These thoughts are mainly addressed to others who pump their own
pianos.  Maybe those whose pianos "reproduce" with the help of
electricity will understand to some extent, but I'm addressing those
who get in there and tinker with the performance.

My piano is a 1911 Steinway with the 65/88-note Themodist mechanism
-- all in good repair and tune.  After just shy of 40 years of loving
battles with this fine old instrument, I've admitted to a feeling that
has grown over the years.  While I have about as many classical rolls
as popular, playing the music of the immortal _composers_ satisfies
me less than playing well-arranged tunes from the first half of the
last century.

The problem, I guess, is hearing the immortal _pianists_ in my
mind's ear while I approximate their interpretations.  True, I am not
a by-the-fingers pianist (and therefore am less likely to know the
score intimately).  But I am highly musical, deeply in love with the
classical literature for the piano, and knowledgeable of the "bells and
whistles" (especially the pedalling) that coax a performance from my
player.

There are times when I enjoy playing a classical roll, but most of
the time I just "settle".  Yes, I have the Horowitz roll of the Carmen
Variations, but it doesn't come off like the Horowitz performance
-- let alone the Horowitz sound.  The Hungarian Rhapsody #12 may have
been played by Percy Grainger, but it doesn't please like my (early)
Rubinstein recording.  And try as I might, I won't approach the (late)
Rubinstein when I play the Busoni's own performance of the Bach
Chaconne.  (Sometimes, parts of the four rolls of the Schumann Carnaval
do, however, sound fairly good.  Now why should that be?  Because it's
not all blood and guts pianism?)

When push comes to shove, I get the most enjoyment from the rags, the
tangos, the ballads, and even the Sims version of "My Wild Irish Rose".
I can invest something of myself in playing these, never play them the
same way twice, and don't have some touchstone performance in mind when
I work with them.  (Nor does the listener.)

Sadly, I've come to agree (somewhat) with the piano snobs who put the
mechanical piano down when it's compared to a "real" performance by a
master.  But who's to say my rendition of a terrific Pete Wendling roll
falls anything short of perfection?  (Did somebody just hear Pete play
the tune yesterday?)

Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Paul Murphy

 [ Usually I ascribe the difference to either (a) poor editing of the
 [ music roll and its expression (if a Themodist or 'reproducing roll'),
 [ or to (b) deficient operation of my pianos.  I continue to believe
 [ that the self-playing 'Pianola' piano has the capability to produce
 [ a breathtaking performance; if this doesn't happen then I conclude
 [ that either the music roll or my piano is at fault.  -- Robbie