry Dunteman, Ambia, Ind.W. H. Ewing, Saltsburg, Pa.C. E. Forsythe, Dayton, Ohio.W. A. Hook, Lynn, Mass.F. J. Lyon, Cleveland, Ohio.H. E. Clingenpeel, Lafayette, Ind.M. J. Kannamer, Quitman, Texas.E. O. Liaboe, Centerville, S. D.A. W .. Rafnell, Auburn, Maine.J. L. Robinson, Lawrence, Mass.W. H. Schaeffer, La Porte, Ind.T. Solberg, Stamford, Conn.L. J. Socin, Brooklyn, N. Y.Here are the answers to last month's

questions:Question No. 1. How far should ham­

mers be from strings when soft pedalpneumatic is operating correctly?

Answer: About % of an inch, orsomewhat less than half the distance ofthe hammer from the strings when thehammer rail is full back.

Question No.2. What measurementsshould be made first before attemptingto recover a motor pneumatic?

standard Player Monilily 15

t

Tuner & Playerman familiar with Reproducerswould like position with good piano house.28 years of age. Single. Can play pianoalso. Danquard graduate. Want Col. No.949.

player Repairman, also on Grands and StraightPianos. Wishes position on outside work,whole or part time for store work. Sixyears experience on outside work. AU workguaranteed. Located in New York City.Want Col. No. 950.

Tuner, .Repairman & Player Mechanic. Someexperience with reproducers, burning in andcase work. Want Col. No. 951.

"J.uner & Repairman, Player Mechanic, would.ike permanent position with good reliablefirm in Pa., N. J., or Del. 6 years experi­ence. Married, steady, sober. Can drive car.Want Col. No. 952.

First class Tuner & Player Mechanic wouldlike to hear from firms who wish a manfor two or three days a week, residing inN. J. Can drive a car. Want Col. No. 953.

First class Piano Tuner, Player & Finisherwould like change of location. Can organizeIarge orchestra. Experienced theatre leader.Very large fine library orchestra music.Band leader and director. Want Col. No.~54.

Salesman who is also an experienced Tuner,capable of management. Practical experiencein band-orchestra merchandise, as well aspianos. Want Col. No. 955.

First class Tuner & Player Repairman on Re­producing and Electric Pianos. 24 years ex­perience in piano business. Would considermanaging store for first class piano concern,or combination tuning and selling. At pres­ent employed, but wish a change. Want Col.No. 956.

Tuner wants Position with reliable firm.Player work a specialty. Can help withsales. 12 years experience. Best of refer­ence. Want Col. No. 957.

Fine Tuner & all-around Repairman. Willingto locate in Penna., N. Y., Conn., N. J.,Mass. Married. Reliable. Worked forSohmer and Knabe. Had selling experience.11 years in piano trade. Want Col. No. 958.

-'runer.& Player Repairman would like to con­nect with first class house anywhere incountry. 34 years of ag-e. 18 years experi­ence. Want Col. No. 959.

first class Tuner, Repairman & Player Me­chanic. Have held Foreman position. Insideor outside work. 14 years experience.Married: Want to locate in Ohio, Ky. orInd. Want Col. No. 960.

Competent Piano Tuner & Repairman wishesposition. Have had 12 years experience.Want Col. No. 961.

lfuner & Player Repairman wishes positionwith reliable firm. Not afraid of hard work.Good character and personality. 25 years old.Experienced in player work, tuning, pianoregulation, and voicing. Want Col. No. 962.

Tuner & Player Repairman. Can also repairpiano actions and install all kinds of playeractions. Would like to locate with somefirm in Jersey City or commuting distance.Want Col. No. 963.

Qualified Wareroom Foreman. 18 years withSteinway pianos. Expert Tuner. Rebuild­ing all makes of pianos and players, alsorefinishing. Not only executive, but also sell­ing ability. Will go anywhere if the remun­eration is fitting. Want Col. No. 964.

Salesman & Manager of Music Store seeksposition with reliable music house. Experi­enced Tuner and Repairer of pianos. Cap­able of taking charge of store handlingpianos and small instruments. Can furnishbest of references. Prefer New York Cityor vicinity. Want Col. No. 965.

Experienced Tuner & Repairman on all makesof players and pipe organ work. At presentemployed but will change for better position.References exchanged. Age 37. Married.Want Col. No. 966.

Expert Tuner & Repairman with 22 years ofexperience desires position with reliable pianoconcern. Understands all branches of repairwork. Want Column No. 967.

Manufacturers and mail order houses needingthe services of a Tuner who understands re­producers, pipe organs, automatic pianos, andcollections, anywhere in Florida, get in touchwith Want Col. No. 968.

Competent Tuner would like to connect withreliable house, either factory or outsidework. 26 years old. 10 years experience.Want Col. No. 973.

Tuner and Repairman with years of experi­ence in all lines of store work. Can re­pair phonographs and' all wood instruments.Can drive and take care of car. Married.Age 39. Want Col. No. 974.

Expert Player-Reproducing Action Mechanicand Tuner fully equipped with test rollsand tools to handle all current makes ofplayers on the market, would like to con­nect with manufacturers or dealers desiringprompt, efficient and courteous service ona time basis, in any part of Connecticut.Want Col. No. 975.

HELP WANTEDCompetent Tuner & Player Repairman. One

familiar with the We1te Mignon ReproducingAction. In answering state experience withreference, and salary expected. Located inLynchburg, Va. Want Col. No. 969.

A good Piano Tuner and Repairman, onefamiliar with reproducing pianos. Locatedin Penna. Want Col. No. 970.

MISCELLANEOUSDesire to purchase an established music busi­

ness in New York City or preferably withincommuting distance. Must stand thoroughinvestigation. Wan Col. No. 971.

Wanted: Active or inactive partner in a weltestablished music business. Investment re­qui! ed $5,000 to $10,000. Want C<JI. No. 972.

lit 1VmHG ITUp To You,

. ENDTuNER

I've been asked to Increase the

Mailing List of the S. P. M. and I

want to do- it. You know, we've got

a mighty big mailing list as it is, and it's steadily grow­

ing; but some of ou r folks ain 't sa t isfied-they w ant to

see it grow qu icker. N ow I'm going to ask each one of

you m en to help me, and I kn ow that if you are willing

- and I believe you a re - we'll be able to put this thing

across. And here's how you can help the edito r.

Get the name of some Tuner or Repairman who isn 't

receiv ing th e STANDARD PL AY ER MONTHLY, and send it in

to me. If you can send in m ore than one name, so much

the better. I sure will be thankful to you for the effort.

Y ou'll d o this, won't you?

By the w ay , we've recei ved some mighty nice letters

in re ga rd to the 1.11onthly , and we've been pleased to get

them. If you rs was one of them, accept m y personal

thanks.Your fri end,

THE EDITOR.

P . S. Just note , on the middle pages, where the S. P . M. goes.

Your magazin e is some magazine, isn't it? An d Tuners every­

where spea k well of the STANDA RD PLAYER ACTION.

,\