Yesterday I spoke to Dick Hack, who has been selling some extremely
fine recut rolls for Violano Virtuoso.  Among the topics we discussed
were sales of his early style rolls.  Dick mentioned that there weren't
many subscribers for the early style Violano Virtuoso rolls, which I
found very surprising.

Some of the finest arrangements for Violano Virtuoso are found on those
rolls.  Dick thought perhaps it was the fact that the early rolls
operate with slightly different specifications that might lead owners
of later style Violano Virtuosos to not consider the early style
Violano Virtuoso rolls for their machines.  I have a few thoughts for
the consideration of the MMD group.

The primary difference between early style Violano Virtuoso rolls and
later rolls is in the piano coding.  Early style V-V rolls utilize a
lock and cancel sustaining pedal as well as piano expression.  The lock
and cancel is straight forward in understanding.  One channel signals
the sustaining pedal "on," whereas a second channel for "off."

The piano expression uses a channel for piano loud only for the
duration of the activation and a second channel for piano soft for the
duration of the channel activation.  The piano expression was
accomplished with high wattage ceramic resistors much like the staccato
resistor.  The earliest Violano Virtuoso rolls also  used a separate
channel for violin tremulant.

My Violano Virtuoso was built in April 1927 and therefore is a late
machine.  I do however enjoy the early style rolls as some of my most
prized rolls.  How do I play them?  Very well, thank you.  I connected
the piano expression to the hammer rail lift lock and cancel.  Some
could argue that it throws the hammer rail lift signals off, and they
would be correct.  I used the logic that the rolls were coded so that
some passages of piano were best louder and others softer.

With that philosophy I play the rolls and get some degree of loud and
soft.  This is acceptable to me.  I also bought two relays to enable
the lock and cancel sustaining pedal, but I have to admit in 20 years
I never seem to get around to using them.  Without the benefit of lock
and cancel sustaining pedal the piano can be a little dry but the
superlative violin arrangements more than make up for it.

The tremulant in the violin I solved by wiring my tremulant magnet to
the roll frame so that the tremulant is continuously activated and the
channel (if memory serves me, #76 for later rolls, perhaps #3 or 4 in
early rolls) is not necessary.  This was a suggestion by Violano expert
Chuck Pheiffer who felt the later coding of repeatedly calling for the
tremulant on the roll did nothing but wear out a brush and risk a
"sharp" brush that could later damage the rolls.

Since I have seen what a "sharp" brush can do to a roll, I thought it
was good advice.  As a consequence the early tremulant coding has no
impact on my tremulant device.  Yes, it may be argued that a later
machine will not play the early style rolls as well as an early Violano
Virtuoso.  I do not dispute this.  What I am suggesting, is that owners
of later machines are missing out on some great music that they would
otherwise not enjoy.

It should be noted that one of the reasons that the violin arrangements
on early style rolls are so superb is the extensive use of the staccato
channel.  If your machine is not well regulated, with careful attention
paid to the staccato, the early rolls will not show the crispness of
violin playing that makes them such a marvel.  Later rolls, while hand
played, utilized the staccato less and less until it was used almost
not at all.  A pity.

Another factor to consider is the fact that Dick Hack has these rolls
available right now.  What most folks probably have not considered is
that the paper needed to recut Violano Virtuoso rolls is not something
that is readily available.  This paper must be ordered in large
quantities.  I remember when Chuck Pheiffer recut rolls the minimum
order of paper was 5-10,000 pounds.  A lot of paper for a fairly unique
purpose.  Dick told me that to order the paper now, the minimum was
something like 20,000 pounds.

Let's look at realities folks: once this project uses all the paper,
the likelihood that anyone will go to the expense of recutting them
will be past.  As Dick Hack completes recutting Violano Virtuoso rolls
these rolls will once again become unavailable.  The early style rolls
are extremely scarce and often quite fragile.  Dick has spent a great
deal of his own money to make this project a reality.  It is our loss
if we do not take advantage of the great music available to us.

Mark Reinhart
Charles Town, West Virginia

 [ See the technical paper, "Mills Violano Virtuoso - Scale Variations",
 [ by MMDer Hal Davis, at http://mmd.foxtail.com/MMMedia/Mills/
 [ -- Robbie