I don't have much to add to several of the topics I read about today, and
yet I don't want them to go without any response, lest the authors think
that we readers aren't interested.  The authors have submitted some very
interested reading which I really appreciate, and I want to let them know
publicly!

In particular today I enjoyed Joyce Brite's 1901 editorial.  I noticed
how the "artist" in question was usually female, and I thought of how
many vintage piano ads I've seen with women at the keyboard, and how few
with men.  It was certainly a woman's place and not a man's.  No wonder
Jelly Roll Morton said he sang vulgar songs so people wouldn't think him
a sissy!  Thank you, Joyce.

Also, I felt Julian Dyer's input on review policy was great.  How
insightful to give examples of how wording can be misinterpreted, and
how the review can cause as much harm as good.  I completely agreed with
his conclusion that it would have been wrong to publish this as is.  Only
an experienced editor could have had that kind of insight (I always hear
of the controversies that AMI editors & presidents have to deal with, and
I do my best to remain blissfully ignorant!).  Thank you, Julian.

The Pianocorder detail was great, too.  I always wondered about this, and
I just learned more in 5 minutes than I learned in the past 20 years!
I'm grateful to Mark Fontana for copying this to MMD.  I look forward to
more...

I understand what Larry Lobel was trying to say, but I disagree with his
conclusion.  Yes, we may be overlooking the possibility that these CD's
may be well-recorded and may have *some* expression, but it sure sounds
to me like their "robot" does not properly recreate all the dynamics
coded in the rolls.  I bought a couple of their CD's but I didn't listen
carefully enough to draw my own conclusions; I also need to listen
carefully to some of those rolls on a well-regulated Duo-Art piano.  As
Julian said earlier, let's hope Nimbus improves on it before they issue
50 CD's worth of recordings.

Re sustain pedal vs. slots, I know from speaking with John Farrell that
he abandoned using the sustain pedal on his Hot Piano Classics and JAM
rolls for the same reasons George Bogatko cites.   John gets all the
effects he seeks from note extensions (I suppose there are exceptions, but
I believe I am representing his intention here correctly).  So there you
have another vote for note extensions!

Many thanks to *all* who contribute the many fine topics discussed here.
Even though I don't comment all the time, I do enjoy your submissions and
I'm glad you took the time to share your thoughts.

Cheers,
Rob DeLand
(deland_robert@macmail1.csg.mot.com)