Not long ago, the daily newspaper in Buffalo, New York, ran a story under the headline, The Day the Music Died -- not all music, but music of a most unusual sort. 

More than a century ago, the piano was a status symbol in every respectable American parlor. ____________and phonographic records came along. But a pianist was not always handy, so mechanical pianos, called pianolas or player pianos, took their place. 

We mentioned player pianos briefly recently in a story about the musician Scott Joplin and his invention of ragtime music in Sedalia, Missouri. 

As the name suggests, _________________________________, using something called piano rolls. Even someone who knew nothing about music could pump the pedals on the instrument. Pressure from the pedals turned rolls of stiff paper into which little perforations were punched in as many as 88 locations along a line. _________________________________.
 

(1)It was the home entertainment center before radio
(2)player pianos almost played themselves
(3)This matched the number of keys on the piano keyboard