I am currently doing some research specifically into A, G, O and OS
rolls played by actual pianists and comparing them to vinyl records
of the period to determine what percent of nickelodeon rolls are,
in fact, hand-played.

Because many coin piano roll companies (like Automatic, Connorized,
Columbia/Capitol, Wurlitzer, Peerless, and early QRS "O" rolls) are
arranged on a cutting table, I am narrowing my research primarily to
those rolls that are hand-played, or at least stylistically comparable
to phono recordings.

The type of music we generally hear on period coin-piano rolls poses
several different analytic problems.  One is to discover how dissonance
is treated in relation to rhythm, how the basic melodic and harmonic
framework underlies both chordal sequences and variations (if present),
what aspects can be considered unique, and how technique is related to
the expressive qualities of the music in question.  In short, what
gives it life and power to move us.

Most rolls from the period exist in a given framework consisting
primarily of melody and accompaniment; the accompaniment generally
consists of chords placed on and off the regular beat.  This achieves
a polyphonic web of sound by means of employing several instruments to
play melodic, bass and inner voicing simultaneously.

Of course, these generalizations are based on popular arrangements of
the day, which were usually restricted to ABAB, AABB, or ABABC format
in 16-bar schemes.  Whether waltzes, marches, rags, polkas, blues or
fox trots, the stylistic elements found on coin piano rolls vary greatly.
However, _all_ of them have some things in common which I hope to point
out here.

A common occurrence we hear on any coin piano roll is the "quivering"
chord in which thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, or octaves are rapidly
repeated to create the tremolo, vibrato, or mandolin effect.  This
is often, but not always, preceded by a chromatic passage of either
descending or ascending grace notes.  Another common technique (usually
punched in by the editor) is the repetition of the note that
constitutes a major or minor tenth above the lowest bass note.

The decision to repeat the tenth is a good one because it emphasizes
the counterpuntal lines.  (The expansion of the octave to the tenth,
by the way, is one of the most distinguishing features of stride piano.
This radical change in the style of piano playing is vividly reflected
and adequately represented on coin piano rolls made after WW1).

Although a pianist cannot quiver more than five notes at the same time
with one hand, the editor often adds to existing material.  This brings
up an important point: many of the pipes, xylophone or pitched instrument
effects are not intended for those instruments.  Much of the material
for Capitol "O" roll arrangements, for example, are clearly extensions
based on what the pianist originally played.  However, the arrangements
are especially good and, because Capitol made no effort to remove
clipped tenths, many of their rolls have a strikingly live-performance
feel.

Rich chordal textures full of harmony are also a distinguishing feature
of many coin-op rolls.  This is remarkable if we remember that many
rolls use a pitch gamut of only 65 notes.  An especially effective
technique is the use of the cluster, in which editors add notes to
existing chords to create dissonant harmonies.  Some spicy examples
of this are found on the Capitol blues rolls.

Anyhow, I'm thinking of writing my bachelor's thesis on a topic
something like "The Stylistic Elements of Capitol 'A' Coin Piano
Rolls."  I'll see what my musicology professor has to say about that!

Nathan Bello