Five Reasons To Add Mechanical Music To Your Collection

Perhaps you're a collector of vintage cars, steam locomotives and engines, or late 19th to early 20th century art and furniture? Are you a connoisseur of "The Gilded Age", "The Roaring Twenties", or the incredible Worlds Fairs and exhibitions of over a century ago?

All of these things have something in common - they're related to the wonderful hobby of mechanical music!

Below, I'm going to outline five reasons as to why your collection can benefit from one or more band organs, orchestrions, coin pianos, and violin machines!

The fun you will have will make you want to build an entire collection of mechanical music!

Reason 1: They're Assets You Can Always Enjoy

There are music machines for any price range from the humble player piano to elaborate orchestrions with pipes, drums, and the ability to play the most complex musical scores. Once an instrument is restored - you can always enjoy it without the worry of damaging your piece. How does one enjoy a car, after all? You drive it - and every second can be "I hope nothing scratches the paint". Wise collectors generally don't use their cars much over the winter considering the dangers of snow and road salt. A music machine is ready to entertain you and your friends year round without an off-season!

Reason 2: A Music Machine Exists For Every Space

Some things don't change much over 100 years, and one of those things are that there are rooms of many shapes and sizes that can only accommodate so much. Manufacturers made music machines for the largest dance halls to the smallest speakeasy - and you'd be surprised just how much music you can get in a small space! This in mind, you can easily find a cabinet coin-operated piano, music box, or hand-cranked organ to fit in a apartment or small home. On the opposite end, large - spacious rooms can be enhanced by a spectacular, beautiful orchestrion or fairground organ!

Reason 3: Music Was Made For All Tastes - And Is Still Made Today

The era of automatic musical instruments starts at about 1890 and lasts until about 1940, that's about 50 years of music represented. Depending on the instrument you own, you can get jazz, classical, light opera, early musical theater, ragtime, marches, waltzes - and much more! Times change, and so does music, however music rolls and folding cardboard books are still made for many different automatic musical instruments. Around the world, around six dozen music arrangers (including the author) still supply new music for a great variety of instruments - and this includes music from modern genres such as rock and roll, country, and pop. Nearly any instrument can have MIDI added to allow unlimited amounts of music. It always fascinates to see something "old" meet something new!

Reason 4: Automatic Musical Instruments Reflect The Art And Culture Of Their Time

The era of the late 1800's through World War II faced rapid changes in art and culture, and you can find every artistic movement from this time represented in mechanical music. Many orchestrions and coin pianos represent the arts and crafts movement and beautifully compliment other furniture and woodwork from that time. Ornaments and facades inspired by Classical, Rococo, and Baroque art are commonplace on band organs, fairground organs, and orchestrions. Art Nouveau into Art Deco later inspired mechanical music as time progressed into the 20th century.

Reason 5: It's The Most Unique Hobby You Can Delight Others With

Have you ever hear the term "It's so old, it's new?" That's the case with mechanical music more than just about any other hobby. 90+ years of amplified music has pushed mechanical music to be a relatively obscure and niche thing, and because of that, so few know about these beautiful (both musically and visually) and fascinating instruments! One thing is for certain, however - anyone who discovers these is instantly enchanted and asks "Why have I never heard of them?".

You now have a golden opportunity to have not only an enjoyable, but incredibly unique collection that instantly sparks conversation and interest to those who see them!

Convinced? A picture paints a thousand words, but music is even better. Make sure to take a look at the Virtual Museum and listen to what these instruments can do!

Then, when you're ready - Instruments For Sale can be the first step of expanding your collection to "The Happiest Music On Earth"!