player piano

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player piano

player piano an upright piano incorporating a mechanical system that automatically plays the encoded contents of a paper strip. This strip, perforated with holes whose position and length determine pitch and duration, is drawn over a pneumatic device that shoots streams of air through the holes. The air is guided through a tube to the corresponding hammer, which strikes the string. The pieces used in player pianos often reproduced performances by famous pianists. Although popular during the late 19th and early 20th cent., the player piano was eclipsed by phonographs and radios.

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player piano

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

play·er pi·an·o • n. a piano fitted with an apparatus enabling it to be played automatically.

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"player piano." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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