Hello All.  Way back in the fifties, a neighboring farmer offered me
a 'player piano' which had stood in his barn for many years.  After
scraping through the straw and filth it turned out to be a Pianotist.

These are quite famous but rare instruments which appeared over here
around 1880.  They are of considerable interest in the technological
sense because they are said to be the first known example of mechanical
amplification based on a rotating drum.  The principle was used, almost
unchanged, in electric typewriters for many years.

The piano had a felt-covered steel roller, about 4 inches diameter and
four feet long, mounted beneath the keyboard.  This was set spinning by
the pedals or motor.  (The original publicity even shows an optional
water wheel housed in the basement and driven from a faucet.)

A set of wooden cams, very similar to piano hammers hanging upside down,
were held just clear of the roller.  When the roll called for a note to
play, a pin reading mechanism allowed the appropriate cam to drop onto
the spinning roller.  It was thus flung forward and this motion was
coupled by levers to the piano action.  The roll and reading mechanism
were housed in a sliding drawer immediately beneath the keyboard.

I restored my Pianotist fairly extensively and it ended up playing
surprisingly well, almost comparable to a basic 65 note pneumatic player.
The piano itself was superb.  Expression was achieved by means of a twin
conical roller drive to the main drum.  This was controlled by a hand
lever.  The faster the rotation the louder the note.

The rolls were very strong thin red card.  I had about 50 rolls and
the music was mainly popular songs of the day ("Annie Laurie" was a
favorite).  I believe there is a non-working, almost identical Piano-
tist in the Birmingham (UK) museum.  I sold the instrument several
years ago when I needed the space and money but if anyone needs more
details I can probably remember it well enough to provide a few
sketches.

Richard Stibbons MIMIT
Cromer, Norfolk
England