A Radio Piano

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 9, 13 September 1929, Page 25

A Radio Piano

‘A Novel Combination te N America, where the piano trade is suffering from'a deep depression, extending from coast to coast, the’ factories. are extending their sphere of usefulness. One huge concern is turning out motor-boats and many are making radio sets, writes "Musical Opinion." , The prevalent idea concerning the latter: is that they should be of the "big-unit" order, powerful and costly. Costly so that they might be worthy of the attention of the hire-purchase people, and powerful’ so .that they might pick. up distant stations amid the maze of the thousand and one local emitters. (American sets are said to be so miraculously contrived that a listener not liking a particular voice in a quartet, can cut out the offender’ and receive only. the other three!) . Pursuing the bie-unit idea, a firm of piano-makers is now getting out a combination piano and radio. The piano is equipped with a built-in all-electric six-valye radio with magnetic loudspeaker. No aerial is needed to bring in distant and nearby ‘stations, this is provided for in the piano strings to which the radio is attached. The receiving set is placed inside th upright piano above the keyboard -and the loudspeaker is concealed in the instrument directly below the keyboard. The piano may be played while the radio set has been tuned in on a programme being broadcast from any station, without interference. With such an arrangement it is possible for anyone to play an accompaniment to the singer ‘of the orchestra broadcasting from the outside station. This means, therefore, that the piano may. be played separately, the radio set tuned in, or the two played in unison. ‘The first combination piano and radio set completed comprises a specially built piano case which has a top a, little larger than. the ordinary upright instrument.