Instructions On How To Rebuild The Player Piano And Related Instruments.

"'Player-Piano' tells for the first time the fascinating story of the mechanical piano from earliest times up to the heyday of the instrument in the 1930s. Never before has this story been related, although the end of the player-piano is certainly still within the living memory of most of us and many hundreds of these devices are still to be found in our homes. In addition to telling the story of the development of these pianos which strove to produce perfect music without the need for skills on the part of the 'performer', this book sets out in copious detail exactly how these complex mechanisms work. For the owner of an instrument, step by step instructions for the restoration and preservation of both the early barrel-playing pianos and the most sophisticated player and reproducing instruments are given. To fully illustrate their development, design and mechanical processes, no less than 112 plates and 110 long drawings are included."--Jacket.

A treatise on how player pianos function, and how to get them back into top playing condition if they don't work. For beginners and experienced technicians alike.

Provides all the information needed for restoring and maintaining pianos, both for professionals and amateurs.

“A funny, savage appraisal of a totally automated American society of the future.”—San Francisco Chronicle Kurt Vonnegut’s first novel spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines. Paul’s rebellion is vintage Vonnegut—wildly funny, deadly serious, and terrifyingly close to reality. Praise for Player Piano “An exuberant, crackling style . . . Vonnegut is a black humorist, fantasist and satirist, a man disposed to deep and comic reflection on the human dilemma.”—Life “His black logic . . . gives us something to laugh about and much to fear.”—The New York Times Book Review

Henry Cage seemed to have it all. A successful business career, considerable wealth, and a reputation for being a just and principled man. But public virtues can conceal private failings, and as Henry faces retirement, his well-ordered life begins to unravel. On the eve of the new millennium he is the victim of a random act of violence which soon escalates into a prolonged persecution, with tragic consequences. Family secrets are revealed, and when his ex-wife Nessa summons Henry to Palm Beach, he realises that there is little time to redress the mistakes of the past. The Upright Piano Player explores with a tender, yet unflinching eye the small but devastating flaws in human nature that can shape our destinies.

Pianos Inside Out takes an in-depth look at the history, design, and maintenance of the piano, and provides practical guidance to anyone who wants to learn how to improve action performance, or tune, repair, regulate, voice, or rebuild pianos. Covering a wide range of topics, from introductory to advanced, the book puts between two covers all the advancements and understanding gained by the piano industry over the last 30 years, to provide a unified and coherent view of that much-needed information, from coincident partial tuning and interval inharmonicity, to touchweight analysis, string leveling, and the different types of modern lubricants. Although written for hobbyists, students, and piano technicians, Pianos Inside Out will also help pianists and owners of pianos to better understand their instruments and to communicate more effectively with their technicians. The book is full of clear, concise, step-by-step instructions, and more than 700 illustrations and diagrams.