AN ELECTRIC VIOLINPLAYER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10604, 5 November 1910, Page 3 (Supplement)

AN ELECTRIC VIOLINPLAYER.

' To--the mechanical piano-players and player-pianos, succeeds an electrical vio-lin-plnycr, or' rather, perhaps a "playerviolin/' since the violin and its playing mechanism arc somewhat intimately connected. Wo quote from a descriptive article in Modern Electrics. According'to the writer of this, the electrical violin-piano executes all of - its movements with precision and correctness, and with spirit and range that surpass the limitation of manual execution. . . j "Tho bowing movement is supplied by small revolving wheels built up' of flexible celluloid discs, closely controlled as to the speed and oressure with which they act on tho strings. The fingering is performed by a bank of electromagnets, whose armatures depress mechanical fingers over the strings on the fingerboard. The effects of staccato, vibrato, pizzicato, -glissando, etc., are also produced by other electromagnets, enerI gised, like those controlling the fingering, from contact brushes which penetrate the perforations of a paper record, similar to those used in mechanical piano-players. "For the combined piano and violmplayer a special perforated music-roll 14i inches in width is employed, controlling 125 contacts, 55 of which actuate the piano accompaniment and 70 of the violin movements. . . For the violin there, are CO contacts controlling the fingering magnets, 12 for each of the D,'G, and A strings and 24 for the. Estring. Four other brushes energise the piccato, vibrato, speed, loud, soit, and cut-off'control magnets.' ... "The records for the violin necessarily cannot be made, by 'playing,' as-piano-player-records are commonly perforated. The special requirements of the violin make it necessary to 'lay out' these records on the drawing-board, reproducing exactly the notes and intervals pE the score." The auxiliary control perforations are later added by ear, when the piece is played in the factory for the first time. A method of recording the violinist's fingering directly is now. being experimented with by the manufacturers' of the player." , . To imitate the action of tho n.usipiali when ho seeks to produce a louder note, by bowing more, rapidly and with inereawcl pressure on the string, tho vidir.-pla\er uses electromagnets, energised ihrough special contacts, which vary tho speed by-a friction whoel-and-disc, -at the same time applying more or less pressure to the hows.- . Sudden very high bow speeds for chords arc obtained through a gear in the trans--mission, ■multiplying the rate from 15--to 1000 revolutions per minute. r lo quote further: "The 'bouncing-bow' action is obtained by another magnet, .situated just lidbind' the how magnets, which imparts a 'bouncing' million to the bow.'-: when suitably energised by a succession of perforations i:i the record. The pizzicato or 'ineking' magnets take the place of the performer's thumb in renderingcertain pieces. The armatures of these' coils plv the strings with a surprisingly human picking action. An interesting . departure has been laade in obtaining/ the vibrato movement. This is aocom-, plishcd by a large, magnet whose weights ed armature is arranged to vhake the tail-piece sidewise. . . . It will be evident that the range of the electrically operated violin exceeds, that of any imaginable human performer, playing chords which would require stretching',, the length, of the lingcr-board, besides performing on any number of strings simultaneously.

"i.<':>:-:i!ir.g the back of the case is an' clcrfcricr.llv-iiparp.ted piano, used to ae-> compnnv the vio'ih:, and played from a part of'the-same record roll. Auxiliary magnets control the speed, loudness, stroke, etc.,.as in the violitt-: ... . "The whole player device requires about ■!. ampere at 110 volts direct-cur-rent. "Fiii- alternatiiig-ciirrent circuits a sinall rctary converter is supplied tout within the case. The wires, cables, and magnets are carefully insulated; and all of the mechanical parts,show excellent workmanship. Any violin of standard dimensions can be played by tho machine." ■';■;