Piano roll production at QRS Music

A late-1980s tour of QRS Music's piano roll manufacturing facility in Buffalo, New York, originally aired on the TVOntario children's show "The Acme School of Stuff".
If you enjoy this video, also check out the QRS tour from the show "How It's Made" on the Discovery Channel: • Video

[@juliehartley3652]

The first digital music and it has lasted - that's an achievement. Thanks for this insite into piano rolls.

[@ellenanderson4151]

My grandmother worked at QRS forever. We used to go there frequently while living in Western NY. When she sent packages to us when we didn't live nearby they were stuffed with bunched up punched sheets. so very cool now that I think about the history.

[@animesis]

Its amazing to put a face to the name, Ive seen his name on so many rolls, never imagined I would find a video of him at his expertise. A true music maker

[@closr2fine]

I just saw this factory on "How It's Made." Amazingly, that segment (shot, it would appear from a date stamp they show, on May 15, 2008) shows the exact same Apple IIe computer being used. I find that absolutely delightful.

[@iansanderson]

Wow. What a great video. I simply cannot believe all of the labor that went into making a piano roll. They must have been expensive!

[@PiotrBarcz]

They still are. The ones on the QRS website are anywhere from $10 to $60.

[@scottjop656]

"...in these days, we use computers to make rolls..." man those are some dinosaurs of a computer!

[@Organgrinder1010]

Fascinating! I've always wondered how rolls were mass-produced!

[@A3Kr0n]

Love the retro computer making retro piano rolls.

[@abpccpba]

What a delight to see/hear. Thank for your great dedication.

[@BraveBoySnapper]

As a little boy I was always fascinated with my Great Aunt's pianola and always wondered how it worked! Thank you for answering a question I've carried for 45 years.

[@RobHoffman83]

I visited QRS in the 90s and Rudy was still there but he was using a digital piano directly attached to a PC to master the rolls.

[@Jschwar7]

I learned about them on how it's made. Search (How it's made player piano). After I watched the discovery channel show, I then searched for QRS and found this video from their website. This is awesome!

[@PiotrBarcz]

It truly is.

[@jonny4u23]

Amazing I have a pianola in Johannesburg and it is really wonderful that in this day and age pianola rolls are atoll available from QRS THANK YOU JONATHAN South africa

[@musicom67]

Love the Apple II... Amazing process. Excellent documentary.

[@coast2coast00]

Somewhere in my mind I had forgotten memories of watching this host when I was a kid on TVO. This is the kind of stuff we used to watch when we had 4 channels, one of them in french.

[@mattyj198]

Wonderful Video, I was lucky enough to visit this factory a few years ago. It was alot of fun! I had a hard time leaving without a few hundred dollars of rolls though :-p

[@cc213t]

The song is "(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey". Words and music by Hughie Cannon (1877-1912), published in 1902.

[@OofusTwillip]

That song got used a lot in commercials, etc. It was also used in 1970s commercials for compact organs, and in 1980s commercials for The Singing Machine.

[@andrewkoledin6951]

Yes, the song at the beginning is Bill Bailey. The first part is known as the verse, after it comes the chorus. A lot of old songs are remembered by the chorus part only. Probably because that the part that has a catchy phrase, and the title stated.

[@zooeyhall]

Fascinating! Thanks for posting!

[@stevecob]

Fascinating! A very good narration with great video.

[@penguinnh]

Thank you very much for posting this. I always wanted to visit the QRS plant, but never got around to it. Jon "maddog" Hall

[@TDoubleE2007]

very interesting... have to say its the most ive learnt on youtube. i listened to a piano roll that was played by debussy and it sounded incredible!!

[@PiotrBarcz]

WHAT!!!??? You have a roll that was PLAYED BY CLAUDE DEBUSSY HIMSELF!!!???

[@bietebouwer]

A fantastic video! Thanks for posting it!

[@AAErikCO]

Also, the theory regarinng QRS' name is unconfirmed. It makes a nice nostalgic story, but likely will remain a mystery unless some key piece of documentation surfaces.

[@Karlfalcon]

Fascinating. Both this and the Mr. Rodgers QRS tour (apparently from before they installed the Digital editing and punching system) are a wonderful insight into the process here.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

"Mr. Rodgers"? Who's that, supposedly? And when did "digital" become a brand, besides the computer manufacturer whose brand wasn't used here?

[@Karlfalcon]

@@HelloKittyFanMan. You spent the time and energy to post just to mock spelling errors in a *16* year old youtube comment. Touch grass, for the love of God...

