We visited Beamish museum today and in the school house there was a player piano! And I asked if it worked and it did and I got to run it! I've actually never operated a working one. Inspired me to get a move on repairing mine.

The "school teacher" demonstrating it to me complained they only have one working piece of music for it so I might donate them a couple of mine.

There was much more cool stuff at Beamish but I'll toot about that later.

#beamishmuseum #beamish #playerpiano #pianola

None of the physical or phone app tuners I own can handle the lowest keys of my piano. They misidentify the frequency or just don't report anything. I'm just doing it by ear, comparing to the keys of the next octave up. I don't have perfect pitch but I can compare two notes fairly accurately, but it's particularly hard for these lower notes!

Anyone have any tips?

#piano #pianola

It's got just about warm enough to start hanging out in the barn so I'm back on with the pianola restoration! Just cleaning keys but I'll be tuning it soon!

#pianola #playerpiano #piano #restoration #repair

On Mozart's birthday, whilst restoring some of my piano rolls I've come across this lovely example of the Larghetto from his Concerto K.537. Written in 1788, with this roll being made just over 100 years later! #Mozart #Pianola
#FAU Judaica collection has this page up with a bio and 4 albums of his #Yiddish #Pianola music. Very wacky and niche stuff. I love trying to picture what kind of places these would originally have been bought and performed 100 years ago.
https://rsa.fau.edu/bob-berkman
Bob Berkman | RSA

According to someone on the Jewish Music Mailing List, Bob Berkman has passed away. I never met him, but I've appreciated his work for years from afar, his dedication to researching, popularizing and performing old #JewishMusic and #Klezmer piano rolls.

https://www.wbfo.org/arts-culture/2019-08-23/a-buffalo-love-story-bob-berkman-the-player-piano-and-qrs-music-rolls-video
#pianola #PianoRolls #OldTimeMusic #MusicHistory

A Buffalo love story: Bob Berkman, the player piano and QRS Music Rolls (VIDEO)

QRS has manufactured piano rolls at its home on Niagara Street in Buffalo since the 1960s. By the end of this year, they plan to close their doors for…

WBFO
I went to the dentist and bought a pianola – John Leach

I went to the dentist and bought a pianola – John Leach

Found the date stamped inside, February 1938. The Pianola restorer I bought the piping from guessed from the serial number 1937, so he knows his serial numbers! Also found a cosy little mouse nest under the keys. #pianola #playerpiano #piano #restoration