I have been hospital having major surgery on my spine of recently,
so I'm catching up on some earlier MMD postings while I recover, which
is going to take about nine months!

One of the rolls that was used as a test by the Aeolian Company
when their technicians were called out to a piano was 6783 "Moment
of Despair", Op 21 No 1 by Blumefeld, played by Nadia Reisenberg.
I have found this roll to be very useful after an initial set up, as
the coding gives the music a very wide span, particularly quickly in
some cases.

MMD 990424 mentioned the value of a Franklin upright.  In my experience
I have been able to get a very good performance from a Steinway Duo-Art
upright once it had been set up correctly by these measures :-

The piano was placed on a piece of 1-inch-thick plywood on top of the
carpet.  I kept the piano about nine inches out from the wall which
helped to reflect the sound.  The lid on these particular pianos opens
at least nine inches which helps to throw the sound into the room.

I often think that upright pianos do not get the press they should
simply because they are not placed properly in a room.  Grand pianos
which are probably more desirable pieces of furniture often feature in
a prominent position, whereas uprights get pushed away in the corner.

Perhaps it is time for a re-examination of piano positioning rather
like hi-fi speakers.  What a can of worms that could open !

Best wishes,

Malcolm Cole
Player Piano Group London

 [ Well, let's open _this_ can of worms:  "Why is a grand piano better
 [ than a vertical piano," and "Why is a grand piano more desirable
 [ than a vertical piano?"  (This should match the technical and
 [ marketing elements about equally!  ;)  -- Robbie