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

@@Karlfalcon: 1. I didn't mock anything, I asked a simple question, duh. 2. It hardly took me any time or energy, and you don't need to care about that anyway. 3. If you knew you made an error then why didn't you just fix it already back then or now? 4. Who gives a CR...(YT cens.)...AP how old the post is, especially if I only found the video _now?_ That doesn't matter, duh. 5. "Touch grass," says the id* who got all butt-hurt for no good reason.

[@berniceoberland7427]

Nice job, good balance between history, music, and (musical) tech info.

[@charliebrown9086]

Fascinating! I always wondered how they were made. I got a 1920 player paino given to me and just got it fixed up enough to play. I need to buy some rolls. I also need to replace all the lead tubing with rubber. Hopefully I can find the parts. Thanks for posting!

[@pmgodfrey]

Yes! Awesome! Thanks for sharing that. It's the most I've learned on KZbin so far. Funny to see an Apple IIe computer in use after all these years.

[@kid_with_a_piano]

how about now?

[@myousickoflife]

Wild how it is basically the original MIDI

[@miffy1950]

impressive!!! Love this music

[@grammypj]

Great video! I have several QRS rolls for my antique player piano, and I'm sad to hear that QRS has ended production of this wonderful vintage product! =(

[@sa3270]

How fascinating that all that specialized machinery is still in use 100 years later. It will be a lost art if they ever go out of business. I wonder if they still use that Apple IIe.

[@socmath]

Thank you very much for this video :-)

[@MikeLucek]

Very cool !! what an interesting video. Well done and extremely informative :)

[@iterlimen]

Excelent video...!

[@AdamRamet]

what a GREAT video!!!!!!

[@KawhackitaRag]

Great! This is very well done, and understandable to the average person, too... not something that is easy to do.

[@ReturnOfTheStienway]

AMAZING!! Thanks for the info video =)

[@KawhackitaRag]

Here are some other roll makers active today: Sierra Music Rolls, Keystone Music Roll Company, BluesTone Music Rolls, Roller Tune Recuts, Ampico Music Rolls, etc. (some of them can custom-make you a new roll if you send them a MIDI file of the tune you want, providing that it's for piano-only and can be adapted to their perforator).

[@PiotrBarcz]

I have heard of Sierra Music Rolls.

[@corgihound]

THANK YOU!!!

[@MrTedodell]

Very informative! Can't wait to place my order for new QRS rolls.

[@PiotrBarcz]

They do not produce the rolls anymore but Sierra Music Rolls will make the rolls if you send them a MIDI file.

[@SQUAREHEADSAM1912]

Piotr Barcz I didn’t know that, thanks bro.

[@elevatorfan7568]

@@PiotrBarcz QRS still makes rolls. I just got two Joplin rolls today. They only took three days to come!

[@PiotrBarcz]

@@elevatorfan7568 They still have rolls in supply but they don't perforate new batches anymore, according to the head of the company.

[@PiotrBarcz]

@@SQUAREHEADSAM1912 Well, they did, Bob Billings ran the company but I think he either passed away or he's too old to keep working.

[@BdR76]

Thanks for uploading this video, I never knew how those rolls were "programmed". I suppose street organs are done similarly.

[@oberek92]

very interesting informations on howto Thanks !

[@poshko41]

Digital technology at its finest.

[@NichBro]

To counter some comments about QRS not having updated music, you should check the list of available rolls yourself. They have songs from Mary Poppins, Paul Simon and Abba. Not sure what some people mean by new.

[@omgfloofy]

Much belatedly, they aren't dead. They just aren't producing piano rolls anymore. They are behind the PNOMation digital player system, and still have an inventory of piano rolls that they sell on their website. Not only that, but they also sell parts to repair pianos and piano rolls. qrsmusic 'dot' com is where you can find information for their current work.

[@danielmkubacki]

Very Cool!

[@worldexplorer3263]

I love qrs music

[@stacase]

I searched KZbin today for Player Piano because a saw one at the Good Will yesterday for less than ten dollars? But the player mechanism behind the sliding doors was missing )-: But the keys still worked (-: At least the one key went ♪ Bonk ♫ when I pressed it.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

This was very interesting! One of my uncle/aunt families had one of these in a cabin they used to own, and we loved visiting them as kids and pumping it! And I've always wondered about the details of their inner workings but only now have thought to look up both how the pianos work and how these are made. Do you know if this company was still in business even as of 2007 or '6 when you posted this, or even more impressively, here in 2023, despite all the MIDI-actuated players that are out there now?

[@ggpr221292]

Brilliant! I David Stringer has made some of the best television shows I've ever watched, thank you for posting!! I'm planning to visit the QRS factory and go on their tour myself later this summer. One question though: What is the song the segment is started with?

[@JamesIrwins78s]

Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey.

