piano roll

noun

1. a roll of paper containing perforations such that air passing through them actuates the keys of a player piano.

piano roll

noun

1. a perforated roll of paper actuating the playing mechanism of a Pianola Also calledmusic roll

Word History and Origins

Origin of piano roll¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Few producer-arrangers compared to Bell in setting a mood - whether the celebratory strings and horns kicking off the Spinners’ “Mighty Love,” the deadly piano roll at the start of the O’Jays’ “Back Stabbers” or the blissful oboe of “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” a soulful dreamland suggesting a Walt Disney film scored by Smokey Robinson.

From Washington Times

Made of die-cut stainless steel, the design renders the player piano roll for the late-‘60s jazz standard “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” that was popularized by Barbra Streisand.

From Los Angeles Times

From the piano roll days all the way to where we are now, technology advances, and we don’t have sufficient protections.

From The Verge

She started with a piano roll, then paused.

From Washington Post

Miss Lulu played a dramatic piano roll.

From Literature