The tracker bar holes on your player piano draw in air whenever you play a roll and this air carries with it fluff, dust and paper shavings. These foreign materials can block up the valves and bleed holes unless regular cleaning is carried out. If it is allowed to accumulate, it will slow down the speed of repetition and in the end it may stop a note from sounding.

The most effective way of clearing the airways is to pump out your player piano regularly with a tracker bar pump. This is a strongly made hand pump with a specially shaped end to fit over the tracker bar and you use it to suck out any dust or foreign material through the tracker bar holes. A few minutes a month using a tracker bar pump will ensure that your player piano keeps working properly.