[@DrownAway]

piano rolls rule :) now I know the origins of step sequencers

[@gambia1011]

4:25 the first Synthesia

[@manjake]

Oh yeah! This video has made me that much more pumped about the player piano I'm getting soon! Ooh, I just can't wait! I sure hope the finances work out. Oh, and also, I found that even now, in the height of the computer age, QRS is still, not only alive and kicking, but even producing more scrolls! I'm buying a few of the better titles from them (along with some bulk purchases [40 rolls in one of them] from ebay/amazon), like "The Entertainer", "Clair De Lune", "Moonlight Sonata", etc.

[@kukral]

Jake- let me know if you want more rolls. I have a lot for sale. $2 each if you buy groups of 20. I can answer questions about your piano, too. Mike

[@manjake]

Awesome! What are some examples of songs you have for 88 note? Also, do you know any good servicers that work with players in Utah?

[@manjake]

PS. I got the piano, only cost me 300 and aching arms for a week, but it was so worth it!

[@mumusus]

Amazing, A want them )

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

Wow, yeah, it's interesting to think that THIS is really the first version of digital music... but it's in a vector format rather than the actual audio; just like MIDI is! And interesting that they had already advanced to replacing one of the steps with a personal computer -- even a simple Apple instead of something more like an IBM -- as early as the late 1970s (of course before IBM PCs) or early 80s, but with all the punch paper involved it would seem equally appropriate for a 40s or 50s computer to do!

[@KawhackitaRag]

There are several other roll makers, including several who can scan and recut your unplayable rolls so you can enjoy them. Please see my other comment on this video.

[@JesusKathrynMiller]

✝️😇🔯🕊️🐑🧄🔭🎇🦅🇺🇸🌍🌠🪐🌏🌠🪐🌎🌠🪐🎁Holy Psalm 91 Jesus and KathrynMiller say Thankyou for sharing ✝️🤍✝️🎀 amazing love it ✝️Maybe someday I can have some❤️ Reminds me of Stacey Wilson and her family✝️🦅🇺🇸🍀🍀🍀

[@SugarBearMosher]

i might be getting a marshall and wendall player piano. did you enjoy yours?

[@poastur]

The last time I visited the QRS plant on the waterfront in Buffalo, it was silent. We did go through he selection of "seconds" on sale, and picked out a few that appealed. There was only one fellow around to oversee and collect payment, and I was able to wander about, remembering better times when I was able to enjoy an active tour with by late brother, who was a QRS dealer and piano re-builder. I gor a lot of photos that day, and they are available for sharing to anyone interested. I thought the plant was closed temporarily, but little did I suspect that it could be the end of the line. I wonder what the status of the Buffalo building and all those wonderful pneumatic contraptions is now. les@sceniking

[@jhananut]

Someone should do a wiki bio on Rudy Martin. Most of my rolls have his name on them.

[@AAErikCO]

@KawhackitaRag Andrew you're correct. QRS is wearing down their stock of rolls until they need to produce again. They aren't going anywhere (which was what almost all the headlines said). Please don't forget Reliance roll company from New Zealand. Robert perry bought the full rights to that company, including the right to reproduce the original labels along with some left over parts. So Reliance is still in operation as well! Reliance will be selling 2 rolls very soon (hint hint).

[@PiotrBarcz]

Awesome comment! I thought QRS was shutting down the production but they'er just waiting for the stock to wear down a bit.

[@TheTomar33]

I wonder if they give tours.

[@2n918]

This is one of the most fascinating videos I have ever seen. I always wondered how they make piano rolls. Now I know. Is the Q-R-S company still in business? Thanks for posting.

[@PiotrBarcz]

Yes the company is still in business, they make one of the best quality digital player systems.

[@cc213t]

Keep in mind that this clip dates from the late 1980s, so the IIe was 6-7 years old at that point. Not sure if QRS is still using the Apple-based control system. Anyone know?

[@insanemoments1257]

I was 3 when this comment was published

[@PiotrBarcz]

Yes they are.

[@robsonnbi]

I just wonder why the machine operator at 6:40 has bandage on the fingers of his right hand.

[@PiotrBarcz]

He may have gotten hit by a punch from the perforation machine.

[@lucasmartinmercadorodrigue8034]

May I bring this home?????

[@Veso266]

Does anyone have the midi player program that they used on the apple2 to arrange music with a computer?

[@douro20]

Was that computer-controlled perforator made there or at the University?

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

Haha, oh, so _that's_ how Q*R*S got its name, funny! I remember sometimes wondering, "Hmm, what does the 'QRS' on these stand for?"

[@vincent7520]

Excellent. Thanks for posting ! What happened to the company now (2013) ?

[@wendygoerl9162]

I just came from their website (2017).

[@PiotrBarcz]

They stopped producing piano-rolls from what I know but they still sell the ones that are left. They also have CD's and digital records of the rolls.

