Gulbransen Melody Indicator
By John Phillips
Joyce Brite suggests that a Gulbransen Melody Indicator is totally useless. Well, I admit that it isn't the most essential piece of equipment on the instrument but I believe it did have a purpose. (What follows is my own deduction; I haven't read this anywhere.)
When it is swung down in front of the tracker bar it obscures all the ports that correspond to the treble half of the split hammer rest rail. If you are trying to pedal a roll expressively and can pick out the melody perforations, the Melody Indicator enables you to see whether the next few notes will be in the treble or the bass. Then you can decide whether or not you want to use either of the soft pedal levers in the keyslip, to accentuate the melody over the accompaniment.
Actually, if you had purchased only Gulbransen music rolls, you wouldn't need the Indicator, unless you were of an independent turn of mind, because these rolls come with printed instructions that say "Release Treble Soft Pedal Lever, Engage Bass Soft Pedal Lever" and so on.
How often do I use my Melody Indicator? About once a year, but my Gulbransen is an electric Recordo. It does have a foot pedal option, but noone with a ordinary pedal player available too would bother to use it.
I wouldn't remove my Melody Indicator, even if it does sit horrifyingly close to one of the terminals of the spoolbox lamp. I must get out my voltmeter and remind myself whether it's the active or the grounded terminal!
John Phillips.
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(Message sent Wed 5 Jun 1996, 01:51:48 GMT, from time zone GMT+1000.) |
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