John Wolff's Web Museum

Rolmonica Music Files

This page contains a selection of 12- and 16-note music rolls for the Rolmonica roll-playing harmonica, preserved in computer format as downloadable MIDI files.

Details of the transcription process are provided on the Preserving the original music page.

The MIDI files below can be played directly on a computer or synthesiser, or used with suitable machinery to produce exact duplicates of the original paper rolls.

Bear in mind, however, that the original rolls were mass-produced in huge quantities and were sold for only 10 cents each (less than $2 in 2025 money), and so did not always receive the same attention to detail as the rolls for more expensive instruments. There are occasional rolls that contain obvious editing or perforating errors, and there can be significant differences between multiple copies of the same title. Some examples are noted in the table below. The files below are generally taken from the "best" versions in my own collection. I have yet to find two copies of any title that are identical in all respects.

There is a more complete catalog of Rolmonica music rolls on the Rolmonica Music Catalog page. The original catalogs contain only the roll number and title, so the additional details in the table following have been added (when available) from other published sources.

12-note Rolls.

Note 1: The first copy of Roll 310 "Sweethearts On Parade" has quite strict note timing, with everything right on the beat. The second copy varies the note starts and endings, especially in the middle section, to create quite a different effect. Similar variations are found in multiple copies of many other titles.

Note 2: The first copy of Roll 540 "Hap-py days are..." is a long roll with an extra chorus at the start - AABA instead of the usual ABA format. The second copy has been shortened to ABA by removing the first chorus, but in doing so the first note of the second chorus has also been deleted. This roll starts the tune at "-py days are..." and is unrecognisable until the B section comes around. Both copies are production rolls, properly labelled, stamped and boxed.

16-note "Chromatic" Rolls.