[ originally published in Mechanical Music Digest 96.12.22 ]

Following is the description of the tuning procedure for a Style 150 band
organ taken from a manual (or pamphlet -- 4 pages) entitled "Directions
for the Operation of the Military Band Organ" by the Wurlitzer Co.

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"INSTRUCTIONS FOR TUNING MILITARY BAND ORGANS
Styles No. 147, 148, 149 and 150

For your convenience place the instrument on two blocks about 18 inches
high, supporting the sides of the case so that you can see the pipes
contained in the bottom of the instrument from below.

This instrument contains 22 stopped pipes in the bottom of the case,
22 stopped pipes and 27 open violin pipes in the main case, also 3 brass
trombones, 16 clarinets and 16 brass piccolos in front.  There are stops
for the trumpets, trombones, clarinets and piccolos, two stops for pipes
in the main case, one for the open pipes and one for the stopped pipes.
These two stops should be open all the time.

Place the tuning roll in the tracker frame and connect the paper with the
take up spool, push the stop lever over to the right, press the rewind
pneumatic to the right a trifle, and pull the hook down over the screw.
The tuning roll can now be moved over the tracker bar from one perforation
to the other, and the suction is still on the chest.

Close all the stopped pipes in the bottom and the main case, and the
piccolos in front, with soft paper just tight enough so that the pipes
will not speak but that the air will go through the pipes.  Close the
trombones, trumpets, and clarinets with their respective stops and start
the instrument.  Then begin tuning the open pipes in the main case
according to the tuning sheet.  Make the fifths a little flat and the
fourths a little sharp.  When the temperature has been finished,
tune the open pipes in octaves as the tuning sheet indicates.

Then open the bottom pipes and tune them according to the respective open
pipes one note at a time, then open the pipes in the main case, then the
clarinets, then the piccolos, trumpets and trombones, tuning them as the
tuning sheet will indicate.

Test the pipes, and if they do not speak properly you may find dust or
a little dirt in the pipes, which should be cleaned with a feather or
something similar."

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That's the info from the manual.  I do not have the "tuning sheet" so,
I don't know what information might be given in that.  I suspect that
the tuning sheet might indicate which holes in the tuning roll play
which pipes and the pitches since this was not printed on the roll.

The tuning sequence on the tuning roll starts with C as a basis and
proceeds by a progression of two note combinations and then some chords
till the accompaniment section is set.  The tuning roll then allows you
to tune the other pipes using the accompaniment section as a basis.
Most band organ owners have these tuning rolls.

I'll now ask the other gentlemen who wrote on this subject to interpret
the technical aspect of this information from Wurlitzer as I'm not
trained for that.

Bill Black