Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-12-14
TINE PIANO HAND ORGANS.
How Those Popular Instruments OF the
Street Arc Made.

How Those popular 1nstrunohts OF tho
Street Arc Made.
Their musical merits aside, the me-
chanical pianos trundled about the streets
by the re-established peripatetic perform
,rs are remarkable affairs. The princi-
pie on which they are made is, Of course,
we'll known. They are enlarged music
boxes, the hammers that strike the wires
being set in action by coming i'll contact
with minute pegs set in a cylinder that
extends the whole length Of the frame,
or. popularity, the key board. In the
largest Of these pianos the cylinder is
pegged to play ten tunes, and it takes
one complete revolution Of the cylinder
TO finish one tune. After that the per-
former may continue to grind out the
same tune again, or by moving lever
push the cylinder forward by MS much as
the width of one peg, and so bring out a
different piece.
These pegs Pre- not nearly Is h9oad as
a pin head, and the fact that, unpleasant
as the machines are to trained ear.
they rarely If ever strike false notes, is
evidence Of the care and nicely en-
ployed in their construction. For, in a
machine pegged for ten tunes, the cylin
der is simply black with the pegs, and
the slightest inaccuracy in placing them
would bring out wrong note some
where.
The relation Of the pegs to the ham
mers may be understood il one plays his
two hands side by side upon the table,
palms down. The fingers and thumb
may represent the pegs. each peg play
ing its part In the different tunes. The
space between the levers which one peg
lifts is Just wide enough to pass nine
other pegs. 1t happens, Of course, that
the same note does not occur in every
one OF the ten tunes; in that case no peg
would be driven in in the line Of ten
when i. came to setting the cylinder for
this especial piece.
A manufacturer in Elizabeth street
makes mosti If not all Of the mechanical
pianos heard on the streets in this neigh
borhood. He makes everything in his
own establishment.
There" said he, pointing to pile OF
lumber, "are well seasoned boards that
are being kept for working into frames
and other parts Of the piano. There is
the machine for making the wires. And
all through the house are materials for
the various parts of the Instruments and
the tools for putting them into shape
Now, the piano that was played in front
Of The Sun office Immediately after the
aldermen rescin6rd their order forbid
ding street music was one Of the best we
ever made. II kept within doors and
played moderately, like house, piano II
would remain In good tune for many
weeks; in fact, as long Us the swell In.
struments. Played out OF doors. 1t gets
out.of. tune more quickly. The exposure
to the weather and the rumbling over
rough: ,pavements, as well as constant
playing, brings this about. The men
who have pianos In use bring them in
here on an average f,once IN two weeks
to get them returned. recourse, another
influence to put them out Of tune Is the
extreme force with which the wires are
struck.
elbow is music adjusted to the cylin.
derg"'
at requires not only musician but a
manwho understands the mechanism Of
the machine to do thiss The frst thing
after selecting the compositions TO- buy
the. piano score. Then the musician