Geoff Willard Blog #10: Player Piano Rebirth

On the look out for another example of folk archiving, I stumbled across Terry Smythe's Player Piano Rebirth page. Terry has been digitizing player piano rolls into MIDI files using a home brew scanner, and documenting the entire process. While the content is deep, the site's architecture leaves something to be desired. 

Collection Principles

Based on the information provided on this preservation page, I would assume that Terry targets any piano roll as a candidate for scanning and transfer. All rolls are scanned at an unknown setting into an unknown program; details of the scanner are extraordinary detailed for other budding piano roll archivists, but the actual digitization is somewhat mysterious. Other than CakeWalk for creating the MIDI files, I'm not sure what other programs are utilized. Although the original scans are apparently too large to post, Terry will provide a user with the original scans on request, no fee required. There is no mention of copyright restrictions on the files, only a plea that the MIDI files not be used for commercial purposes. Presumably most are in the public domain, but I am not up on my piano roll copyright history (I would image a few are still in the hands of the original composer's estate though). 

Perhaps the most glaring omission is the lack of transparent file descriptions. All 5,782 titles are rolled into a handful of zip files. Want to search his collection? Download a massive Excel file. I kid you not, there is no database involved.     

Object Characteristics

MIDI is an industry standard, although I'm not sure if it qualifies as an archival standard. What I find fascinating is Terry's approach to information gathering:  

"I must presume that the viewer has access to an appropriate catalog to determine additional information for a particular music roll. You will note that some information about the roll is missing, as a consequence of a torn leader, missing box, obliterated leader data, or a combination of conditions. What you see is what I know about a certain roll, largely from the information contained within the roll label, followed by a Google Advanced Search."

The file name labeling system consists of the tune title + catalog number. Terry claims the information he has gathered is embedded into each MIDI file, but I have been unable to view it. QuickTime does not reveal this header information, and I do not have CakeWalk. 

Metadata 

The fields in that massive Excel file that constitute descriptive and administrative metadata are the following: Tune Title, Composer, Lyricist, Performer, Catalog #, Manufacturer, Roll Type, Copyright Data, Donor, Batch, Comments. By no means are these fields complete; most are missing at least 1-2 pieces of information. 

Intended Audience

As a member of AMICA (Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association), no doubt Terry had this group in mind when constructing his archive. Reproducing rolls, which feature performances by famous musicians, will surely appeal to listeners who want to hear how selected compositions were originally meant to be played (for instance, a Scott Joplin rag played by Joplin himself).