The Paramount Theatre

Today, I joined the free tour of the Paramount Theatre. It’s one of the most well-known theatres in Seattle. Since this is the first time that I visit the theatre with a guide, I am quite impressed by the history of the theatre. The decoration of the theatre is not so impressive though, since I’ve seen a lot of ancient architectures in Europe. However, the auto-play piano which is presented by an instructor is so special. By reading a paper roll with a lot of holes, the piano can control the keys to generate sounds. It’s like an invisible man playing the piano. Without the paper roll, it can be played as a normal piano. Another impression that stroke me is the grand piano in the both sides of the stage. Its purpose is to re-dub the silence movies in ancient time. What makes it special is that… it’s played by only one pianist. There are four keyboards. There are two touches for each key. So the combination is very complicated. There are few top pianists for this kind of instruments in the world.

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