Greetings -- Don Winter states:  "I have one dogmatic conclusion
that the solenoid pianos have no justifiable purpose."

I agree with Don that his conclusion is dogmatic, defined by the
Merriam-Webster dictionary as "positiveness in stating matters of
opinion, especially when unwarranted or arrogant."  But I disagree
that solenoid pianos have no justifiable purpose.

Queen Victoria reportedly once visited the laboratory of Michael
Faraday.  She asked him the use of some of his efforts (among them
arcane findings in electricity and magnetism).  Faraday is said to
have replied, "Of what use is a baby?"

Of what use is a solenoid piano?  Well, I bought my Young Chang
piano-shaped-object with PianoDisc player in l997, and I have enjoyed
it every day since.  If fills my home with music.  I have a huge
library of quality MIDI files as well as WindPlay, which gives me a
vast library of reproducing piano rolls.  My piano is plugged into my
PC, and everything is available with a mouse click.

Working with this piano-PC interface has made me far more PC-competent
that I would be otherwise.  My piano playing is better.  My interests
have taken me twice to Cromer, England, to meet and become friends with
Richard Stibbons.  I have shown my piano to many people, from children
to accomplished musicians, and all of them have been delighted with it.
Having a solenoid piano even led me to MMD, where I have learned so
much about so many things.

I want to point out that I also have a nice old Waltham pumper, which
hopefully will redeem me slightly in the eyes of any  other pneumatic
elitists out there.  But Don's conclusion that solenoid pianos have no
justifiable purpose is overbroad.  Solenoid pianos may have no
justifiable purpose to him -- I would not presume to disagree on that
point -- but mine has greatly justifiable purpose to me.

Regards

Mike Ryan
Milwaukee, WI