Most people have probably never heard of a Keaton Music Typewriter before. Heck, most millennials these days probably have never ever heard of a regular typewriter! But this special machine is truly unique and you just have to see it in action.
Many composers and musicians have handwritten their music over the centuries but soon, machines were used to help–and this one is by far the most fascinating.
The Keaton Music Typewriter was first patented in 1943 and while it has some familiar characteristics of a typewriter, it’s far from it. Invented by Robert H. Keaton from San Fransisco, California, this awesome machine has now become a rare collector’s piece.
The original 1943 patent was for a music typewriter with just 14 keys, however, in 1953, the patent was renewed to include a design with 33 keys.
Sold in the 1950s, it had a whopping price tag of $255–which is about the equivalent of $2,675 today!
The music typewriter has a very distinctive look and has a circular keyboard. Keaton designed it this way so that someone would be able to type characters very precisely on a staff and to accurately indicate where the next character would be. Accuracy was of the utmost importance.
So, what’s with the unusual two-rowed circular keyboard?
“One keyboard is adapted to type one class of music characters such as bar lines and ledger lines, which, when repeated, always appear in the same relative spaced positions with respect to the [staff] lines… and a second keyboard adapted to type another class of musical characters, such as the notes, rest signs and sharp and flat signs etc., which may, when repeated, appear in various spaced positions with respect to the [staff] lines,” Keaton said.
It’s this bizarre and unique keyboard arrangement that makes the Keaton Music Typewriter really stand out.
The engineering behind the typewriter is truly incredible. There is a curved meter on the left of the typewriter that Keaton dubbed the Scale Shift Handle and a Scale Shift Indicator. They’re used to control precisely where the characters will hit the paper. Users can move the handle up or down one notch to adjust the print by 1/24th of an inch in either direction.
To help musicians and composers see exactly where they were printing, Keaton made sure to include a long needle next to the ribbon, helping prevent user error. What’s even more interesting is that each of the two keyboards operates differently with the Scale Shift Handle.
“The larger keyboard with the notes, scales, sharps, and flats moves freely in tandem with the Scale Shift Handle. The smaller keyboard, which contains items like bar lines and ledger lines, stays in place since these characters always appear in the same place with respect to the staff lines,” explains My Modern Met.
Since the Keaton Music Typewriter was designed for a very specific user in mind, it’s unclear how much commercial success Mr. Keaton had.
However, now, the rare, vintage piece is a collector’s item for those that are interested in pre-digital era inventions. They’re extremely hard to find, but every now and again you can find them in estate auctions or even on eBay. What’s a bit comical is that the cost of one today is about the same it was in the 1950s–a little over $200.
Curious to see how a Keaton Music Typewriter actually works? Check out the video below to see a demonstration.
Know any music composers out there? Share this fascinating piece of history with them–it’s sure to pique their interest!
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