player piano

American  

noun

1. a piano that can play automatically when the keys are actuated electronically or by a pneumatic device controlled by a piano roll.

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player piano British  

noun

1. a mechanical piano; Pianola

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Etymology

Origin of player piano

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

The player piano and the phonograph not only introduced recorded music to a mass audience, they also prepared the way for machines to become integrated into musical creation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Any piece for so many pianos is bound to call to mind Conlon Nancarrow, an American composer who wrote vastly complex music for the player piano.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

A framed photo of Peter Pan soaring across Neverland stands high above his wooden player piano.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2023

The often-uneven payouts for artists and their record labels can also be traced to the early 1900s with another advancement in music technology: the player piano.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2022

He invented, for example, a player organ: an organ which, like a player piano, automatically played music according to the information conveyed by pins on a turning drum.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton