Conlon Nancarrow, who was mentioned at the beginning of the article, challenged those limitations pretty hard. In his home studio, he had two player pianos physically synced, and the felt hammer heads replaced with steel hammers. There was sometimes so little paper left on the rolls that they would shred and jam while playing.

Despite the busy approach, though, Nancarrow's music tends to be joyous and delightful. It reminds me much of Duke Ellington's orchestral compositions.