Hello MMD readers,  From time to time I've seen a reference to
the Themodist (a.k.a.  Solodant, Melodant or "accent holes") as
"expression".  This is not true!  The solo devices separate the music
into a melody line, while suppressing the rest of the arrangement
(bass/treble) into a secondary dynamic, i.e. the accompaniment.

What the Themodist does is "divide the note sheet" so that either a
Pianolist, or a 'reproducing' roll like the Duo-Art or Angelus-Artrio,
can assign the solo expression to various portions of the keyboard.
It's like a two manual pipe organ versus a single keyboard one.  The
Ampico and Welte-Mignon are musically akin to the latter, while the
Themodist player actions resemble the former.  The 'reproducing'
feature of a player action involves the graduation of dynamics, by
the music roll perforations.

It's also a put-down to call these sophisticated perforations
"snake-bites", a term of recent origin, and one which should be
buried like "Half Duo-Art" for the pedal model, often called the
"foot impelled" style in Aeolian publications.

(The pedal Duo-Art is a complete expression player which equals the
electric one, since the pedals are the Theme graduation while the
Accompaniment is graduated by the accordion pneumatics.  The pedal
Duo-Art coaxes the Pianolist to keep the pedal strokes at specific
levels, for the treadles freeze if the roll calls for a softer Solo,
affected by the Themodist portion of the player action.  Similarly,
the pedals require more pressure to maintain a higher playing level
if louder dynamics are required by the Duo-Art score.  In other words,
the pedal Duo-Art 'talks' to the operator but the Themodist only
assigns certain notes and chords to the feet, for the solo graduation
effects.  The foot pedals merely replace the Theme Graduation Lever
of the electric models in this design.)

Hope the above clears up some of this misunderstanding about the
Themodist devices.  For more on the "gimmick" versus "useful tool"
aspect of the Themodist, you might want to read this page:
http://www.wiscasset.net/artcraft/issue4.htm   The solo device isn't
that necessary on pedal players, but is essential for impulses on the
'reproducing' variety.  While the holes appear to be the same, they
have musical differences, as this text describes.

Regards,
Douglas Henderson - Artcraft Music Rolls
Wiscasset, Maine 04578 USA
http://wiscasset.nnei.net/artcraft/