Dyer, Pianola Demonstration

Pianolist Julian Dyer demonstrates the operation of the pianola, playing Chopin's "Minute" waltz.
FAQ
Q: The volume level seems low.
A: The volume level in the original version of this video ...
• Dyer, Pianola Demonstr...
... was indeed low; I've boosted it and reposted a new version here ...
• Dyer, Pianola Demonstr...
Q: Where can I learn more about Julian Dyer's work?
A: Here is another video of Dyer performing on the pianola ...
• Trolley Song piano rol...
... and here is a link to his website ...
www.pianorolls....

[@gramophoneshane]

As a 1901 Pianola owner, all I can say is WOW, HAVEN'T I GOT A LOT TO LEARN lol. Being mostly a gramophone collector, I've been setting the "speed control" as indicated on the roll, & there it stays to the end of a roll, unless a change is indicated on the roll itself. Basically the same with the sustain lever. I can now see why my playing (& many others here on youtube) sound so lifeless & flat. Thanks to both you & Julian for this demo video. It's truly educational & inspiring!

[@AdamRamet]

yes, this will fit either a grand or an upright. The pianola is height adjustable to fit different keyboard levels - it cranks up from a side mechanism. The sustain pedal mechanism has an adjustable foot with an extension for use with grands where the sustain pedals are sited further back under the keyboard than on an upright generally.

[@Obakedake]

Amazing video. Thanks for the detailed description of it's operation. An incredible machine!

[@kikomorse]

That's some old school DJing, right there

[@Pedroom_Lanne]

Fantastic! Since I can not play the piano anymore, perhaps someday I'll acquire a pianola like that. If we survive Corona, of course. Stay safe!

[@smalin]

It's a waltz by Chopin; sometimes called the "Minute Waltz."

[@smalin]

Better for what? I've spent somewhere between 5000 and 10000 hours practicing the piano, and it is fun to play, but it's fun to use the conductor program, too, and it doesn't take nearly as much practice. I expect that playing the pianola would be something like playing the conductor program.

[@MattHalpain]

amazing!! i like how he shows how it works and how he modified it to be better..

[@syncopeter]

This is so much better than anything recorded in the 70s by Biograph. They just pumped rolls. I know this piano and I also know this superb pianola. It took me over an hour to pump a 3 minute number through in anything with a reasonably straight tempo and some dynamic effects. After that hour I had no legs left.

[@howunoriginal2]

the tempo lever adjustments made a drastic improvement in musicality!

[@KawhackitaRag]

No, a roll is just the data used to play the notes (and sometimes expressions), nothing more and nothing less. The TONE is entirely dependent on the piano itself, and those vary greatly. You can play the same roll on different pianos and get different sounds. It is not at all like a recording. Years before editing of recordings was possible, piano rolls were ALL edited, with the people at the roll company quantizing the raw data of a hand-played performance (look up "quantizing").

[@KawhackitaRag]

There are two ways to avoid the mechanical effect of quantization in piano rolls: The first is to use modern computer recording and perforating techniques which can capture and perforate a pianist's performance with much finer rhythmic accuracy than was possible in the past (and without the need of quantizing or "rounding off" to simple, coarse rhythms to suit the stepping of the perforating machine). The second is to carefully use the drafting-board method to mimic a human performer.

[@ArtisWodehouse]

Great demo.

[@stickshiftstarship]

Cool! I had no idea a pianola was like that... I thought you just stick the thing in and pump and it plays, like a CD . Thanks!

[@insanemoments1257]

I was 2 when this was published

[@vasilikaranos8603]

Insane Moments I was less than 1 month xD

[@arpeggio]

Woww interresting.. And amazing But what's the use..?? Is it not much more fun and better to learn to exually play the piano instead of controling the speed and base treble and that kind of things..??

[@smalin]

@lilchopin1 See the FAQ.

[@SarbearK]

WOW playing the Pianola is like rubbing your stomach and tapping your head while you jump on one foot at the same time!

[@edlisauskas1195]

The volume level is SO LOW, i can barely hear the narration---THIS condition seems to be present lately on other forwarded videos, too--with the level setting at its max.

[@smalin]

You're right. I've boosted the audio and reposted. See FAQ for a link.

[@Krerksakul]

how much that pianola?

[@KawhackitaRag]

Almost all old "hand-played" piano rolls were quantized, including the "reproducing" rolls. This, more than anything, is responsible for the "mechanical" sound of most piano rolls, not the player piano mechanism itself. As Mr. Dyer notes, a great many rolls were "arranged" on a drafting board, without using a human performer at all. This was and is still the easiest way to make a piano roll.

[@tapiq]

Wow, interesting! Does it mean that when I have a cd of Gerhwin's pianola roll playing , it's not actually Gershwins phasing, pedalling and so on, because there ALLWAYS has to be this guy who operates all the accents, tempos etc? I thought that pianola is able to record all the aspects of the tone, so when you replay pianola roll, it's should (without anyone's assistence) sound totally the same, just like you replay cd for example...

