I'm Falling In Love...
...With my new piano. I went in tonight and opened up it's cranium (the lid thingy - I'm so not technical with names) and looked at the inch of dust I still need to clean off it's numerous tiny innards. Even it's insides are cool - so many pieces and parts, hoses and knobs, I'm just in awe that someone in the early 1900's had the technology to come up with this creature. As soon as I get my books on piano restoration, we'll be ready to waltz (remember - there are no rock-n-roll piano rolls).
After snooping, I sat on the bench and pretended to channel Mozart or at least Sara Bareilles. Instead, I just ended up playing the first few notes of the theme song to Beverly Hills Cop (you'd know it if you heard it), but I really rocked it. Sticky keys and all.
Here are a couple of pics I took tonight. My boys seem to also share my love of this beast and I can see many hours of music in our future.
Gunny pounding the ivories:
C-dubs grimy fingers tickling the ivories:
This is the part I hope still works. It's were the piano rolls go and it appears to be the cleanest part of the whole piano:
Comments
How fun, Sandi!!!!!!! That looks gorgeous.
Posted by: Jennifer McKenzie | January 6, 2009 06:06 AM
Gonsea resturant in Eureka had a player piano in there. I do not know if it is still there or not but it was really cool. Stop by and check it out.
Posted by: Gump | January 6, 2009 08:05 AM
They do make rock and roll rolls. Here is a link to the catalog of the biggie in rolls, the QRS company in NY.
http://www.qrsmusic.com/downloads/pdf/cat0610.pdf
Sadly, two days after I dropped it off QRS stopped production of rolls after 108 years. They have a two year stockpile and hope to move the machines and restart the line in the near future. There is a youtube video of the line at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3FTaGwfXPM and it also gives a basic idea of the operation of the piano.
The piano was last restored in the early Carter administration and stopped working some time in the early 80s. The most likely cause of failure will be the two main bellows in the lower part. They are most likely no longer airtight and will not pull the required vacuum. As you said, there are a lot of hoses and bits inside. Some of those might be weak after all these years Take your time, take lots of photo and if you have to replace a hose or something, do one at a time. Next time I talk to my dad, I'll ask him if he remembers any tricks or traps. he was the one that restored it. Good luck and I'm so glad to hear that it's going over well.
Posted by: Jim | January 7, 2009 11:14 PM