Tony Decap asked:

> If you compare the better old style player piano systems to new
> systems -- like PianoDisc, QRS or the Yamaha Disklavier -- and this
> in turn to the real thing (an 'A-1' performing artist), how would they
> rate on a scale of 1 to 10?  Is a MIDI disk playing system actually
> better sounding, or not?  Does one have more advantages, or
> disadvantages?

I can only offer one observation.  In about 1964 I was interested in
clocks and watches.  I worked briefly in the Schofield Building in
downtown Cleveland.  This building had sixty watchmakers and a huge
watch-parts store on the top floor.

When you bought a watch in 1964, it had a spring-wound, mechanical
movement.

These were both expensive and not particularly reliable, so they needed
regular cleaning and oiling.  You'd take it to your local jewelry store
and they'd put a tag on it and throw it in a box to be sent down to one
of the watchmakers in the Schofield Building (or some similar
operation; Pittsburgh's watchmaker's building was the Clark Building).

Now, all of the watchmakers liked their work and their various
societies (I think there was both a newspaper group and at least one
musical group amongst them), but these were technical guys, and they
discussed the aspects of timekeeping endlessly.  Everyone knew about
crystal clocks, and everyone knew something about electronics.  The
Accutron watch had recently been introduced, as had several attempts at
electro-mechanical wrist watches.

There was considerable enthusiasm over these and great speculation over
the next development in the construction of a new, silent, no-oiling
necessary electronic watch that would keep exceedingly good time and
need no winding.  (The accuracy of a good Bulova movement was no better
than one minute per day, and most were off by several minutes per day.)

Thus, while there was great appreciation of the craftsmanship that went
into the finer watch movements of the time, there wasn't a heck of a
lot of delight in their inevitable  mechanical irregularities.  When
the first true electronic watches were introduced, there was great
excitement about them in the watch-repair fraternity.

My guess is that something similar went on amongst the people who
designed electronic musical instruments.  If they'd had adequate
electronic technology, they would have used it without hesitation:
it wasn't their intention to manufacture antiques.

Mark Kinsler
Lancaster, Ohio
http://www.frognet.net/~kinsler