[@malik-a-creeper]

THE START OF WHAT MIDI PIANO ROLL IS

[@robfriedrich2822]

1:37 sounds like a typewriter

[@zachjones2374]

I’m a former piano technician. I want to help preserve this info. Do you mind sharing a copy of the video file?

[@manolocalderon1729]

ROLLOS de PIANOLA Nuevos!!! y Antiguos Música MEXICANA y LATINOAMERICANA.

[@AAErikCO]

@IDKMyBFFJill2314 If that's true it would be really neat to have him autograph some of my rolls he played :) Does he ever talk about his job at QRS?

[@KawhackitaRag]

I'm sorry zapkorte. Whether or not QRS has actually halted production of rolls is debatable. They are moving all their equipment to new headquarters in Pennsylvania, and several company officers have stated they intend to continue making rolls. Also, your facts are wrong. QRS is not the "last" manufacturer of piano rolls, there are many others around today. QRS is simply the last surviving original roll company from the old days.

[@echodelta9]

The original digital music revolution. It upset copyright law in 1911, was it performance or paper song sheet? The artists that made recordings were in awe of it's perfection, they hated to make a phonograph recording. Knowing that nothing new was used just refined to production, they wondered why it had not been done a century or more earlier. We would have digital recordings of Beethoven and Mozart!

[@wendygoerl9162]

It's no that easy. An earlier format couldn't even use all 88 keys.

[@armallya]

Very informative, I have a video I dedicated to QRS company and Dick Watson to a tune played on my 1916 Stroud Pianola "The Impossible Dream-Man of La Mancha" QRS and their management like Max Kortlander made the "Dream Possible" . If they have all the old rolls they should be optically scanning them and archiving and making new rolls and pianos with newer materials, the Midi player is just another device and not unique like a player Piano.

[@PiotrBarcz]

You can send Sierra Music Rolls your old rolls to be copied.

[@jeremydmccann]

"Too bad this company didn't make cars." lol

[@DEDEQUIER]

Ou peut on trouver des rouleaux Q.R.S.neufs? MLerci

[@rkshireygames]

You can call in to QRS to order them. Would you like their phone number?

[@grandcarriage1]

I wonder what year this was made

[@grandcarriage1]

so THAT’S why it’s”QRS”. I assumed it was Quality Roll Songs or such…

[@cc213t]

Late 1980s. Originally aired on the TVOntario children's show "The Acme School of Stuff".

[@atleyschannel9989]

What's the song playing on the player piano?

[@BritishMetric144]

It sounds like "Bill Bailey - Won't You Please Come Home" but I'm not sure.

[@wendygoerl9162]

Yeah, it is.

[@LukeDoorMan]

weird. I just thought that 2 people played the song together lol

[@ScottFichterrRandom]

This video is being used to teach the origin of MIDI

[@Mindsi]

Early encription😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@p0llenp0ny]

Umm.. the show is from the 80s. It aired on TVO in the late 1980s.

[@lucasmartinmercadorodrigue8034]

4:25

[@alessandrodallagnola4813]

Pls someone write the title of the first song at 0:00

[@wendygoerl9162]

It doesn't sound like Bill Baily at the beginning, but there's no break between the beginning and when it gets into the recognizable part.

[@BritishMetric144]

"Bill Bailey - Won't You Please Come Home"

[@Turkeydoodlers]

Hi have close to 3000 rolls in my collection QRS is almost 75 percent of all I have But they were many oghe makers back the to

[@PiotrBarcz]

3000!!!??? That is more than I can even imagine! Where do you keep them all?

[@mukatuna]

Just grab one of the many youtube downloaders.

[@kuba0plokoon]

first fl studio

[@pinbret]

100 years from now I would wager it will be easier to repair a machine from 1914 player piano and 1 of these late model Digital or tape driven just a strange idea

[@wendygoerl9162]

Repairable, yes, but replacing all those hoses it piddly. We had it done when we got our Strobher, and the guy said it's need replacing in about 30 years. (That was 40 years ago.)

[@jhananut]

I hope this stuff goes into the Smithsonian

[@PiotrBarcz]

I agree, or some company makes new machines just like this and the piano roll industry explodes again. That would be something else.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

"Scotch tape..." * ...or any suitably similar brand of _transparent tape._

[@grayforester]

Topical humor from the Reagan era.

[@EvilCensor]

@maimaridou, that's a terrible shame :(

[@themanolo9999]

MANUALO MUSIC ROLLS manualomusicrollsdatprodigynetmx

[@pietrosammarco6225]

"too bad this company didn't make cars" why is that?

[@SugarBearMosher]

i wish the guy would shut up in the beggining