Andy Taylor  Wrote in the MMD:

> Which Leads me to my next question...
>
> Are the old 65 note rolls "interesting"?  With a old pushup at the front
> of my record piano, The 65 note format could be easily converted.  My
> question is:
>
>    Has anyone out there heard 65 note recordings?
>    Are they worth the expense and effort to preserve and convert?

I love them........ I have hundreds....But,

The only way to find good selections or arrangements is to buy in bulk.
Most of the rolls I find were from defunct circulating libraries.  I
consider my self lucky when I find 6 rolls out of a hundred that are
worth keeping. Most of the rolls I find are cheesy faux classical parlor
pieces and very uninteresting pop tunes (Joe E.Howard clones) arranged
on the roll verbatim from the sheet music which  merely goes to show
that NO age has a monopoly of *bad* music.

   Medley rolls seem to be pretty good and cover the entire musical
spectrum of most of the world at that time.    Scottish tunes  arranged
by Mozart Allen, (one of the most prominent Bagpipers of the day), to
Japanese,  Greek, and even Peruvian  folk tunes are among some obscure
titles I've run across.   My 1906 Aeolean catalog has the national
anthem of almost every civilized nation on earth along with over 11,000
titles One particular arranger to look out for is  Herman Avrey Wade
His arrangements are exceptional.  I have also never been disappointed
in Medley rolls of Victor Herbert and Franz Lehar shows.  These rolls
capture the magic and naughty innocence of an age fast disintegrating
when the 88s come in.

 The ragtime on 65 n.rolls has much more of a fresh smooth feel (lilt)
than the ragtime from the 88note era The harmonies on some of these
rolls are rich an sumptuous as a chocolate mint pie.  Listening to a
65note arrangement of Texas rag Paints vivid pictures in the mind of
a quiet dusty Texas range town at twilight.  65note rolls dealt with
Symphonic music much differently than the 88note period Most
88/reproducing rolls used or piano arrangements where  as 65 note
Themedist/metrostyle rolls took the arrangements from the orchestra
score or some good four handed arrangements.  "Dance Macabre" for
example will knock yer socks off!  One problem with these though...
Like the pop tunes I had mentioned above, the music is verbatim off
the score. Though some of these rolls are arranged, most have NO tempo
compensation.  The arrangers seem to have a credited the player of the
roll with some amount of musical sensitivity.  The rolls are plastered
with the proper instructions for tempo and dynamics. this also lends
well to making your own interpretation of the music.  On some pieces
it takes a bit of practice to get the tempo changes and expression right.
Though I like reproducing rolls, really enjoy the experience of "conducting
the orchestra" that 65 note rolls give me.  One technical point:  By the
nature of their slotted holes, these rolls have a finer "resolution"
than the 88s. The repeating rate is much faster.  When you get mandolin
interpolations, you get MANDOLIN interpolations!   Your reader  or
push-up and instrument must be in optimum order.

Brian Thornton

Short Mtn. Music Works
109 N. Cannon St.
Woodbury TN 37190
615-563-5814
http://www.mindspring.com/~goatboy/smmw.htm