[@geolevi]

This is amazinggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

[@KawhackitaRag]

Most well-restored pianolas or player pianos can sound this realistic if the pianolist (person pumping) practices enough. The key word is "restored"... there are still a number of people who tout themselves as "restorers" but don't do a good job. The player action should be tight and responsive enough that you can pump it with one foot and still play all the notes, plus add some expression. (some brands such as Gulbransen and Aeolian can be especially responsive).

[@monx]

Is that continuous dotted line waving up and down across the whole piano roll a tempo indicator?

[@kukral]

Julian- Good program and a nice sounding piano. We need more educational programs such as this. Best regards. Mike Kukral, Publisher AMICA (Automatic Musical Instruments Collectors' Association)

[@KohlaBrooks]

This is sick! I just realised this song is off The Truman Show, isnt it?

[@smalin]

You might want to ask Julian Dyer about this.

[@wesanderson75]

wow!

[@KawhackitaRag]

yes.

[@RockerDuk]

@Petitprox Uhm.. no. Not really.

[@tage92]

Why the pianola?? i dont understand it or the meaning of it at all.

[@electronicjo1]

mechanical obstructions and mounting considerations

[@MattHalpain]

amazing!! i like how he shows how it works and how he modified it to be better.. it is like he is a master pianist but not..

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Well, this is a great video, but he did NOT "modify" this pianola at all. It is like this from the factory with the expression levers etc. Home foot pumped built in player pianos are the same way (at least the old ones built in the 'teens and ''twenties). They have soft bass and treble levers or buttons, a sustain pedal lever or button, and a tempo lever (and play/reroll lever), and when correctly restored they are supposed to be able to play with good dynamics via the foot pedals and soft bass and treble controls. In fact, in the old days the piano stores would regularly have demonstrations of people "playing" the player piano, and yes, you can make your own interpretation by adding your own dynamics and tempo changes to a regular roll.

[@KohlaBrooks]

yeah, you're right.

[@dramaqueen872005]

I know the song but can't remember the name. What is it?

[@ras662]

dramaqueen872005 Minute Waltz by Frédéric Chopin.

[@lilchopin1]

what is the name of the song on the piano roll

[@josealonzogonzalez6601]

lilchopin1 it is "Minute Waltz" by Frédéric Chopin

[@Proxiart]

this is way more difficult than just playing the piano :P

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Actually, I play piano, and no it's not. With the player piano, or Pianola, you can play music that is physically impossible (or very difficult) for one person to play by hand, and still easily add dynamics, tempo etc. It's a neat idea. Of course you can also easily play music (like this) that is possible for one or two pianists. While the finest pianists have the advantage of being able to isolate their individual fingers / hands and give different weight / emphasis on the notes of a simultaneously-struck chord, and the average pneumatic player (even reproducing piano) cannot replicate this, the average pianist does not play with so many of these kinds of nuances but with more general dynamics, accents, staccato/legato etc. Of course the modern electronic players can play different simultaneously-struck notes at different dynamic levels in the same region of the piano, but those systems, as great as they are, suffer from the eventual obsolescence of the printed circuit boards, and the inability to be restored or repaired, unlike a pneumatic player (which can be rebuilt by a skilled woodworker on a workbench). That's the trade off right there. A few really rare vintage pneumatic players (the Cable Solo Carola, the Melville Clark Solo Apollo, the Kastner Kastonome, and the Soloelle) attempted to overcome the problem of accenting / voicing simultaenously-struck chords by special rolls and special solo systems. They did allow certain chords or notes to be brought out above others WITHIN a chord, with the Solo Carola and Kastonome being able to do this with simply accenting individual notes (rather than the Aeolian Themodist system of accenting just the entire bass or entire treble as here in this video), the Soloelle in a more general way by a hammer rail divided in many more sections / hammer groups than a normal player, and the Solo Apollo by having two completely separate playing stacks in the middle range of the piano allowing any two or more notes in that range to be simultaneously sounded at two completely different dynamic levels. All neat ideas that actually worked OK when new, and worthy of preservation.

[@AdamRamet]

yes, the last 3 notes are omitted that's all

[@SonSantana]

Wish i could see the weys also... =/

[@semu4994]

2020🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@TheDimking]

Phew..dat thin' even has rewind. ..wow...

[@PLCGirl101]

God, you may as well be playing the goddamn thing...

[@Daishinkan_03]

17 years 💀

[@KawhackitaRag]

I think you need to take your Pianola to a reputable shop and have them restore it for you. It will cost more money than usual because they will have to undo all the PVC "re-plumbing" that someone else did, a big no-no. HOWEVER, the result will probably be worth it because then you will have a nice pianola at home on which to play. Make sure you have the right people re-do it for you; get a musician friend to go along and inspect examples of their work before agreeing to anything.

[@edmega332]

thats what i said.

[@lyrhid]

OLD DJ in session

[@ozzietadziu]

Well........,You're No Bob Berkman. But a reasonable facsimile.

[@erkvlk]

i play the pianola

[@boriszbalkan]

I've never ever ever seeeeen such a thing. I DON'T LIKE IT grrr :o)

[@chutdigadut]

haha i Know!

[@chutdigadut]

HAHAHA