Hello everyone,

I'm working on a biography of an American pianist whose piano roll repertoire includes several transcriptions that he never wrote down. My question is, can I "read" a piano roll (AMPICO, in his case) - that is to say, figure out the notes he's playing, without actually playing back the roll? Is there a simple way of doing this?

Thank you for your help!

Rick M.

What is the catalog number of the Ampico roll? Your best bet is to see if the roll has been scanned into MIDI format (or a format which can be converted to MIDI), which will allow you to look at the note and pedal events in sequencing software. Some MIDI playback software can also display the notes on a virtual piano keyboard as the song plays. With some work, it's possible to transcribe piano roll performances into traditional music notation. If the roll you have hasn't been scanned yet, I can refer you to several people who could probably help.

Hi Mark,

Thanks to your post, I found a midi version of the roll online. Is there a specific sequencer that you would suggest for good (accurate!) results?

Thanks!
Rick M.

I've heard good things about the tools from Notation Software, Inc..