Nickelodeon

Also known as the “Coin Piano” or “Orchestrion”

The Nickelodeon is basically a player piano with the simple addition of percussion instruments. Some of the percussion instruments were (to name a few) bass drum, snare drum, tambourine, wood block, triangle, castanets,and xylophone. Some even contained organ pipes such as flute, violin, quintadena, and even reed pipes such as trumpets. The percussion instruments are struck by use of a slightly modified version of the player piano pneumatic, and the organ pipes were activated by use of valves.

A new RagtimeWest piano.

There have been some machines made to include other instrements. The Mills Violino-Vertuoso (http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/millsViolano1.html and http://www.millsnovelty.com/) actually featured a violin that played by itself, and the D.C. Ramey Piano Company (http://dcramey.com/default.html) manufactures “Banjo Orchestra's.” Hopefully, information about theese machines and even of other machines will soon be accessable.

Lets start writting folks!!

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